Russia

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Forest Cover | Forest types | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Primary forest | Forest designation | Disturbances affecting forest land | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Value of forests | Production, trade and consumption of forest products | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

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[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Russia: Environment Environment - current issues air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Natural hazards permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia Russia: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 7.33% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.56% (2001) Natural resources wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber Russia: Economy Economy - overview: Russia ended 2005 with its seventh straight year of growth, averaging 6.4% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of this economic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demand have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last five years, and real personal incomes have realized average increases over 12%. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90% of GDP to around 36%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $180 billion at yearend 2005. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort to advance structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence in Russia's economic prospects. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Economic growth slowed to 5.9% for 2005 while unemployment and inflation remain high. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, a poor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. In addition, a string of investigations launched against a major Russian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in the fall of 2003, have raised concerns by some observers that President PUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. GDP - per capita $10,700 (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) 5.9% (2005 est.) Agriculture - products grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 5%, industry: 35%, services: 60% (2005 est.) Industries complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts Economic aid - recipient in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million in non-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million (2000 est.) Debt - external $230.3 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Population below poverty line (%) 17.8% (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation (%) agriculture 10.3%, industry 21.4%, services 68.3% (2004 est.) Russia: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 143,420,309 Population growth rate (%) (2005) -0.37% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 8.4 Median age (years) total: 38.15 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 1.27 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census) Largest Cities in Russia Cities and urban areas in Russia with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002. City Country City Population Urban Area Population Moscow Russia 8376000 12100100 Sankt Peterburg Russia 4619800 4891100 Novosibirsk Russia 1396800 1429100 Nizhniy Novgorod Russia 1346400 1918800 Yekaterinburg Russia 1260000 1389400 Samara Russia 1150000 1478300 Omsk Russia 1137900 1148300 Kazan Russia 1109500 1109500 Ufa Russia 1094900 1094900 Chelyabinsk Russia 1081200 1211600 Rostov Russia 1012500 1248600 Perm Russia 1002500 1028400 Volgograd Russia 987400 1292200 Voronezh Russia 905600 979300 Krasnoyarsk Russia 870100 910400 Saratov Russia 867900 1122200 Tolyatti Russia 727600 740100 Ulyanovsk Russia 664800 683000 Izhevsk Russia 652400 652400 Krasnodar Russia 643000 751400 Yaroslavl Russia 611300 611300 Khabarovsk Russia 606100 606100 Vladivostok Russia 596800 619700 Irkutsk Russia 594200 594200 Barnaul Russia 575600 627500 Novokuznetsk Russia 556800 568400 Lipetsk Russia 530400 568700 Penza Russia 530400 545300 