Russia is a transcontinental country located in both Europe and Asia, with the Ural Mountains traditionally acting as the dividing line. While roughly 75% of its landmass lies in Asia (Siberia), about 75% of its population lives in the smaller, western European portion.
Russia is located in both Europe and Asia. The Ural Mountains are considered the separation boundary for the two continents. The Asian side of Russia is physically bordered to the south by Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China, with an extremely short border shared with the tip of North Korea.
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries.
Its immense size makes it unique, as it belongs to both Europe and Asia at the same time. From Moscow in the west to Vladivostok in the far east, traveling across Russia is like crossing an entire continent.
Russia spans two continents, Europe and Asia, yet the vast majority of its population lives in the European part. This contrast reveals how geography, climate, and development shape where people settle.
The Russian Federation is essentially a European country, but two-thirds of its vast territory — Siberia and the Russian Far East - is located in geographical Asia. There, Russia shares a nearly 4,500 km-long border with China.
Modern journalists using the term First World countries are typically describing the most industrialized nations. This includes all of the major actors on both sides of the Cold War: the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, and more.
The majority of Russians adhere to Orthodox Christianity, ever since the Middle Ages. By total numbers, they compose the largest Slavic and European nation.
Russia has land borders with five European Union states: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The aggregate length of these borders is more than 2,250 kilometers, roughly one-fifth of all EU land boundaries and one-tenth of Russia's own border.
Russia has chosen not to participate in the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), as it aspires to be an "equal partner" of the EU (as opposed to the "junior partnership" that Russia sees in the ENP). Consequently, Russia and the EU agreed in 2005 to create four Common Spaces for cooperation in different spheres.
Russia and the United States are independent countries with economic systems. According to the latest data released by the World Bank, the GDP of the United States in 2019 was $21.44 trillion, while the GDP of Russia was $1.70 trillion, indicating a significant gap between the two countries.
European Russia accounts for 80% of Russia's total population. It covers an area of over 3,969,100 square kilometres (1,532,500 mi2), with a population of nearly 110 million—making Russia the largest country in Europe, surpassing Ukraine, and the most populous, surpassing Germany.
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It covers 9% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area), and has the longest coastline, at 62,800 kilometres (39,022 mi).
As the country of Australia is mostly on a single landmass, and comprises most of the continent, it is sometimes informally referred to as an island continent, surrounded by oceans. Papua New Guinea, a country within the continent, is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world.
Antarctica is the only continent with no permanent human habitation. There are, however, permanent human settlements, where scientists and support staff live for part of the year on a rotating basis. The continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region.
Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Its land area is only 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi), but this is spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi) of the sea, making it one of the world's most spatially dispersed sovereign states.
