Other Major Cities (in order of population): St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Omsk, Kazan’, Chelyabinsk, Rostov, Ufa, Volgograd, and Perm.

Independence: Russia officially marks its independence on June 12, 1991, the date of the Russian Republic’s declaration of sovereignty from the Soviet Union.

Public Holidays: Official holidays are New Year’s (January 1–2), Orthodox Christmas (January 7), Women’s Day (March 8), Orthodox Easter Monday (variable date in April or early May), May Day (May 1–2), Victory Day (May 9), Independence Day (June 12), Peace and Harmony Day (November 7, formerly October Revolution Day), and Constitution Day (December 12).

Flag: Three equal-sized horizontal bands of white (top), red, and blue.

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

Russia's Natural Resources Ministry seeks no license revocations ...  -  24 Oct 2006
RIA Novosti,NEFTEYUGANSK (Western Siberia), October 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Natural Resources Ministry does not seek to revoke licenses of oil companies violating ...

Pipeline rupture causes large oil spill in central Russia  -  24 Oct 2006
USA TodayMOSCOW (AP) â€” A pipeline ruptured in central Russia's Urals region, causing a large oil spill, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Tuesday. ...

BSG unit wins Motiv contract in Russia  -  24 Oct 2006
Life Style Extra,...efficiency and boost revenue. BSG said Motiv is its first customer in Russia and was a further example of the unit entering new markets.

Bankers on the road to Russia  -  24 Oct 2006
Helsingin Sanomat,By Kari RÃ¤isÃ¤nen in Moscow. Oil and natural gas are bringing barrow-loads of cash into Russia. The rich are getting richer, and ...

Russia blocks ex-premier's party  -  24 Oct 2006
BBC News,Russia has refused to officially register the political movement of leading opposition figure and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. ...

Russia to increase car output 7.7% in 2006  -  24 Oct 2006
Interfax-Religion,Interfax) - Russian automobile producers will increase car production by roughly 7.7% in 2006, ASM Holding, which analyzes auto production in Russia and the CIS ...

Supreme Rada Deputy: Ukraine should decide together with Russia ...  -  24 Oct 2006
Regnum,...â€œAs for me personally, I am categorically against accusations, addressed to sister nation Russia, whose resident suffered from criminal actions at that time ...

Russia ready to start talks on strategic partnership treaty with ...  -  24 Oct 2006
ITAR-TASS,MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Moscow does not rule out that talks on a future Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and European Union may begin in ...

This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.