Russia

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Russia}}
[[File:Russian Federation Relief Map.png|thumb|upright=1.34|[[Topographic map]] of Russia]]
Russia's vast landmass stretches over the easternmost part of Europe and the northernmost part of Asia.<ref name="natgeo">{{cite web |url=https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries/article/russia |title=Russia |website=[[National Geographic Kids]] |date=21 March 2014 |access-date=26 May 2021 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408173647/https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries/article/russia |url-status=live }}</ref> It spans the northernmost edge of [[Eurasia]]; and has the world's [[List of countries by length of coastline|fourth-longest coastline]], of over {{convert|comma=5|37653|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{efn|Russia has an additional {{convert|comma=5|850|km|mi|abbr=on}} of coastline along the [[Caspian Sea]], which is the world's largest inland body of water, and has been variously classified as a sea or a lake.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/08/16/is-the-caspian-a-sea-or-a-lake |title=Is the Caspian a sea or a lake? |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=16 August 2018 |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819221847/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/08/16/is-the-caspian-a-sea-or-a-lake |url-status=live }}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/coastline/ |title=Coastline – The World Factbook |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412194038/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/coastline |url-status=live }}</ref> Russia lies between latitudes [[41st parallel north|41°]] and [[82nd parallel north|82° N]], and longitudes [[19th meridian east|19° E]] and [[169th meridian west|169° W]], extending some {{convert|9000|km|mi|abbr=on}} east to west, and {{convert|2500 to 4000|km|mi|abbr=on}} north to south.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Russia – Land|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia#ref38573|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|access-date=14 December 2021|archive-date=5 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605093450/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-38602/Russia#ref38573|url-status=live}}</ref> Russia, by landmass, is larger than three continents,{{efn|Russia, by land area, is larger than the continents of [[Australia (continent)|Australia]], [[Antarctica]], and Europe; although it covers a large part of the latter itself. Its land area could be roughly compared to that of South America.}} and has the same surface area as [[Pluto]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2015/jul/28/pluto-ten-things-we-now-know-about-the-dwarf-planet |title=Pluto: ten things we now know about the dwarf planet |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Stuart |last=Clark |date=28 July 2015 |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=29 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329101742/https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2015/jul/28/pluto-ten-things-we-now-know-about-the-dwarf-planet |url-status=live }}</ref>

Russia has nine major mountain ranges, and they are found along the [[Southern Russia|southernmost regions]], which share a significant portion of the [[Caucasus Mountains]] (containing [[Mount Elbrus]], which at {{convert|5642|m|0|abbr=on}} is the [[List of elevation extremes by region|highest peak]] in Russia and Europe);<ref name="cia"/> the [[Altai Mountains|Altai]] and [[Sayan Mountains]] in [[Siberia]]; and in the [[East Siberian Mountains]] and the [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] in the [[Russian Far East]] (containing [[Klyuchevskaya Sopka]], which at {{convert|4750|m|0|abbr=on}} is the highest [[active volcano]] in Eurasia).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300260&vtab |title=Klyuchevskoy |work=[[Global Volcanism Program]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |access-date=24 July 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326203017/https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300260&vtab |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Topo">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/russia/23.htm |title=Topography and Drainage |editor=Glenn E. Curtis |year=1998 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division of the [[Library of Congress]] |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525192825/http://countrystudies.us/russia/23.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Ural Mountains]], running north to south through the country's west, are rich in mineral resources, and form the [[Boundary between Europe and Asia|traditional boundary between Europe and Asia]].<ref name="urals">{{cite web |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87198/the-ural-mountains |title=The Ural Mountains |work=[[NASA Earth Observatory]] |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=13 July 2011 |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412030222/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87198/the-ural-mountains |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Extreme points of Europe#Elevation|lowest point in Russia and Europe]], is situated at the head of the Caspian Sea, where the [[Caspian Depression]] reaches some {{convert|29|m|ft|1}} below sea level.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Europe – Land|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe/Land#ref34534|access-date=4 April 2022|quote=The lowest terrain in Europe, virtually lacking relief, stands at the head of the Caspian Sea; there the Caspian Depression reaches some {{convert|95|ft|m|abbr=off}} below sea level.|archive-date=15 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315194552/https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe/Land#ref34534|url-status=live}}</ref>

