Moscow – St Petersburg – Trans-Siberian Express

The country of unbelievable riches and indescribable poverty, cruel tyrants and great minds, generous hospitality and meddlesome bureaucracy, beautiful ballets and industrial monstrosities. These eternal Russian truths coexist in equally diverse landscapes of icy tundra and sun-kissed beaches, dense silver birch and fir forests and deep and mysterious lakes, snow-capped mountains and swaying grasslands.

Brief overview

Country name: Russian Federation
Population: 142.7 million (UN, 2012)
Capital: Moscow
Area: 17 million sq km (6.6 million sq miles)
Major language: Russian
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 rouble = 100 kopecks
Main exports: Oil and oil products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, weapons and military equipment
GNI per capita: US $10,650 (World Bank, 2011)
Internet domain: .ru
International dialling code: +7