Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy [Maritime]
(Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'sk (Chita)
federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg]
autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Russia Day, 12 June (1990)
Constitution:
adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 7 May
2008)
head of government: Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 8
May 2008); First Deputy Premiers Igor Ivanovich SHUVALOV and Viktor
Alekseyevich ZUBKOV (since 12 May 2008); Deputy Premiers Sergey
Borisovich IVANOV (since 12 May 2008), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK
(since 14 October 2008), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 24
September 2007), Igor Ivanovich SECHIN (since 12 May 2008), Sergey
Semenovich SOBYANIN (since 12 May 2008), Aleksandr Dmitriyevich
ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004), and Dmitry Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14
October 2008)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of
the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other
individuals; all are appointed by the president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides
staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential
decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a
Security Council also reports directly to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 2 March 2008 (next
to be held in March 2012); note - no vice president; if the
president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill
health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting
president until a new presidential election is held, which must be
within three months; premier appointed by the president with the
approval of the Duma
election results: Dmitriy MEDVEDEV elected president; percent of
vote - Dmitry MEDVEDEV 70.2%, Gennady ZYUGANOV 17.7%, Vladimir
ZHIRINOVSKY 9.4%, Andrey BOGDANOV 1.3%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of an
upper house, the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (168 seats;
as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and
legislative officials in each of the 84 federal administrative units
- oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the
federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; serve four-year
terms) and a lower house, the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma
(450 seats; as of 2007, all members elected by proportional
representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: State Duma - last held 2 December 2007 (next to be held
in December 2011)
election results: State Duma - United Russia 64.3%, CPRF 11.5%, LDPR
8.1%, Just Russia 7.7%, other 8.4%; total seats by party - United
Russia 315, CPRF 57, LDPR 40, Just Russia 38
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration Court;
judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation
Council on the recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:
A Just Russia [Sergey MIRONOV]; Communist Party of the Russian
Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal
Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich
ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Patriots of Russia [Gennadiy SEMIGIN]; People's Union
[Sergey BABURIN]; Right Cause [Leonid Yakovlevich GOZMAN, Boris
Yuriyevich TITOV, and Georgiy Georgiyevich BOVT] (registration
pending; formed from merger of Union of Right Forces, Democratic
Party of Russia, and Civic Force); United Russia [Vladimir
Vladimirovich PUTIN]; Yabloko Party [Sergey Sergeyevich MITROKHIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
All-Russian Confederation of Labor; Baikal Environmental Wave;
Federation of Independent Labor Unions of Russia; Freedom of Choice
Interregional Organization of Automobilists; Glasnost Defense
Foundation; Golos Association in Defense of Voters' Rights;
Greenpeace Russia; Human Rights Watch (Russian chapter); Institute
for Collective Action; Memorial (human rights group); Movement
Against Illegal Migration; Pamjat (preservation of historical
monuments and recording of history); Russian Orthodox Church;
Russian-Chechen Friendship Society; SOVA Analytical-Information
Center; Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers; World Wildlife
Fund (Russian chapter)
International organization participation:
APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC,
CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, G-20, G-8,
GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM
(guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OECD (accession state), OIC
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security
Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,
UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
(observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sergey Ivanovich KISLYAK
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708
FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John R. BEYRLE
embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow
mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (495) 728-5000
FAX: [7] (495) 728-5090
consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
Economy ::Russia
Economy - overview:
Russia ended 2008 with GDP growth of 5.6%, following 10 straight
years of growth averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of
1998. Over the last six years, fixed capital investment growth and
personal income growth have averaged above 10%, but both grew at
slower rates in 2008. Growth in 2008 was driven largely by
non-tradable services and domestic manufacturing, rather than
exports. During the past decade, poverty and unemployment declined
steadily and the middle class continued to expand. Russia also
improved its international financial position, running balance of
payments surpluses since 2000. Foreign exchange reserves grew from
$12 billion in 1999 to almost $600 billion by end July 2008, which
include $200 billion in two sovereign wealth funds: a reserve fund
to support budgetary expenditures in case of a fall in the price of
oil and a national welfare fund to help fund pensions and
infrastructure development. Total foreign debt is almost one-third
of GDP. The state component of foreign debt has declined, but
commercial short-term debt to foreigners has risen strongly. These
positive trends began to reverse in the second half of 2008.