Russia, as one of the world's only three countries [[List of countries bordering on two or more oceans|bordering three oceans]],<ref name="natgeo"/> has links with a great number of seas.{{efn|Russia borders, clockwise, to its southwest: the [[Black Sea]] and the [[Sea of Azov]], to its west: the [[Baltic Sea]], to its north: the [[Barents Sea]] ([[White Sea]], [[Pechora Sea]]), the [[Kara Sea]], the [[Laptev Sea]], and the [[East Siberian Sea]], to its northeast: the [[Chukchi Sea]] and the [[Bering Sea]], and to its southeast: the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] and the [[Sea of Japan]].}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/russia/22.htm |title=Global Position and Boundaries |editor=Glenn E. Curtis |year=1998 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division of the [[Library of Congress]] |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812161302/http://countrystudies.us/russia/22.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Its major islands and archipelagos include [[Novaya Zemlya]], [[Franz Josef Land]], [[Severnaya Zemlya]], the [[New Siberian Islands]], [[Wrangel Island]], the [[Kuril Islands]] (four of which are [[Kuril Islands dispute|disputed with Japan]]), and [[Sakhalin]].<ref name="Arctic">{{cite news |url=https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/countries/russia/ |title=Russia |work=[[The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies]] |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326203017/https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/countries/russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/travel/2021/02/24/island-hopping-in-russia-sakhalin-kuril-islands-and-kamchatka-peninsula |title=Island hopping in Russia: Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Kamchatka Peninsula |work=[[Euronews]] |first=Ziryan |last=Aziz |date=28 February 2020 |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=29 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329101742/https://www.euronews.com/travel/2021/02/24/island-hopping-in-russia-sakhalin-kuril-islands-and-kamchatka-peninsula |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Diomede Islands]], administered by Russia and the United States, are just {{convert|3.8|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} apart;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/diomede-islands |title=Diomede Islands – Russia |work=[[Atlas Obscura]] |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326203017/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/diomede-islands |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Kunashir Island]] of the Kuril Islands is merely {{convert|20|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} from [[Hokkaido]], Japan.<ref name="Chapple-2019">{{cite web |last=Chapple |first=Amos |title=The Kurile Islands: Why Russia And Japan Never Made Peace After World War II |date=4 January 2019 |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/the-disputed-islands-where-world-war-2-never-ended/28402307.html |access-date=26 January 2022 |publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408173647/https://www.rferl.org/a/the-disputed-islands-where-world-war-2-never-ended/28402307.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Russia, home of over 100,000 rivers,<ref name="natgeo"/> has one of the world's largest surface water resources, with its lakes containing approximately one-quarter of the world's liquid [[fresh water]].<ref name="Topo"/> [[Lake Baikal]], the largest and most prominent among Russia's fresh water bodies, is the world's deepest, purest, oldest and most capacious fresh water lake, containing over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Baikal – A Touchstone for Global Change and Rift Studies |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/baikal/ |access-date=26 December 2007 |archive-date=14 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050214200542/http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/baikal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lake Ladoga|Ladoga]] and [[Lake Onega|Onega]] in [[Northwest Russia|northwestern Russia]] are two of the [[List of largest lakes of Europe|largest lakes in Europe]].<ref name="natgeo"/> Russia is second only to Brazil by [[List of countries by total renewable water resources|total renewable water resources]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/total-renewable-water-resources/ |title=Total renewable water resources |website=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408173647/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/total-renewable-water-resources/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Volga]] in western Russia, widely regarded as Russia's national river, is the [[List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length|longest river]] in Europe; and forms the [[Volga Delta]], the largest [[river delta]] in the continent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hartley |first=Janet M. |author-link=Janet M. Hartley |title=The Volga: A History |date=2020 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |url={{GBurl|id=PasKEAAAQBAJ}} |isbn=978-0-300-25604-8 |pages=5, 316}}</ref> The Siberian rivers of [[Ob River|Ob]], [[Yenisey]], [[Lena River|Lena]], and [[Amur River|Amur]] are among the world's [[List of rivers by length|longest rivers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/05/15/russias-largest-rivers-from-the-amur-to-the-volga-a65593 |title=Russia's Largest Rivers From the Amur to the Volga |work=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=15 May 2019 |access-date=26 May 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326203011/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/05/15/russias-largest-rivers-from-the-amur-to-the-volga-a65593 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Russia}}
[[File:Russia Köppen.svg|thumb|upright=1.38|[[Köppen climate classification]] of Russia]]
The size of Russia and the remoteness of many of its areas from the sea result in the dominance of the [[humid continental climate]] throughout most of the country, except for the tundra and the extreme southwest. Mountain ranges in the south and east obstruct the flow of warm air masses from the [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] and Pacific oceans, while the [[European Plain]] spanning its west and north opens it to influence from the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.<ref name="Climate">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/russia/24.htm |title=Climate |editor=Glenn E. Curtis |year=1998 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division of the [[Library of Congress]] |access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-date=9 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409063700/http://countrystudies.us/russia/24.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of northwest Russia and Siberia have a [[subarctic climate]], with extremely severe winters in the inner regions of northeast Siberia (mostly [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]], where the Northern [[Pole of Cold]] is located with the record low temperature of {{convert|-71.2|°C|°F|1|disp=or}}),<ref name="Arctic"/> and more moderate winters elsewhere. Russia's vast coastline along the Arctic Ocean and the [[Russian Arctic islands]] have a [[polar climate]].<ref name="Climate"/>

