Russia, known officially as the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world. It spans an area of 6,592,800 square miles (17,075,400 square kilometers) and 11 time zones across Eurasia, and has gateways to the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. 142 million people live within Russia, though over two-thirds of Russians live within European Russia as opposed to Siberia. As an energy superpower with vast natural resources, as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the nation wields major influence upon world affairs.

Image courtesy of the CIA World Factbook.