Russia is located in part of Europe and also stretches over much of North Asia.

After the Soviet era, the area, population, and industrial production of the Soviet Union that were located in Russia passed on to the Russian Federation.

After a failed Bolshevik rising in July 1917, their leader, Vladimir Lenin, fled to Finland for safety. Here he wrote "State and Revolution", which called for a new form of government based on workers' councils, or soviets elected and revocable at all moments by the workers.

Ivan IV rule was also marked by the long and unsuccessful Livonian War against the coalition of Poland, Lithuania, Sweden for the access to the Baltic coast and sea trade.

The climate in Russia is rather varied due to the different geographical regions in the area.

Constitutional justice in the court is based on the equality of all Russian citizens. Judges are independent and subject only to the law. Trials are to be open, and the accused is guaranteed a defense.

In 1928, Stalin introduced his First Five Year Plan for modernising the Soviet economy. Most economic output was immediately diverted to establishing heavy industry.

Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin had been elected President of Russia in June 1991 in the first direct presidential election in Russian history.