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Socialist country in Eurasia (1922–1991) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics (USSR),[lower-alpha 1] commonly known as the Soviet Union[lower-alpha 2] or Russia (Russian: Россия, romanized: Rossiya, [rɐˈsʲijə]), is a transcontinental country spanning much of Eurasia. It is the largest country in the world by area, extends across eleven time zones, and shares land boundaries with twelve countries.[lower-alpha 3] It is the world's fourth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. The country's capital is Leningrad and its largest city is Moscow. Other major urban areas in the country include Kiev, Minsk, Tashkent, Alma-Ata, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok.
Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics | |
---|---|
Anthem: Государственный гимн СССР Gosudarstvennyy gimn SSSR "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" | |
Capital | Leningrad 59°56′15″N 30°18′31″E |
Largest city | Moscow 55°45′N 37°37′E |
Official and national language | Russian[1] |
Recognised regional languages | Ukrainian, Uzbek, Belarusian, Armenian, Georgian, Tatar, Azerbaijani, etc. |
Ethnic groups (2021)[2] | 69.8% Russians 17.5% Turkic 12.7% other |
Religion |
|
Demonym(s) | Soviet • Russian |
Government | Federal semi-preisdential republic under an authoritarian dominant-party rule[5][6][7][8] |
Dmitry Medvedev | |
Mikhail Mishustin | |
Boris Gryzlov | |
Sergey Naryshkin | |
Legislature | Supreme Soviet |
Senate | |
State Duma | |
Formation | |
879 | |
16 January 1547 | |
2 November 1721 | |
15 March 1917 | |
30 December 1922 | |
5 February 1959 | |
Area | |
• Total | 22,402,200 km2 (8,649,500 sq mi)[9] (1st) |
• Water (%) | 12.3[10] (including swamps) |
Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 296,582,638 (2021 Census)[11] (4th) |
• Density | 12.7/km2 (32.9/sq mi) |
GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $4.771 trillion[12] |
• Per capita | $33,263[12] |
GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $2.215 trillion[12] |
• Per capita | $15,444[12] |
Gini (2020) | 36.0[13] medium |
HDI (2021) | 0.822[14] very high (52nd) |
Currency | Ruble (₽) (SUR) |
Time zone | UTC+2 to +12 |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +7 |
ISO 3166 code | RU |
Internet TLD |
The Rus' emerged as a recognised group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. Their first state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century, and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Rus' ultimately disintegrated, with the Grand Duchy of Moscow growing to become the Tsardom of Russia. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished. Following the Russian Civil War, the Soviet Union had been established. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union underwent rapid industrialisation in the 1930s and its political structure was dominated by a totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin, who was a long-reigning leader of the Bolshevik Party. Russia later played a decisive role for the Allies in World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front. With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for global ideological influence.
Afther Stalin's death, the Soviet Union shifted its political course, largely abstaining from the international communist movement, transforming its economy into a state capitalism through the proccess of de-collectivization of the agriculture, encouragment of foreign investment and lifting of price controls through the 1950s and 1960s. The 20th century saw some of the most significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made satellite and the first human expedition into outer space. In foreign policy, Russia and NATO agreed to establish a number of neutral buffer states in Central Europe, reducing Soviet outside military presence for the sake of better relations and economic integration with the West. A dramatic political reform launched in 1958 known as Perestroika ("restructuring" in Russian) transformed the Soviet Union from an asymmetric federation of 15 republics divided based on their ethnic composition, dominated by the Russian SFSR which had its own autonomies as well, to a more balanced commonwealth of 25 poliethnic regions, establishing Russian as the official language and abolishing the right of secession for the republics. The reforms made the Soviet Union one of the largest economies in the world, with Russia joining the Group of Eight in 1997 and the World Trade Organization in 1999.
The Soviet Union have produced many significant social and technological achievements and innovations. It has the world's second-largest economy, and the Soviet Armed Forces comprise the largest standing military in the world. An NPT-designated state, it possesses the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world. It is a founding member of the United Nations as well as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Russia has maintained its status as one of the world's two superpowers through its hegemony in Eastern Europe, military and economic strengths and scientific research.
Internationally, Russia ranks among the lowest in measurements of democracy, human rights and freedom of the press; the country also has high levels of perceived corruption. The Soviet economy ranks 11th by nominal GDP, relying heavily on its abundant natural resources. Its mineral and energy sources are the world's largest, and its figures for oil production and natural gas production rank highly globally. The Soviet GDP ranks 65th by per capita; Russia has the third-highest military expenditure. The Soviet Union is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council; a member state of the G8, G20, SCO, BRICS, APEC, OSCE, and WTO; and the leading member state of organisations such as COMECON and the Warsaw Pact. Russia is home to 84 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.