Eastern Europe/Asia.

The Russian Federation is divided into 11 time zones. Summer time is + 1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October.
Kaliningrad: GMT + 2 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Moscow, St Petersburg, Astrakhan: GMT + 3 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Izhevsk and Samara: GMT + 4 (GMT +5 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Perm', Ekaterinburg, Surgut: GMT + 5 (GMT +6 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Omsk and Novosibirsk: GMT + 6 (GMT + 7 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October.
Abakan, Norilsk, Tura: GMT + 7 (GMT +8 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Bratsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude: GMT + 8 (GMT +9 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Mirnyy, Tynda, Yakutsk: GMT + 9 (GMT +10 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno- Sakhalinsk: GMT + 10 (GMT +11 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Magadan, Chirskiy: GMT + 11 (GMT + 12 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Anadyr, Kamchatskiy, Petropavlosk: GMT + 12 (GMT +13 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

17,075,400 sq km (6,592,850 sq miles).

141.5 million (UN, 2005).

8.28 per sq km.

Moscow. Population: 8.3 million (2005).

The Russian Federation covers almost twice the area of the USA, and reaches from Moscow in the west over the Urals and the vast Siberian plains to the Sea of Okhotsk in the east. The border between European Russia and Siberia (Asia) is formed by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River and the Manych Depression. European Russia extends from the North Polar Sea across the Central Russian Uplands to the Black Sea, the Northern Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. Siberia stretches from the West Siberian Plain across the Central Siberian Plateau between Yenisey and Lena, including the Sayan, Yablonovy and Stanovoy ranges in the south to the East Siberian mountains between Lena and the Pacific coast, including the Chukotskiy and Kamchatka peninsulas.

Under the 1993 constitution, broad executive powers are held by the President who is directly elected for a four year term and governs with the assistance of an appointed cabinet (whose Premier must be endorsed by the legislature). The bicameral legislature consists of the State Duma, with 450 members directly elected for four years, and the Federation Council, with 178 members – the head of the regional legislature and executive in each of the country’s territories. These territories, which make up the Federation, comprise 21 republics, 49 administrative oblasts (regions), six provinces, one autonomous oblast, 10 autonomous okrugs (districts), and two urban areas (Moscow and St Petersburg) with special administrative status.

Republic since 1991. Head of State: President Vladimir Putin since 2000. Head of Government: Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Recent history: Vladimir Putin was elected to a second term as Russian President in March 2004. His nearest opponent, the Communist candidate, only obtained 14 per cent of the votes. United Russia, the party backed by the President, won a landslide victory in Parliamentary elections in December 2003. Mr Putin has promised to continue to reform the economy. He has taken a very tough line against Chechen rebels

Russian. English, French or German are spoken by some people.

Mainly Christian with the Russian Orthodox Church being the largest Christian community. Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish minorities also exist.

It is customary to shake hands when greeting someone. Company or business gifts are well received. Each region has its own characteristic mode of dress. Conservative wear is suitable for most places and the seasonal weather should always be borne in mind. Smoking is acceptable unless stated otherwise. Avoid ostentatious displays of wealth; it is advisable to keep expensive jewellery, watches and cameras out of sight and take precautions against pickpocketing.
Photography: It is prohibited to take photographs of any military installation and/or establishments or sites of strategic importance. Failure to abide by this could result in police arrest.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

*Until 1992, the territories of the Republic of Chechnya and the Ingush Republic were combined in the Chechen-Ingush autonomous republic (area 19,300 sq km).