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Location Overview |
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| Russia, independent republic in eastern Europe and Asia, which was established on December 25, 1991, and includes 21 ethnically based republics, 1 autonomous 'oblast' (region), 10 autonomous 'okrugs' (national areas) and 2 cities with federal status. Officially named the Russian Federation (Russian 'Rossiyskaya Federatsiya'), Russia was once the largest and most prominent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In 1991, the USSR collapsed, and Russia be-came an independent country. It then coordinated the formation of a political alliance with many of the former republics of the USSR called the Commonwealth of Independent States.
From north to south the country extends more than 4000 km (more than 2400 mi) from the southern border along the Caucasus Mountains to Arctic islands in the Barents Sea. From east to west the maximum extent is almost 10,000 km (almost 6200 mi) from the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to Ratmanov (also known as Big Diomede) Island in the Bering Strait. The country also spans parts of two continents, Europe and Asia, with the Ural Mountains marking the boundary between them. The capital and largest city of Russia is Moscow. |
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