Russia (the Russian Federation) lies both in Europe and in Asia. It is the biggest country in the world with the area of 17 million square kilometres. The capital of the country is Moscow, which is the biggest city. The other biggest cities are Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekateriinburg, Rostov-na-Donu, Nizhny Novgorod etc.

Around 145 million people live in the country. The western part is more densely populated. Russian is the official language of the state, but there are a lot of nationalities and smaller ethnic groups with their own cultures and languages.

The climate changes greatly within the country due to its vast territory.