Russia
Europe Β· Capital: Moscow
How it is run: Russia is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Russia is home to 143.5 million people in Eastern Europe, where people speak Russian.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
143.5 million people
That is 1.8% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
17,098,242 kmΒ²
A giant of the map β it stretches across several time zones.
ποΈ How crowded
Only about 8.4 people per square kilometre β lots of wide open space between towns.
π Size in its region
1st most people in Europe
1st largest by land in Europe.
π£οΈ Official languages
Russian
π° Money
Russian ruble (β½)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
73.4 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$17,547
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
π’ Living in cities
75.3% of people
Mostly a city country β think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
π Kids under 15
17% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+7
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.ru
π§ People here are called
Russian
π·οΈ Name at home
Π ΠΎΡΡΠΈΡ
Also written: Russian Federation, Π ΠΎΡΡΠΈΠΉΡΠΊΠ°Ρ Π€Π΅Π΄Π΅ΡΠ°ΡΠΈΡ.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Eastern European Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Russia touches 14 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Rusia
French
Russie
Arabic
Ψ±ΩΨ³ΩΨ§
Chinese
δΏη½ζ―
Japanese
γγ·γ’
Russian
Π ΠΎΡΡΠΈΡ
Portuguese
RΓΊssia
German
Russland
Put it in perspective π
- Russia covers roughly 162,840 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Russia lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 71,757 km.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Russia change.
Imperial standard
Black, gold and white were the colours of the Tsar's empire.
Soviet Union
The hammer stood for factory workers and the sickle for farmers.
Russian Federation
The old tricolour of Tsar Peter the Great returned after the Soviet Union ended.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: The capital of Russia is Moscow β that's where the country's big decisions get made.
π·οΈ Official name
Russian Federation
ποΈ Capital
Moscow
π Region
Europe Β· Eastern Europe
π€ Country code
RU
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Russia π
Red Square
St Basil's Cathedral with its swirled onion domes was finished in 1561. 'Red' in old Russian also meant beautiful.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
60.0Β° N, 100.0Β° E
π Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+7 β when it is noon in London it is about 19:00 in Moscow.
- Russia is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Russia shares its part of the world with Ukraine. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- The capital of Russia is Moscow β that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- π·πΊ is the flag of Russia. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is RU.
- Russia is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly β the same as every other member, big or small.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Russia has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Russia can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Russia spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Russia?
Moscow
Which money do people spend in Russia?
Russian ruble (β½)
How many countries share a land border with Russia?
14 β Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Ukraine.
Roughly how many people live in Russia?
143.5 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.