Investor concerns over the Russia-Georgia conflict, corporate
governance issues, and the global credit crunch in September caused
the Russian stock market to fall by roughly 70%, primarily due to
margin calls that were difficult for many Russian companies to meet.
The global crisis also affected Russia's banking system, which faced
liquidity problems. Moscow responded quickly in early October 2008,
initiating a rescue plan of over $200 billion that was designed to
increase liquidity in the financial sector, to help firms refinance
foreign debt, and to support the stock market. The government also
unveiled a $20 billion tax cut plan and other safety nets for
society and industry. Meanwhile, a 70% drop in the price of oil
since mid-July further exacerbated imbalances in external accounts
and the federal budget. In mid-November, mini-devaluations of the
currency by the Central Bank caused increased capital flight and
froze domestic credit markets, resulting in growing unemployment,
wage arrears, and a severe drop in production. Foreign exchange
reserves dropped to around $435 billion by end 2008, as the Central
Bank defended an overvalued ruble. In the first year of his term,
President MEDVEDEV outlined a number of economic priorities for
Russia including improving infrastructure, innovation, investment,
and institutions; reducing the state's role in the economy;
reforming the tax system and banking sector; developing one of the
biggest financial centers in the world, combating corruption, and
improving the judiciary. The Russian government needs to diversify
the economy further, as energy and other raw materials still
dominate Russian export earnings and federal budget receipts.
Russia's infrastructure requires large investments and must be
replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based
economic growth. Corruption, lack of trust in institutions, and more
recently, exchange rate uncertainty and the global economic crisis
continue to dampen domestic and foreign investor sentiment. Russia
has made some progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a
modern market economy, but much work remains on judicial reform.
Moscow continues to seek accession to the WTO and has made some
progress, but its timeline for entry into the organization continues
to slip, and the negotiating atmosphere has soured in the wake of
the Georgia and global economic crises.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.271 trillion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$2.151 trillion (2007 est.)
$1.99 trillion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.677 trillion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
8.1% (2007 est.)
7.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,100 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
$15,200 (2007 est.)
$14,000 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.7%
industry: 37.6%
services: 57.7% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
75.7 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10.2%
industry: 27.4%
services: 62.4% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
6.2% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
15.8% (November 2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 30.4% (September 2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.5 (September 2008)
country comparison to the world: 56
39.9 (2001)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Budget:
revenues: $364.6 billion
expenditures: $304.6 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
6.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
28.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.1% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
13% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
10% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.23% (31 December 2008)
NA% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$252.5 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 6
$303.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$318.4 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 11
$292.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$367.2 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
$339.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$397.2 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$1.503 trillion (31 December 2007)
$1.057 trillion (31 December 2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk
Industries:
complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,
oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from
rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;
defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced
electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation
equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery,
tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and
transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer
durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
3.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Electricity - production:
958 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Electricity - consumption:
840.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Electricity - exports:
18.6 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
3.105 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
9.79 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Oil - consumption:
2.9 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Oil - exports:
6.845 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Oil - imports:
47,360 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Oil - proved reserves:
60 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Natural gas - production:
662.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - consumption:
475.7 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Natural gas - exports:
243.4 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - imports:
56.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Natural gas - proved reserves:
47.57 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Current account balance:
$102.4 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
$77.01 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$471.6 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$354.4 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood
products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and