The coastal part of [[Krasnodar Krai]] on the Black Sea, most notably [[Sochi]], and some coastal and interior strips of the [[North Caucasus]] possess a [[humid subtropical climate]] with mild and wet winters.<ref name="Climate"/> In many regions of East Siberia and the Russian Far East, winter is dry compared to summer; while other parts of the country experience more even precipitation across seasons. Winter precipitation in most parts of the country usually falls as snow. The westernmost parts of Kaliningrad Oblast and some parts in the south of Krasnodar Krai and the North Caucasus have an [[oceanic climate]].<ref name="Climate"/> The region along the Lower Volga and Caspian Sea coast, as well as some southernmost slivers of Siberia, possess a [[semi-arid climate]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis|author6-link=Eric Franklin Wood |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F. |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |date=30 October 2018 |volume=5 |page=180214 |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214 |pmid=30375988 |pmc=6207062 |issn=2052-4463 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B}}</ref>

Throughout much of the territory, there are only two distinct seasons, winter and summer; as spring and autumn are usually brief.<ref name="Climate"/> The coldest month is January (February on the coastline); the warmest is usually July. Great ranges of temperature are typical. In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from west to east. Summers can be quite hot, even in Siberia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Drozdov |first1=V. A. |title=Ecological and Geographical Characteristics of the Coastal Zone of the Black Sea |journal=GeoJournal |year=1992 |doi=10.1007/BF00717701 |volume=27 |page=169 |issue=2 |last2=Glezer |first2=O. B. |last3=Nefedova |first3=T. G. |last4=Shabdurasulov |first4=I. V. |s2cid=128960702}}</ref> [[Climate change in Russia]] is causing more frequent [[Wildfires in Russia|wildfires]],<ref>{{cite web |date=10 May 2022 |title=Putin urges authorities to take action as wildfires engulf Siberia |url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/10/as-wildfires-engulf-russian-region-putin-urges-authorities-to-take-stronger-action-to-prev |access-date=24 June 2022 |website=euronews |language=en |archive-date=12 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612224644/http://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/10/as-wildfires-engulf-russian-region-putin-urges-authorities-to-take-stronger-action-to-prev |url-status=live }}</ref> and thawing the country's large expanse of [[permafrost]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/22/1075108299/why-russias-thawing-permafrost-is-a-global-problem|title=Why Russia's thawing permafrost is a global problem|work=[[NPR]]|date=22 January 2022|access-date=7 July 2022|archive-date=6 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706124322/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/22/1075108299/why-russias-thawing-permafrost-is-a-global-problem|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{Main|Wildlife of Russia}}
{{See also|List of ecoregions in Russia}}
[[File:Саблинский хребет.jpg|thumb|[[Yugyd Va National Park]] in the [[Komi Republic]] is the largest [[national park]] in Europe.<ref name="urals"/>]]
Russia, owing to its gigantic size, has diverse ecosystems, including [[polar desert]]s, [[tundra]], forest tundra, [[taiga]], [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests|mixed and broadleaf forest]], [[forest steppe]], [[steppe]], semi-desert, and [[subtropics]].<ref name="climate">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=ru |title=Russian Federation – Main Details |work=[[Convention on Biological Diversity]] |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408173651/https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=ru |url-status=live }}</ref> About half of Russia's territory is forested,<ref name="cia"/> and it has the world's largest area of forest,<ref name="Gardiner-2021"/> which sequester some of the world's highest amounts of [[carbon dioxide]].<ref name="Gardiner-2021">{{cite web | last=Gardiner | first=Beth | title=Will Russia's Forests Be an Asset or an Obstacle in Climate Fight? | website=Yale University | date=23 March 2021 | url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/will-russias-forests-be-an-asset-or-obstacle-in-the-climate-fight | access-date=11 December 2022 | archive-date=11 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211140422/https://e360.yale.edu/features/will-russias-forests-be-an-asset-or-obstacle-in-the-climate-fight | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Schepaschenko | first1=Dmitry | last2=Moltchanova | first2=Elena | last3=Fedorov | first3=Stanislav | last4=Karminov | first4=Victor | last5=Ontikov | first5=Petr | last6=Santoro | first6=Maurizio | last7=See | first7=Linda | last8=Kositsyn | first8=Vladimir | last9=Shvidenko | first9=Anatoly | last10=Romanovskaya | first10=Anna | last11=Korotkov | first11=Vladimir | last12=Lesiv | first12=Myroslava | last13=Bartalev | first13=Sergey | last14=Fritz | first14=Steffen | last15=Shchepashchenko | first15=Maria | last16=Kraxner | first16=Florian | title=Russian forest sequesters substantially more carbon than previously reported | journal=Scientific Reports | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=11 | issue=1 | date=17 June 2021 | issn=2045-2322 | doi=10.1038/s41598-021-92152-9 | page=12825| pmid=34140583 | pmc=8211780 | bibcode=2021NatSR..1112825S }}</ref>

