RUSSIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Prime Minister of India  has congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation.

Russia

• About: Russia is a vast country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, extending across eleven time zones.
• Bordering Nations: It shares land boundaries with fourteen countries, making it a pivotal player in Eurasian geopolitics.

oPoland and Lithuania (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea.

• Population: Russia ranks as the ninth-most populous country globally and is the most populous in Europe.
• Capital: Moscow 
• Time Zone: 11
• Ecological Diversity: With its expansive territory, Russia encompasses diverse environments, from deserts to Arctic tundra.
• River: The country boasts Europe's longest river, the Volga, 
• Lake: Ladoga and it houses the world's deepest lake, Baikal.
• Climate: Russia holds records for extreme weather, with the world's lowest temperature outside the polar regions recorded within its borders.
• Permanent member: United Nations Security Council; a member state of the G20, SCO, BRICS, APEC, OSCE, and WTO; and the leading member state of post-Soviet organisations such as CIS, CSTO, and EAEU/EEU. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.