General information

Time. There are 11 time zones in Russia. The difference between Greenwich Mean Time and the time in some Russian cities is:
  • Moscow and St. Petersburg: + 3
  • Khabarovsk and the Far East: + 10

The People. By the 1990s more than 74 percent of the population of Russia were classified as urban, and it had a density of 23 persons per square mile. Russia displays a great ethnic diversity, with about 75 distinct nationalities. Most of these are small: Russians constitute about 82 percent of the total, and only three others (Tatars, Ukrainians and Chuvashs) make up more than 1 percent each. The multiplicity of peoples is reflected in 24 minority republics, 3 autonomous provinces, and 4 autonomous districts.

Linguistically, the population of Russia can be divided into the Indo-European group, comprising East Slavic and Iranian speakers; the Altaic group, including Turkic, Mongolian, and Manchu-Tungus; the Uralic group, including Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic; and the Caucasian group, comprising Abkhazo-Adyghian and Nakho-Dagestani.

East Slavs, mainly Russians, but including some Ukrainians and Belorussians, are 85 percent of the total population and are prevalent throughout the federation.

Religion. In Russia the position of religious organizations and of their individual adherents has varied with political circumstances. The Constitution of the former Soviet Union guaranteed religious freedom, but religious activities were severely constrained and membership in religious organizations was held to be incompatible with membership in the Communist Party. With the declaration of glasnost ("openness") under Mikhail Gorbachev religious freedom has become a reality and a variety of faiths has been revealed.