ABSTRACT
Russia’s economy began 1999 with a continuing recession, coupled with currency instability and a non-functioning banking system. The Russian Federation has a territory of 17, 075, 400 km2 and a population of 148.3 million. It has the largest land area of any country. The Russian Plain takes up most of European Russia. The net effect of this migration on the total population has been negligible, however. The continental, northern location of Russia tends to create generally unfavorable conditions for agricultural production. The main agricultural area is located in the middle and southern parts of European Russia. Planting of sunflowers dominates industrial crops in this region, with one-third of total Russian arable land, especially in the areas of Srstov, Volgograd and Samara. Siberia is divided into Western Siberia, Eastern Siberia, and the Far East. The agricultural area of all three regions together comprises over 60 million ha, or more than a fourth of Russia’s arable land.
