ABSTRACT
Known since 1991 as the Russian Federation and for most of the twentieth Century as the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, Russia is located in both eastern Europe and the northern part of Asia. It has been an indepen dent state since 1991. Its vast land area is 17 million square kilometres (6.6 million square miles). Its 1991 population was estimated at 148.4 million people, 70 per cent of whom were city dwellers. Russians comprise 82.6 per cent of the population. More than a hundred different nationalities live in the Russian Feder ation, which consists of sixteen autonomous republics, five autonomous national regions, ten autonomous national districts, six counties, forty-nine regions, 997 cities and more than 2,000 towns. Russia was the largest united republic and the seat of government of the Soviet Union.
