The Russian Federation is a transcontinental country spanning an enormous area of 17,075,400 sq km (6,592,800 sq mi), making it the largest country in the world, by far. Covering much of northern Eurasia and spanning eleven time zones, Russia accounts for a full one-eighth of the Earth’s land area and shares borders with fourteen other countries, including Norway, Poland, Estonia, Belarus, China, Mongolian, and North Korea. Its 2008 estimated population of 142 million people currently ranks Russia as the 9th most populous country in the world. Overall, Russia is a highly diverse nation that boasts a long tradition of excellence in all fields of science, technology, and the arts; and is home to the second largest number of billionaires in the world after the United States. It is home to more higher education graduates than any other Europe nation, contains 23 World Heritage sites and 40 UNESCO Biosphere reserves, is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and stands as a leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the G8. Russia is also one of only five recognized nuclear weapons states in the world and possesses the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.

From the time of the Russian Empire through the era of the Soviet Union (of which Russia was the largest and leading constituent state), Russia has been a significant presence of worldwide power and influence. Yet its tumultuous political and financial history in more recent decades has made it—not only a constantly shifting superpower—but one of the more fascinating countries in terms of global positioning. Under their current constitution (established in December of 1993, a full fours years after the fall of Berlin wall and two years after the official dissolution of the Soviet Union), the Russian Federation is a semi-presidential republic, structured as a representative democracy. As such, a President serves as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government. Current Russian’s President Dmitry Medvedev was elected in March of 2008 and sworn into office in May of this year, at which time former President Vladimir Putin became the country’s Prime Minister. Putin also continues to serve as chairman of (the political party) United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus.

Demographically, the vast majority of today’s Russian residents were residents of Russia during the Soviet era, or come from former Soviet states. While the county’s official language is Russian, 27 co-official languages are recognized (and widely used) in various regions, and survey results have residents identifying themselves as members of over 160 different ethnic and indigenous groups. Despite Russia’s large population, the enormity of the country’s geographic size has resulted in a relatively low population density, with the denser areas being in “European Russia” and in southwest Siberia. The vast majority of Russia’s residents (nearly three-quarters) live in urban areas, with the largest and capital city of Moscow having over ten million residents, and the second largest city of Saint Petersburg having nearly five million. Recent polls show that over 100 million of Russian’s 142 million people consider themselves Russian Orthodox Christian.