General situation of Russia

　　【 Name 】 Russian Federation, also known as Russia (The Russian Federation,The Russia; РоссийскаяФедерация，Россия）。

　　[Area] 17,075,400 square kilometers

　　[Population] 143 million (as of January 1, 2013). There are 193 ethnic groups, of which 77.7% are Russians. The main ethnic minorities are Tatar, Ukraine, Bashkir, Chuvash, Chechnya, Armenia, awar, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Russian is the official language throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, and each Republic has the right to stipulate its own national language, which is used together with Russian in the territory of the Republic. The main religion is Orthodox Church, followed by Islam. According to the survey results of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 50-53% of Russian people believe in Orthodox Church, 10% in Islam, 1% in Catholicism and 1% in Judaism, and 0.8% in Buddhism.

　　[Capital] Moscow (москва). According to the expansion plan implemented on July 1, 2012, the area is 2510 square kilometers. The resident population is 11.54 million (according to the data of the Russian Federal Statistical Office in 2012). Average temperature: January-8℃, July 21℃.

　　[Head of State] Vladimir vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation (владимирвладими?о) He was elected on March 4, 2012 and sworn in on May 7.

　　[Important Festival] Gregorian New Year: January 1st; Orthodox Christmas: January 7; Russian New Year: January 13th; Defender’s Day of the Motherland (former Soviet Army Day): February 23rd; International Women’s Day: March 8; Spring and Labor Day (former Soviet Union Workers’ Solidarity Day): May 1st; Victory Day of the Great Patriotic War: May 9; The adoption date of the declaration of national sovereignty (National Day) is June 12th; People’s Solidarity Day (established in 2004 to commemorate Moscow’s defeat of Polish invaders): November 4th.

　　[Brief Introduction] Russia spans Eurasia, with the longest length of 9,000 kilometers from east to west and the widest width of 4,000 kilometers from north to south. Neighboring countries have Norway and Finland in the northwest, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Belarus in the west, Ukraine in the southwest, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the south and China, Mongolia and North Korea in the southeast. It faces Japan and the United States across the sea to the east. The coastline is 33,807 kilometers long. Most areas are located in the north temperate zone, with continental climate as the main climate, and the temperature difference is generally large. The average temperature in January is-5 ~-40℃, and the average temperature in July is 11 ~ 27℃. The average annual precipitation is 150 ~ 1000mm.

　　From the end of 15th century to the beginning of 16th century, a multi-ethnic feudal country was gradually formed with the Grand Duchy of Moscow as the center. In 1547, Ivan IV changed the title of Grand Duke to Tsar. In 1721, Peter I (Peter the Great) changed the country name to the Russian Empire. Slavery was abolished in 1861. In February 1917, the bourgeois revolution overthrew the autocratic system. On November 7, 1917 (October 25, Russian calendar), the October socialist revolution established the world’s first socialist state power-the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic. On December 30, 1922, the Russian Federation, the Transcaucasian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (later expanded to 15 member republics). On June 12, 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic issued the Declaration of State Sovereignty, declaring that the Russian Federation has "absolute sovereignty" within its territory. In August 1991, the "8.19" incident occurred in the Soviet Union. On September 6th, the State Council of the Soviet Union passed a resolution recognizing the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. On December 8, the leaders of the three republics of the Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine signed the Commonwealth of Independent States Agreement in Belovezh, announcing the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 21st, 11 Soviet republics except the three countries of Bohai and Georgia signed the Almaty Declaration and the Protocol of Agreement of the Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 26th,The House of the Republic of supreme soviet of the ussr held its last meeting and declared that the Soviet Union ceased to exist. At this point, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and the Russian Federation became a completely independent country and the only successor country of the Soviet Union. On December 12, 1993, the first constitution of Russia after independence was adopted by referendum, which stipulated that the name of the country was "Russian Federation", which had the same meaning as "Russia".

　　[Politics] The domestic political situation in Russia remains stable. Promoting modernization has become one of the main lines of Russian social and political life. On March 26, 2000, after Putin was elected president of Russia, he made great efforts to stabilize the social and political situation, gradually established a vertical power system throughout the country, and at the same time reformed and consolidated the United Russia Party in many ways to make its strength grow day by day. At the end of 2003, the party won a great victory in the Russian Duma election, occupying 2/3 seats in the parliament. On March 14th, 2004, Putin was re-elected as president with 71.3% of the votes. After the Beslan hostage incident in 2004, Putin further strengthened the vertical power system with the president as the core by changing the method of producing local leaders and the State Duma. At the end of 2005, Russia passed the NGO Law, which strengthened the management and regulation of NGO activities. On December 2, 2007, the fifth Russian State Duma election was successfully held. United Russia Party, Russian communist party, Russian Liberal Democratic Party and Just Russia Party entered the Duma. On March 2, 2008, Medvedev was elected President of the Russian Federation, and was sworn in on May 7, then nominated Putin as Prime Minister. On May 8, the State Duma approved Putin’s nomination as prime minister, and Putin became prime minister that day. On December 4, 2011, the sixth Russian State Duma election was successfully held. United Russia Party, Russian communist party, Russian Liberal Democratic Party and Just Russia Party entered the Duma. On April 4, 2012, Russia’s new "Political Party Law" came into effect. The new "Political Party Law" simplifies the registration system of political parties,It is stipulated that from January 1st, 2013, Russian political parties with 500 party member members can apply for registration. On March 4, 2012, Putin was elected President of the Russian Federation, and on May 7, Putin was sworn in, and immediately nominated Medvedev as Prime Minister. On May 8, the State Duma approved Medvedev’s nomination as prime minister, and Medvedev became prime minister that day.