Ryazan Russia 526000 530400 Orenburg Russia 522200 538000 Naberezhnyye Chelny Russia 513200 513200 Tyumen Russia 507000 507000 Tula Russia 497500 543300 Kemerovo Russia 489300 526000 Astrakhan Russia 488400 488400 Tomsk Russia 483800 640300 Kirov Russia 464100 501200 Cheboksary Russia 460200 462000 Bryansk Russia 455700 477600 Ivanovo Russia 453800 453800 Tver Russia 453800 453800 Kursk Russia 443200 443200 Magnitogorsk Russia 427800 427800 Kaliningrad Russia 425200 425200 Nizhniy Tagil Russia 385400 385400 Ulan-Ude Russia 370800 370800 Sochi Russia 366100 366100 Kurgan Russia 364400 364400 Murmansk Russia 361000 361000 Arhangelsk Russia 355500 355500 Smolensk Russia 351900 351900 Belgorod Russia 348200 348200 Stavropol Russia 346800 346800 Oryol Russia 343700 343700 Kaluga Russia 336800 336800 Mahackala Russia 336500 336500 Vladimir Russia 336100 336100 Cherepovec Russia 324800 324800 Vladikavkaz Russia 313100 313100 Saransk Russia 311800 311800 Tambov Russia 309200 309200 Chita Russia 306400 306400 Vologda Russia 303500 303500 Kostroma Russia 288900 288900 Komsomolsk-na-Amure Russia 286600 286600 Volzhskiy Russia 286300 286300 Taganrog Russia 282700 282700 Petrozavodsk Russia 281500 281500 Bratsk Russia 280800 280800 Surgut Russia 275300 275300 Dzerzhinsk Russia 273700 273700 Orsk Russia 273400 273400 Sterlitamak Russia 267000 267000 Angarsk Russia 263400 263400 Yoshkar-Ola Russia 248600 248600 Rybinsk Russia 236100 236100 Nalchik Russia 233900 233900 Prokopyevsk Russia 233500 233500 Nizhnevartovsk Russia 230300 230300 Velikiy Novgorod Russia 227900 227900 Syktyvkar Russia 227800 227800 Nizhnekamsk Russia 226100 226100 Biysk Russia 223800 223800 Blagoveshchensk Russia 223700 223700 Severodvinsk Russia 223500 223500 Shahty Russia 220200 220200 Staryy Oskol Russia 218500 218500 Zelyenograd Russia 211100 211100 Novorossiysk Russia 205700 205700 Balakovo Russia 205100 205100 Pskov Russia 198700 198700 Zlatoust Russia 195300 195300 Yakutsk Russia 192500 192500 Podolsk Russia 192300 192300 Engels Russia 189200 189200 Syzran Russia 188900 188900 Kamensk-Uralskiy Russia 188800 188800 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy Russia 188800 188800 Novocherkassk Russia 183300 183300 Berezniki Russia 180800 180800 Yuzhno-Sahalinsk Russia 179500 179500 Volgodonsk Russia 176700 176700 Abakan Russia 171100 171100 Maykop Russia 167900 167900 Armavir Russia 166700 166700 Miass Russia 165900 165900 Lyubercy Russia 163200 163200 Rubtsovsk Russia 160400 160400 Kovrov Russia 158700 158700 Salavat Russia 156900 156900 Mytishchi Russia 155900 155900 Nahodka Russia 155500 155500 Ussuriysk Russia 155500 155500 Kolomna Russia 149500 149500 Elektrostal Russia 145900 145900 Kolpino Russia 143600 143600 Almetyevsk Russia 140900 140900 Murom Russia 140800 140800 Dimitrovgrad Russia 137500 137500 Novomoskovsk Russia 136000 136000 Pervouralsk Russia 135700 135700 Norilsk Russia 134800 134800 Pyatigorsk Russia 134400 134400 Nevinnomyssk Russia 134200 134200 Himki Russia 132900 132900 Balashiha Russia 132200 132200 Korolyov Russia 131500 131500 Serpuhov Russia 130200 130200 Odincovo Russia 126500 126500 Orehovo-Zuyevo Russia 124300 124300 Groznyy Russia 123300 123300 Kamyshin Russia 123300 123300 Kislovodsk Russia 123200 123200 Novocheboksarsk Russia 123000 123000 Cherkessk Russia 122600 122600 Achinsk Russia 120600 120600 Nazran Russia 120300 120300 Yelets Russia 119800 119800 Michurinsk Russia 117900 117900 Velikiye Luki Russia 115500 115500 Neftekamsk Russia 115300 115300 Magadan Russia 115000 115000 Oktyabrskiy Russia 112100 112100 Leninsk-Kuzneckiy Russia 112000 112000 Sergiyev Posad Russia 110200 110200 Arzamas Russia 109900 109900 Novotroitsk Russia 109600 109600 Kiselyovsk Russia 108400 108400 Obninsk Russia 108100 108100 Glazov Russia 106100 106100 Kansk Russia 106000 106000 Solikamsk Russia 105400 105400 Elista Russia 105000 105000 Sarapul Russia 104900 104900 Mezhdurechensk Russia 104100 104100 Ust-Ilimsk Russia 103500 103500 Kyzyl Russia 103300 103300 Usolye-Sibirskoye Russia 102600 102600 Votkinsk Russia 101100 101100 Novoshahtinsk Russia 100900 100900  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com