The capital of Russia is Moscow, and it is Russias largest city.

There are about 142,905,208 people living

in Russia. The official language of Russia is Russian. Russia is the largest country in the world.

Geography
The Russian Federation is the largest of the 21 republics that make up the Commonwealth of
Independent States. It occupies most of eastern Europe and north Asia, stretching from the Baltic Sea in
the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the
Caucasus in the south. It is bordered by Norway and Finland in the northwest; Estonia, Latvia, Belarus,
Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania in the west; Georgia and Azerbaijan in the southwest; and Kazakhstan,
Mongolia, China, and North Korea along the southern border.
Government
Constitutional federation.
History
Tradition says the Viking Rurik came to Russia in 862 and founded the first Russian dynasty in Novgorod.
The various tribes were united by the spread of Christianity in the 10th and 11th centuries; Vladimir the
Saint was converted in 988. During the 11th century, the grand dukes of Kiev held such centralizing
power as existed. In 1240, Kiev was destroyed by the Mongols, and the Russian territory was split into
numerous smaller dukedoms. Early dukes of Moscow extended their dominion over other Russian cities
through their office of tribute collector for the Mongols and because of Moscow's role as an administrative
and trade center.
In the late 15th century, Duke Ivan III acquired Novgorod and Tver and threw off the Mongol yoke. Ivan
IVthe Terrible (15331584), first Muscovite czaris considered to have founded the Russian state. He
crushed the power of rival princes and boyars (great landowners), but Russia remained largely medieval
until the reign of Peter the Great (16891725), grandson of the first Romanov czar, Michael (16131645).
Peter made extensive reforms aimed at westernization and, through his defeat of Charles XII of Sweden
at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, he extended Russia's boundaries to the west. Catherine the Great (1762
1796) continued Peter's westernization program and also expanded Russian territory, acquiring the
Crimea, Ukraine, and part of Poland. During the reign of Alexander I (18011825), Napolon's attempt to
subdue Russia was defeated (18121813), and new territory was gained, including Finland (1809) and
Bessarabia (1812). Alexander originated the Holy Alliance, which for a time crushed Europe's rising
liberal movement.
Alexander II (18551881) pushed Russia's borders to the Pacific and into central Asia. Serfdom was
abolished in 1861, but heavy restrictions were imposed on the emancipated class. Revolutionary strikes,
following Russia's defeat in the war with Japan, forced Nicholas II (18941917) to grant a representative
national body (Duma), elected by narrowly limited suffrage. It met for the first time in 1906 but had little
influence on Nicholas.
5 fun facts about Russia:
1. Moscow has more billionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Russias capital boasts more billionaire residents than any other city in the world 79 to
be exact, according to Forbes. Even without Forbes confirming, its easy to believe
since we spotted just about every make of luxury car including more Rolls Royces than
wed even seen in Monaco.

2. Moscow has the 3rd busiest metro in the world.

Topping the list of the worlds busiest metros at number three, just behind Toyko and
Seoul, there are 12 lines and more than 6 million people ride the Moscow Metro daily.
Sound a bit intimidating? It was actually one of the easiest metros weve ever used and
never had to wait more than 40 seconds between trains. Theres even a clock at each
stop to time it!

3. Russians are taught not to smile in school.

Russia regularly takes first place on lists of the Worlds Least Friendly Countries. I
personally think that Russians are just misunderstood. Our G Adventures CEO, Daria,
told us that Russians are taught not to smile in school. And despite being met with
scowls, most Russians were friendly and willing to help us translate or point us in the
right direction when temporarily lost.

4. Russians have a lot of superstitions.

From rubbing a dogs paw (but only with your left hand!) for money to making a wish if
you could successfully toss a coin into Peter the Greats boot, we learned about a lot of
superstitions. But my favorite was how Russians selected where to build their homes in
ancient times. Of course, it was a superstition that the first to enter a new house would
die, so naturally theyd send a cat in first. They have nine lives after all! If the cat
refused to enter, theyd tear down the structure and re-build somewhere else.
5. Russian brides go on a city tour after getting married.

I think we saw more Russian brides in 10 days traveling in Russia than I ever saw in 6
years of living in Las Vegas. We saw them posing in front of famous churches like St.
Basils and Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, at parks, and even on boats along
St. Petersburgs canals. Its tradition for a newly married couple to go on a city tour
immediately following the ceremony.

Russian Music and Dance

Russian Food