　　The Constitution was adopted by referendum on December 12, 1993 and came into effect on December 25 of the same year. This constitution is the first constitution after Russia’s independence, which stipulates that Russia is a democratic federal country with the rule of law and a presidential system of state leadership.

　　[Parliament] The Council of the Russian Federation (Parliament) consists of the Federal Council (upper house) and the State Duma (lower house). (1) At present, the Federal Council has a total of 166 deputies (parliamentarians), consisting of one representative from the power representative organ and one representative from the power executive organ of each federal entity. Its main functions are to approve federal laws, changes in the boundaries of federal entities, presidential orders on state of war and state of emergency, and to decide on overseas garrison, presidential election and impeachment, and the relationship between the central and local governments. Federal Council President valentina ivanovna matviyenko (female) (валентинаивановна) (2) The State Duma has a total of 450 deputies (members), who have been elected from all parties in accordance with the principle of proportional representation since the fifth State Duma in December 2007. It is stipulated that political parties with 7% of the votes can participate in the allocation of seats for members. In December 2011, the Law on the Election of Deputies to the State Duma was revised again, and the "threshold" for political parties to enter the State Duma has not changed, but it is stipulated that political parties with more than 5% but less than 6% of the votes can get one seat, and political parties with 6% to 7% of the votes can get two seats; The term of office of the representative was extended from 4 years to 5 years. Its main functions are to pass federal laws, declare amnesty, and agree to the appointment of the president’s head of government. The State Duma is the sixth session and was elected on December 4, 2011. There are four parliamentary groups, namely the United Russia Party (238 seats)., Russian communist party Party Group (92 seats), Just Russia Party Group (64 seats), Russian Liberal Democratic Party Group (56 seats). There are 30 committees. Sergey Yevgenyevich naryshkin (сергейевгенеьевичне), former Chief of Staff of the President’s Office.

　　[Government] The government of the Russian Federation is the highest executive organ of state power. On May 8, 2012, Putin signed a presidential decree and appointed Medvedev as the prime minister of the government. On May 21st, Medvedev’s proposal on government structure and personnel composition was approved by the President, and the new government consisted of the Prime Minister, a first deputy prime minister, six deputy prime ministers and 21 ministries. On May 8, 2013, Putin signed a presidential decree to dismiss Vladimir Yulyevich surkov, Deputy Prime Minister and Director of the General Office of the Government. On May 22nd, Putin signed a presidential decree on the nomination of Medvedev, and appointed Prikhodko, deputy director of the general office of the government, as deputy prime minister and director of the general office of the government. List of current government members: Prime Minister Dmitri Anatolyevich Medvedev (дмитрийанатол?евичм) The six deputy prime ministers are Olga Yulyev Golodets (female) (ольгаюрьевнаголоо).николаевичкозак), Deputy Prime Minister and Director of the General Office of the Government, Sergei Eduardo Prikhodko (ск Ministers are Mikhail Anatolyevich Abyzov (михаиланатолеевич), Minister of Liaison with Open Government. Viktor Ivanovich Ishayev (викторивановвичиша), Minister of Development of the Far East and Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far East Federal District.Minister of Justice Alexander vladimirovich konovalov (александрвладимирое) Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Victorovici Livanov (дмитрийвиктоовичл) Minister of Culture Vladimir Rostislavovich Mezinski (владимиррростиславо) Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Anatolyevich Nichiforov (николайанатольевич)Vladimir andreyevich Puchkov, Minister of Civil Defence, Emergency Situations and Eliminating the Consequences of Natural Disasters (владиирандреевич) Minister of Health Veronica Igolevna SkoVolcova (female) (вероникаигоревнас) Minister of Labor and Social Security Maxim Anatolyevich Topilin (максиманатол?евичт)Defense Minister Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu (сергейкуугетовичшойг)

　　[Administrative Division] The Russian Federation is now composed of 83 federal entities, including 21 republics, 9 border regions, 46 states, 2 federal municipalities, 1 autonomous prefecture and 4 ethnic autonomous regions.