country comparison to the world: 102
by type: cargo 10, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll
on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 35 (Cambodia 1, Georgia 7, Liberia 3,
Malta 8, Marshall Islands 2, Moldova 2, North Korea 1, Panama 2,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 4, Syria 1, Togo 1,
unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Braila, Constanta, Galati (Galatz), Mancanului (Giurgiu), Midia,
Tulcea
Military ::Romania
Military branches:
Land Forces, Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aeriene
Romane, FAR), Special Operations (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-35 years of age for male and female voluntary military service;
conscription officially ended October 2006; all military inductees
(including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service,
with subsequent successive contracts for 3-year terms until age 36
(2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,617,144
females age 16-49: 5,487,510 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,513,619
females age 16-49: 4,566,620 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 121,391
female: 115,258 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Transnational Issues ::Romania
Disputes - international:
the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until
June 2007 to issue a rejoinder, in their dispute submitted in 2004
over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and
Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania also opposes
Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border
through Ukraine to the Black Sea
Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the
Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for
Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as
a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering, which occurs
via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Russia (Central Asia)
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 whose
legitimacy is buttressed, in part, by carefully managed national
elections, former President PUTIN's genuine popularity, and the
prudent management of Russia's windfall energy wealth. Russia has
severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still
occurs throughout the North Caucasus.
Geography ::Russia
Location:
Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of
Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and 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
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: 7.17%
permanent crops: 0.11%
other: 92.72% (2005)
Irrigated land:
46,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
4,498 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 76.68 cu km/yr (19%/63%/18%)
per capita: 535 cu m/yr (2000)
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: Russia experiences 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, 15,863 ft), 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
People ::Russia
Population:
139,390,205 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 10,644,833/female 10,095,011)
15-64 years: 71.5% (male 48,004,040/female 52,142,313)
65 years and over: 13.7% (male 5,880,877/female 13,274,173) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 38.5 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 41.7 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.465% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222
Birth rate:
11.11 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Death rate:
16.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Net migration rate:
0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
Urbanization:
urban population: 73% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 10.32 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 150
male: 11.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.16 years
country comparison to the world: 160
male: 59.54 years
female: 73.17 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.41 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
940,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
40,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups:
Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%,
other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census)
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
Languages:
Russian (official), many minority languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 109
Government ::Russia
Country name:
conventional long form: Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
local short form: Rossiya
former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Government type:
federation
Capital:
name: Moscow
geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 35 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: Russia is divided into 9 time zones
Administrative divisions:
46 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik,
singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov,
singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2
federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast
(avtonomnaya oblast')
oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod,
Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga,
Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk,
Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk,
Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin
(Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk
(Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk,
Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl'
republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan
(Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya
(Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas),
Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista),
Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk),
Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola),
Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya]
(Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)
autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi
(Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard)
krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy),
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); notable earlier dates: 1157
(Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal created); 16 January 1547 (Tsardom
of Muscovy established); 22 October 1721 (Russian Empire
proclaimed); 30 December 1922 (Soviet Union established)
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), Aleksandr Gennadiyevich
KHLOPONIN (since 19 January 2010), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK (since
14 October 2008), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 24 September
2007), Igor Ivanovich SECHIN (since 12 May 2008), Vyacheslav
Viktorovich VOLODIN (since 21 October 2010), Aleksandr Dmitriyevich
ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004)
cabinet: the "Government" is composed of the premier, his deputies,
and ministers; all are appointed by the president, and the premier
is also confirmed by the Duma
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
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 - the term length was extended to
six years in late 2008, to go into effect following the 2012
presidential election; there is 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 - Dmitriy 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 (166 seats;
as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and
legislative officials in each of the 83 federal administrative units
- oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the
federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members to 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 on 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]; Right Cause
[Leonid Yakovlevich GOZMAN, Boris Yuriyevich TITOV, and Georgiy
Georgiyevich BOVT] (formed from merger of Civic Force, Democratic
Party of Russia, and Union of Right Forces); United Russia [Vladimir
Vladimirovich PUTIN]; Yabloko Party [Sergey Sergeyevich MITROKHIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Citizens with Initiative of Russia (TIGR);
Confederation of Labor of Russia (KTR); 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 Federation of Car Owners;
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), CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO,
FATF, G-20, G-8, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, 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, 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
note: the colors may have been based on those of the Dutch flag;
despite many popular interpretations, there is no official meaning
assigned to the colors of the Russian flag; this flag inspired other
Slav countries to adopt horizontal tricolors of the same colors but
in different arrangements, and so red, blue, and white became the
Pan-Slav colors
National anthem:
name: "Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii" (National Anthem of the Russian
Federation)
lyrics/music: Sergei Vladimirovich MIKHALKOV/Alexandr Vasilievich
ALEXANDROV
note: in 2000, Russia adopted the tune of the anthem of the former
Soviet Union (composed in 1939); the lyrics, also adopted in 2000,
were written by the same person who authored the Soviet lyrics in
1943
Economy ::Russia
Economy - overview:
Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the
Soviet Union, moving from a globally-isolated, centrally-planned
economy to a more market-based and globally-integrated economy.
Economic reforms in the 1990s privatized most industry, with notable
exceptions in the energy and defense-related sectors. The protection
of property rights is still weak and the private sector remains
subject to heavy state interference. Russian industry is primarily
split between globally-competitive commodity producers - in 2009
Russia was the world's largest exporter of natural gas, the second
largest exporter of oil, and the third largest exporter of steel and
primary aluminum - and other less competitive heavy industries that
remain dependent on the Russian domestic market. This reliance on
commodity exports makes Russia vulnerable to boom and bust cycles
that follow the highly volatile swings in global commodity prices.
The government since 2007 has embarked on an ambitious program to
reduce this dependency and build up the country's high technology
sectors, but with few results so far. The economy had averaged 7%
growth since the 1998 Russian financial crisis, resulting in a
doubling of real disposable incomes and the emergence of a middle
class. The Russian economy, however, was one of the hardest hit by
the 2008-09 global economic crisis as oil prices plummeted and the
foreign credits that Russian banks and firms relied on dried up. The
Central Bank of Russia spent one-third of its $600 billion
international reserves, the world's third largest, in late 2008 to
slow the devaluation of the ruble. The government also devoted $200
billion in a rescue plan to increase liquidity in the banking sector
and aid Russian firms unable to roll over large foreign debts coming
due. The economic decline bottomed out in mid-2009 and the economy
began to grow in the first quarter of 2010. However, a severe
drought and fires in central Russia reduced agricultural output,
prompting a ban on grain exports for part of the year, and slowed
growth in other sectors such as manufacturing and retail trade.
Russia's long-term challenges include a shrinking workforce, a high
level of corruption, difficulty in accessing capital for smaller,
non-energy companies, and poor infrastructure in need of large
investments.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.229 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$2.147 trillion (2009 est.)
$2.331 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.477 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
-7.9% (2009)