Info

Religion

During most of the Soviet era religious expression was strictly discouraged and the Communist Party controlled religious institutions. In the late 1980s, however, the government began to ease its restrictions on religion, and a 1990 law granted Russians...

Ethnic Groups and Language

Russia has one of the widest varieties of ethnic groups in the world, but ethnic Russians form the vast majority of the population. In 1991 the non-Russian population constituted only 18 percent of the total, with the largest minority, the Tatars, making...

People and Society

Population Statistics Russia’s total population in 1998 was estimated at 146,861,022, making the country the sixth most populous, after China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union the number of immigrants...

Principal cities of Russia

Russia developed a large urban population during the Soviet period, despite government attempts to limit the populations of major urban centers. Today, 76 percent of Russia’s population lives in urban areas. More than ten cities, most in European Russia,...

Facts about European Russia

European Russia - Russia west of the Ural Mountains - comprises only a quarter of Russia but is still bigger than any other European country. With four-fifths of Russia's population, it's very much the country's hub. It is a land of much variety, stretching...