military manufactures
Exports - partners:
Netherlands 11.2%, Italy 8.1%, Germany 8%, Turkey 6%, Ukraine 5.1%,
Poland 4.5%, China 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$291.9 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
$223.5 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
vehicles, machinery and equipment, plastics, medicines, iron and
steel, consumer goods, meat, fruits and nuts, semifinished metal
products
Imports - partners:
Germany 13.5%, China 13.2%, Japan 6.5%, Ukraine 6%, US 4.5%, Italy
4.3% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$427.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$476.4 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$483.5 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 21
$471 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$491.2 billion (2007)
country comparison to the world: 10
$271.6 billion (2006)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$176.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
$209.6 billion (2006)
Exchange rates:
Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar - 24.3 (2008 est.), 25.659
(2007), 27.19 (2006), 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004)
Communications ::Russia
Telephones - main lines in use:
44.2 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
Telephones - mobile cellular:
187.5 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 4
Telephone system:
general assessment: the telephone system is experiencing significant
changes; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer
communication services; access to digital lines has improved,
particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are
improving; Russia has made progress toward building the
telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;
the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1
million in 1998 to nearly 188 million in 2008; a large demand for
main line service remains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint
Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the
telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital
infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are
available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are
still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally
by undersea fiber optic cables; digital switches in several cities
provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite
earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat,
Inmarsat, and Orbita systems (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 323, FM 1,500 est., shortwave 62 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
7,306 (1998)
Internet country code:
.ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su"
that was allocated to the Soviet Union and is being phased out
Internet hosts:
7.663 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 13
Internet users:
45.25 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 8
Transportation ::Russia
Airports:
1,216 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 5
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 595
over 3,047 m: 52
2,438 to 3,047 m: 198
1,524 to 2,437 m: 129
914 to 1,523 m: 99
under 914 m: 117 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 621
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 68
914 to 1,523 m: 84
under 914 m: 453 (2009)
Heliports:
48 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 122 km; gas 158,767 km; liquid petroleum gas 127 km; oil
74,285 km; refined products 13,658 km; water 23 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 87,157 km
country comparison to the world: 2
broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve
industries (2006)
Roadways:
total: 933,000 km
country comparison to the world: 8
paved: 754,984 km (includes 30,000 km of expressways)
unpaved: 178,016 km
note: includes public, local, and departmental roads (2006)
Waterways:
102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth)
country comparison to the world: 2
note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White
Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,074
country comparison to the world: 9
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 663, carrier 2, chemical tanker 27,
combination ore/oil 34, container 11, passenger 14, passenger/cargo
7, petroleum tanker 217, refrigerated cargo 59, roll on/roll off 10,
specialized tanker 5
foreign-owned: 112 (Belgium 4, Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy
4, South Korea 1, Latvia 2, Norway 2, Switzerland 3, Turkey 80,
Ukraine 11, US 1)
registered in other countries: 486 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas
4, Belize 31, Bulgaria 1, Cambodia 83, Comoros 12, Cyprus 50,
Dominica 3, Georgia 12, Hong Kong 2, Jamaica 3, Liberia 94, Malaysia
2, Malta 58, Marshall Islands 9, Moldova 3, Mongolia 9, Panama 18,
Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21,
Sierra Leone 11, Slovakia 1, Tuvalu 2, Ukraine 1, Vanuatu 2, unknown
31) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Azov, Kaliningrad, Kavkaz, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Saint
Petersburg, Vostochnyy
Military ::Russia
Military branches:
Ground Forces (Sukhoputnyye Voyskia, SV), Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy
Flot, VMF), Air Forces (Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily, VVS); Airborne
Troops (VDV), Strategic Rocket Forces (Raketnyye Voyska
Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN), and Space Troops
(Kosmicheskiye Voyska, KV) are independent "combat arms," not
subordinate to any of the three branches; Russian Ground Forces
include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank
troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of ground troops
(2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service;
males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; service
obligation - 1 year; reserve obligation to age 50; as of July 2008,
a draft military strategy called for the draft to continue up to the
year 2030 (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 36,219,908
females age 16-49: 37,019,853 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 21,098,306
females age 16-49: 27,968,883 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 741,692
female: 706,081 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 30
Transnational Issues ::Russia
Disputes - international: