Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of size, having a vast territory of 17.1 million square kilometers. It shares borders with many European and Asian countries such as Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belorussia, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia (plus sea borders with the United States and Japan). Its population in the beginning of 2010 numbered 141.9 million people.

Russia is a federal republic comprised of 85 constituent entities. There are six categories of federal constituent entities that represent equal members of the federation. They include 22 republics, 46 regions, one autonomous region, 9 territories (krais), 4 autonomous okrugs and three cities of federal significance: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol....