Russia (Russian Federation)

Did You Know? New Year's Day is the most popular holiday in Russia. When entertaining, Russians put more food on the table than they can eat to indicate abundance. Urban apartments are small and it is common for a family of three or more to live in a one- or two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom. Victory Day (9 May) commemorates the end of World War II and is deeply important to most Russians.

The flag of Russia, most recently adopted on 26 December 1991, features three horizontal stripes of white, blue, and red. The tricolor dates back to the rule of Peter the Great. White stands for nobility, blue for honesty, and red for courage and love.

Country and Development Data Capital: Moscow Latitude: 55.45 Longitude: 37.35 Population: 141,377,752 (rank=8) Area, sq. mi.: 6,592,734 (rank=1) Area, sq. km.: 17,075,200 Human Dev. Index rank: 67 of 177 countries Adjusted for women: 58 of 156 countries Real GDP per capita: $10,845 Adult literacy rate: 99% (male); 99% (female) Infant mortality rate: 14 per 1,000 births Life expectancy: 59 (male); 72 (female)

Excerpt taken from ProQuest's CultureGrams

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1. 
   
   Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks during a join press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London 26 June 2003. Putin is on a four-day state visit to the United Kingdom.
   Agence France-Presse, 2003, Ivan Sekretarev
2. 
   
   Russian human rights activists hold a picture of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko during a rally devoted to his memory in central Moscow on April 5, 2008. US lawmakers expressed concern over Moscow's role in the fatal poisoning of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, just days before Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin meet.
   Copyright (c) 2008 Getty Images, Roman Kalinin
3. 
   
   A typical Soviet mural stands outside the barracks of the remains of the 14th Soviet army, which was commanded by the famous General Lebed. Although the USSR has gone, the now-Russian army remains. This Russian military presence is one of the sticking points in the international negotiations regarding Transdniester. In many ways, Russia was the midwife in the birth of Trandniestrian statehood.
   2006 Magnum Photos, Jonas Bendiksen
4. 
   
   A pressure valve is seen on a gas pipeline in the vicinity of the town of Boyarka, near Kiev, on February 12, 2008. Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko on February 12, 2008 in Moscow amid crunch talks on averting a cut in Russian gas supplies to the neighboring state. The pro-Western Ukrainian leader was greeted by Putin in the Kremlin as Russia's Gazprom energy giant extended until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) a deadline for Ukraine to pay debts or have part of its gas supplies cut.
   Copyright (c) 2008 Getty Images, Sergei Supinsky