Russia Background
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The World Factbook Central Asia :: Russia Introduction :: Russia Background: Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus. Geography :: Russia Location: North Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 17,098,242 sq km country comparison to the world: 1 land: 16,377,742 sq km water: 720,500 sq km Area - comparative: approximately 1.8 times the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 20,241.5 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 290 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 17.5 km, Latvia 292 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Ukraine 1,576 km Coastline: 37,653 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m (highest point in Europe) Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, reserves of rare earth elements, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources Land use: arable land: 7.11% permanent crops: 0.1% other: 92.79% (2011) Irrigated land: 43,460 sq km (2008) Total renewable water resources: 4,508 cu km (2011) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 66.2 cu km/yr (20%/60%/20%) per capita: 454.9 cu m/yr (2001) Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia volcanism: significant volcanic activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands; the peninsula alone is home to some 29 historically active volcanoes, with dozens more in the Kuril Islands; Kliuchevskoi (elev. 4,835 m), which erupted in 2007 and 2010, is Kamchatka's most active volcano; Avachinsky and Koryaksky volcanoes, which pose a threat to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Bezymianny, Chikurachki, Ebeko, Gorely, Grozny, Karymsky, Ketoi, Kronotsky, Ksudach, Medvezhia, Mutnovsky, Sarychev Peak, Shiveluch, Tiatia, Tolbachik, and Zheltovsky Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak; Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the world's fresh water People and Society :: Russia Nationality: noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian Ethnic groups: Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (2010 est.) Languages: Russian (official) 96.3%, Dolgang 5.3%, German 1.5%, Chechen 1%, Tatar 3%, other 10.3% note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2010 est.) Religions: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule Population: 142,470,272 (July 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.4% (male 11,980,138/female 11,344,818) 15-24 years: 10.7% (male 7,828,947/female 7,482,143) 25-54 years: 45.8% (male 31,928,886/female 33,319,671) 55-64 years: 13.3% (male 8,408,637/female 11,287,153) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 5,783,983/female 13,105,896) (2014 est.) Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 40.5 % youth dependency ratio: 22.2 % elderly dependency ratio: 18.3 % potential support ratio: 5.5 (2013) Median age: total: 38.9 years male: 36 years female: 41.9 years (2014 est.) Population growth rate: -0.03% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 200 Birth rate: 11.87 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 168 Death rate: 13.83 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 Net migration rate: 1.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 Urbanization: urban population: 73.8% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 0.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) Major urban areas - population: MOSCOW (capital) 10.523 million; Saint Petersburg 4.575 million; Novosibirsk 1.397 million; Yekaterinburg 1.344 million; Nizhniy Novgorod 1.267 million (2009) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2014 est.) Maternal mortality rate: 34 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 119 Infant mortality rate: total: 7.08 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 160 male: 7.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.16 years country comparison to the world: 151 male: 64.37 years female: 76.3 years (2014 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 179 Contraceptive prevalence rate: 79.5% note: percent of women under age 50 (2007) Health expenditures: 6.2% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 103 Physicians density: 4.31 physicians/1,000 population (2006) Hospital bed density: 9.7 beds/1,000 population (2006) Drinking water source: improved: urban: 98.7% of population rural: 92.2% of population total: 97%