Russian biodiversity includes 12,500 species of [[vascular plant]]s, 2,200 species of [[bryophyte]]s, about 3,000 species of [[lichen]]s, 7,000–9,000 species of [[algae]], and 20,000–25,000 species of fungi. Russian [[fauna]] is composed of [[List of mammals of Russia|320 species]] of [[mammals]], over [[List of birds of Russia|732 species]] of birds, 75 species of reptiles, about 30 species of [[amphibian]]s, [[List of freshwater fish of Russia|343 species]] of [[freshwater fish]] (high [[endemism]]), approximately 1,500 species of [[saltwater fish]]es, 9 species of [[cyclostomata]], and approximately 100–150,000 [[invertebrate]]s (high endemism).<ref name="climate"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://education.rec.org/ru/en/biodiversity/in_russia/04-04-02.shtml |title=Species richness of Russia |publisher=REC |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509102841/http://education.rec.org/ru/en/biodiversity/in_russia/04-04-02.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> Approximately 1,100 rare and endangered plant and animal species are included in the [[Red Data Book of the Russian Federation|Russian Red Data Book]].<ref name="climate"/>

Russia's entirely natural ecosystems are conserved in nearly 15,000 specially protected natural territories of various statuses, occupying more than 10% of the country's total area.<ref name="climate"/> They include 45 [[biosphere reserve]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/russian-federation/ |title=Russian Federation |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |date=June 2017 |access-date=7 June 2021 |archive-date=10 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710161647/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/russian-federation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 64 [[National parks of Russia|national parks]], and 101 [[Zapovednik|nature reserves]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/russia-nature-reserves-year-ecology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303030416/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/russia%2Dnature%2Dreserves%2Dyear%2Decology |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 March 2021 |title=Look Inside Russia's Wildest Nature Reserves – Now Turning 100 |work=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]  |date=11 January 2017 |access-date=28 June 2021}}</ref> Although in decline, the country still has many ecosystems which are still considered [[Intact forest landscape|intact forest]]; mainly in the northern taiga areas, and the subarctic tundra of Siberia.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Danilov-Danil'yan | first1=V.I. | last2=Reyf | first2=I.E. | title=The Biosphere and Civilization: In the Throes of a Global Crisis | publisher=Springer International Publishing | year=2018 | isbn=978-3-319-67193-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NK9SDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA234 | access-date=6 December 2022 | page=234 | archive-date=25 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225095407/https://books.google.com/books?id=NK9SDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA234 | url-status=live }}</ref> Russia had a [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 9.02 in 2019, ranking 10th out of 172 countries; and the first ranked major nation globally.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Grantham HS, ''et al''. |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=2020 |page=5978 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |pmid=33293507 |pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>