Ten Major Geographic Qualities of Russia Northern Eurasia in a nutshell

Size Russia has the largest territory in the world (16,995,800 square km), nearly twice the size of the next ranking country, Canada. Russian territory spans 11 time zones, roughly 1/6 of the world's land mass.

Climate Much of Russia is either very cold or very dry. Rugged mountain ranges in the south block warm subtropical air. To the north, Russia lies open to cold Arctic air masses. The Russian Taiga contains 20% of all the trees in the world.

Location Although Russia possesses a very long coastline, it is mostly along the north with few good & suitably located ports. The surface area of Lake Baikal is about half as big as Lake Michigan, yet Baikal is so deep it holds one-fifth of the world's freshwater (about as much as all five Great Lakes).

Population For so large an area, Russia’s population of 143 million is relatively small. The population remains strongly concentrated in the west. Life Expectancy is 70, ranking 142nd in the world. For men it is 65 & women 76.

Diversity Russia is a multicultural state with a complex internal geography. The Russian federation comprises 83 federal divisions, 21 of which are based on ethnic clusters.

Russian territory & influence Expansion Russia was one of the major colonial powers. The czars forged the world’s largest contiguous empire, which the Soviets took over & expanded. Russia continues to assert influence over its neighbors. Russian territory & influence

Development Development in Russia is concentrated west of the Ural mountains. Economic development east of the Urals extends mainly along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Manufacturing Russia has long been a source of raw materials but not a manufacturer of export products, except weaponry. Few Russian consumer goods ever reach world markets.

Economics The failure of the Soviet communist system left Russia in economic chaos. While the country has recovered, the gap between rich & poor is often vast. Russia has the world’s 6th largest GDP, but is 58th in Per Capita GDP.

Energy Russia holds the world's largest natural gas reserves, 2nd largest coal reserves, & 8th largest oil reserves. Russia is also the world's largest exporter of natural gas, 2nd largest oil exporter, & 3rd largest energy consumer. More than half of Russia’s total exports are in petroleum.