Russia (pron-en?r???en-us-Russia.ogg; lang-rus??????r=Rossiya, IPA-rur??s?ij?pronRu-??????.ogg), also officially known as the Russian Federation (lang-rus?????????? ?????????r=Rossiyskaya Federatsiya, IPA-rur??s?ijsk?j? f??d???ra??j?pronRu-Rossiyskaya Federatsiya.ogg), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal (federation) semi-presidential (semi-presidential system) republic, comprising 83 federal subjects (federal subjects of Russia). Russia shares borders (borders of Russia) with the following countries (from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia (Georgia (country)), Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China (Peoples Republic of China), Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan (by the Sea of Okhotsk) and the United States (by the Bering Strait).

At convert17075400km2sqmi, Russia is by far the largest country in the world (List of countries and outlying territories by total area), covering more than a ninth of the Earths land area. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation in the world (List of countries by population) with 142 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 9 time zones (time zones by country) and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the worlds largest reserves of mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It has the worlds largest forest reserves (List of countries by forest area) and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the worlds fresh water.

The nations history began with that of the East Slavs, who emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a noble Viking warrior class and their descendants, the first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, arose in the 9th century and adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic (Slavic peoples) cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium (Millennium of Russia). Kievan Rus ultimately disintegrated and the lands were divided into many small feudal states. The most powerful successor state to Kievan Rus was Moscow (Grand Duchy of Moscow), which served as the main force in the Russian reunification process and independence struggle against the Golden Horde. Moscow gradually reunified the surrounding Russian principalities and came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus. By the 18th century, the nation had greatly expanded through conquest, annexation, and exploration (List of Russian explorers) to become the Russian Empire, which was the third largest empire in history (list of largest empires), stretching from Poland in Europe to Alaska (Russian Alaska) in North America.

Russia established worldwide power and influence from the times of the Russian Empire to being the largest and leading constituent of the Soviet Union, the worlds first constitutionally (Constitution of the Soviet Union) socialist state and a recognized superpower, that played a decisive role in the allied victory in World War II.cite bookauthor=Weinberg, G.L.title=A World at Arms: A Global History of World War IIisbn=0521558794publisher=Cambridge University Presspage=264year=1995 The Soviet era saw some of the greatest technology achievements (Timeline of Russian inventions and technology records) of the nation, such as the worlds first human spaceflight (Yury Gagarin). The Russian Federation was founded following the dissolution of the Soviet Union (History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)) in 1991, but is recognized as the continuing legal personality of the Soviet state. Russia has the worlds 12th largest economy (List of countries by GDP (nominal)) by nominal GDP or the seventh largest (List of countries by GDP (PPP)) by purchasing power parity, with the fifth largest (List of countries by military expenditure) nominal military budget. It is one of the five recognized (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) nuclear weapons states (List of states with nuclear weapons) and possesses the worlds largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (Russia and weapons of mass destruction). Russia is a great power and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the G8, G20, the Council of Europe, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community, the OSCE, and is the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.