Eastern Europe · EuropeRussia
Discover Russia - spanning 11 time zones from the Baltic to the Pacific, home to Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky, the Trans-Siberian Railway, and Lake Baikal's ancient depths.
Where Is Russia?
Russia is a country in Eastern Europe. Its capital is Moscow.
- Capital Moscow
- Population 144M
- Area 17,098,246 km²
Russia is the largest country on Earth by a margin so absurd it barely makes sense - 17.1 million square kilometers spanning 11 time zones, two continents, and climates from Arctic tundra to subtropical Black Sea beaches. When it's midnight in Kaliningrad on the Baltic, it's already lunchtime the next day in Kamchatka on the Pacific. The country contains the deepest lake (Baikal), the longest railway (Trans-Siberian), and some of the coldest inhabited places on the planet.
The cultural output is equally oversized. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pushkin - Russian literature essentially invented the modern novel. Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and Rachmaninoff transformed classical music. The Bolshoi Ballet, the Hermitage Museum, the architecture of Saint Petersburg - Russia built on a scale designed to overwhelm. Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. The chess tradition produced more world champions than any other country. And through all the upheavals - tsars, revolutions, world wars, the Soviet experiment, and its collapse - the Russian cultural spirit has proven remarkably resilient.
At a glance
Largest cities in Russia
Moscow
Saint Petersburg
Novosibirsk
Yekaterinburg
Kazan
Vladivostok
Famous people from Russia
Leo Tolstoy
LiteratureAuthor of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, widely regarded as the greatest novelist who ever lived
Fyodor Dostoevsky
LiteratureAuthor of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, whose psychological depth transformed the modern novel
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
MusicComposer of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and the 1812 Overture, among the most performed works in classical music
Yuri Gagarin
ScienceFirst human in space on April 12, 1961, orbiting the Earth in Vostok 1 and becoming a global icon of exploration
Dmitri Mendeleev
ScienceCreated the periodic table of elements in 1869, one of the most important achievements in the history of science
Garry Kasparov
SportYoungest ever undisputed World Chess Champion at 22, dominated chess for two decades and famously played against IBM's Deep Blue
Andrei Tarkovsky
FilmVisionary filmmaker of Stalker and Solaris, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinema history
Maria Sharapova
SportFive-time Grand Slam tennis champion who became one of the highest-earning female athletes in history
Traditional cuisine of Russia
- Borscht
- Iconic beetroot soup served hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream, a staple across Russia and Eastern Europe
- Pelmeni
- Siberian dumplings filled with minced meat, wrapped in thin dough and boiled, served with sour cream or vinegar
- Blini
- Thin buckwheat pancakes served with caviar, smoked salmon, sour cream, or jam - the Russian answer to crepes
- Beef Stroganoff
- Sauteed beef in a rich sour cream and mushroom sauce, invented in 19th century Russia and now known worldwide
- Olivier Salad
- Russia's most beloved salad of diced potatoes, eggs, pickles, peas, and bologna in mayonnaise, essential at every New Year's table
- Pirozhki
- Baked or fried stuffed buns filled with meat, cabbage, potato, or egg, the quintessential Russian street food
- Shchi
- Traditional cabbage soup that has been the backbone of Russian cuisine for a thousand years, from peasant huts to palace kitchens
- Kvass
- Fermented bread drink with a slightly sour taste, sold from street tanks in summer and used as a base for cold soups
Nature and landmarks in Russia
- Lake BaikalLake
- The deepest lake on Earth at 1,642 meters, holding 20% of the world's fresh surface water, over 25 million years old
- Kamchatka PeninsulaMountain
- Remote volcanic peninsula in the far east with 160 volcanoes, geysers, brown bears, and some of the wildest terrain on Earth
- Trans-Siberian RailwayLandmark
- The longest railway in the world at 9,289 km from Moscow to Vladivostok, crossing seven time zones in six days
- Ural MountainsMountain
- The traditional boundary between Europe and Asia, stretching 2,500 km from the Arctic to Kazakhstan
- Altai MountainsMountain
- UNESCO World Heritage wilderness where Russia meets Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan, with pristine alpine lakes and glaciers
- Caucasus MountainsMountain
- Home to Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters, the highest peak in Europe, with dramatic gorges and ancient villages
- Golden RingLandmark
- Circle of ancient towns northeast of Moscow with onion-domed churches and kremlins predating the capital itself
- Valley of GeysersNational Park
- Second largest concentration of geysers in the world, hidden in a remote Kamchatka canyon accessible only by helicopter
Sports in Russia
- Ice Hockey
- Multiple Olympic gold medals and World Championship titles, ice hockey is Russia's most passionate winter sport
- Chess
- Dominated world chess for most of the 20th century, producing more World Champions than any other country
- Figure Skating
- Perennial Olympic and World Championship power in singles, pairs, and ice dance, with legendary coaches and skaters
- Football
- Hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Soviet team won the first European Championship in 1960 and Olympic gold in 1956 and 1988
- Tennis
- Produced Grand Slam champions including Sharapova, Safin, and Medvedev, and won the Davis Cup multiple times
Did you know?
Russia spans 11 time zones - when people in Kaliningrad eat breakfast, people in Kamchatka are already in bed
Lake Baikal contains more water than all five of North America's Great Lakes combined
The Moscow Metro is famous for its palatial stations decorated with chandeliers, mosaics, and marble, often called underground palaces
Russia sent the first satellite (Sputnik), the first animal (Laika), and the first human (Gagarin) into space
The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg has over 3 million items - you would need 11 years to view each exhibit for 30 seconds
Oymyakon in Siberia recorded minus 67.7 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature ever measured in an inhabited place
The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses 3,901 bridges on its 9,289-kilometer journey from Moscow to Vladivostok
Russia has the world's largest forest reserves, with its boreal taiga covering an area larger than the continental United States
Can you find Russia on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Russia and its neighbours without a second thought.
