The region of Russia east of the Ural Mountains is known as Siberia. Culturally and physiographically, Western Russia, beyond the Ural Mountains, is quite similar to that of Eastern Europe.
The Ural Mountains, running north to south, traditionally form the boundary between Europe and Asia and presented a formidable historical barrier to development. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Pacific Ocean, and to the south, by the Black and Caspian Seas. The country is located on the northeastern portion of the Eurasian landmass. Figure 3.1: Map of Russia (CIA World Factbook, Public Domain)īecause of its large size, Russia has a wide variety of natural features and resources. The country also includes the exclave, or discontinuous piece of territory, of Kaliningrad situated between Poland and Lithuania. Russia stretches across eleven time zones, spanning 6,000 miles from Saint Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to Vladivostok on the Pacific Coast. Its population, however, is comparatively small with around 143 million people, the majority of whom live south of the 60 degree latitude line and in the western portions of Russia near Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Russia is also the northernmost large and populous country in the world, with much of the country lying above the Arctic Circle. Russia is the largest country in the world, containing 1/8 of the entire world’s land area (see Figure 3.1).
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