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. After defeating Germany in World War II as part of an alliance with the US (1939-1945), the USSR expanded its territory and influence in Eastern Europe and emerged as a global power. The USSR was the principal adversary of the US during the Cold War (1947-1991). The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the decades following Stalin’s rule, 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.
Following economic and political turmoil during President Boris YELTSIN’s term (1991-99), Russia shifted toward a centralized authoritarian state under the leadership of President Vladimir PUTIN (2000-2008, 2012-present) in which the regime seeks to legitimize its rule through managed elections, populist appeals, a foreign policy focused on enhancing the country’s geopolitical influence, and commodity-based economic growth. Russia faces a largely subdued rebel movement in Chechnya and some other surrounding regions, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.
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Russia Tourism Information…




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The Best of Russia…
Central Russia
Moscow – For more detailed information go to our ➾ Moscow web page.
- Oblasts: Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Moscow, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, Vladimir, Yaroslavl
- Cities: Moscow
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Chernozemye
- Oblasts: Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Tambov, Voronezh
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Kaliningrad
- Oblasts:
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Northwestern Russia
Saint Petersburg – For more detailed information go to our ➾ Saint Petersburg web page
- Oblasts: Arkhangelsk, Karelia, Komi Republic, Leningrad, Murmansk, Nenetsia, Novgorod, Pskov, Vologda
- Cities: Saint Petersburg
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Southern Russia
- Oblasts: Adygea, Chechnya, Crimea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai, North Ossetia, Rostov, Stavropol Krai
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Urals Region
- Oblasts: Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk, Khantia-Mansia, Kurgan, Orenburg, Perm Krai, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Yamalia
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Volga Region
- Oblasts: Astrakhan, Chuvashia, Kirov, Mari El, Mordovia, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Here is a list of some of the most interesting and visited places. Cities or areas listed will always have more than just one thing see and do. With the popular cities or areas we list some of the best known, which should go on everyone’s, must see list when they visit. |
The Golden Ring Kaliningrad Curonian Split Kronstadt Saint Nicolas Cathedral Kazan Karelia Kizi Island Moscow The Kremlin Pushkin Museum Red Square St. Basil’s Cathedral Mt. Elbrus & The Caucasus Nizhny Novgorod Grand Palace-Peterhof Sochi St. Petersburg The Hermitage & Winter Palace Catherine Palace Peter Paul Fortress Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood Suzdal Volgograd The Motherland Calls’ Sculpture Battlefields of Volgograd Yekaterinburg |
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Russia Country Information…
Capital:
Moscow
Largest City:
Moscow
Government:
Federal Semi-presidential Constitutional Republic
Currency:
Russian Ruble (Pуб.)
Area:
Total: 17,098,242 km2 water: 720,500 km2 land: 16,377,742 km2 ranked 1st
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
Population:
142,355,415 (July 2016 est.) ranked 10th
Language:
Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% note: data represent native language spoken (2010 est.)
Ethnic Groups:
Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9%
Religion:
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; Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism as traditional religions
Electricity:
230V, 50Hz (European plug C, F )
Telephone Code:
+7
Local Emergency Phone Number:
112
Internet TLD:
.ru
Time Zone:
MSKS (UTC+3) European Region only
Road Driving Side:
Right
Anthem:
“Государственный гимн Российской Федерации” “Gosudarstvenny gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii” (transliteration) “State Anthem of the Russian Federation”
President:
Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister:
Dmitry Medvedev
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Holidays and Observances in Russia in 2020
Date | Name | Type | |
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Jan 1 | Wednesday | New Year’s Day | National holiday |
Jan 2 | Thursday | New Year Holiday Week | National holiday |
Jan 3 | Friday | New Year Holiday Week | National holiday |
Jan 6 | Monday | New Year Holiday Week | National holiday |
Jan 7 | Tuesday | Orthodox Christmas Day | National holiday, Orthodox |
Jan 8 | Wednesday | New Year Holiday Week | National holiday |
Jan 14 | Tuesday | Old New Year | Observance |
Feb 14 | Friday | Valentine’s Day | Observance |
Feb 23 | Sunday | Defender of the Fatherland Day | National holiday |
Feb 24 | Monday | Defender of the Fatherland Day observed | National holiday |
Feb 27 | Thursday | Special Operations Forces Day | Observance |
Mar 8 | Sunday | International Women’s Day | National holiday |
Mar 9 | Monday | International Women’s Day observed | National holiday |
Mar 20 | Friday | March Equinox | Season |
Mar 22 | Sunday | Isra and Mi’raj | Muslim |
Apr 19 | Sunday | Orthodox Easter Day | Observance, Orthodox |
Apr 24 | Friday | Ramadan starts | Muslim |
May 1 | Friday | Spring and Labor Day | National holiday |
May 9 | Saturday | Victory Day | National holiday |
May 11 | Monday | Victory Day observed | National holiday |
May 19 | Tuesday | Lailat al-Qadr | Muslim |
May 24 | Sunday | Eid al-Fitr | Muslim |
Jun 12 | Friday | Russia Day | National holiday |
Jun 21 | Sunday | June Solstice | Season |
Jul 31 | Friday | Eid al-Adha | Muslim |
Aug 20 | Thursday | Muharram | Muslim |
Sep 1 | Tuesday | Day of Knowledge | Observance |
Sep 22 | Tuesday | September Equinox | Season |
Oct 29 | Thursday | The Prophet’s Birthday | Muslim |
Nov 4 | Wednesday | Unity Day | National holiday |
Dec 21 | Monday | December Solstice | Season |