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Russia's
political icons and ideologies may have tumbled but Churchill's
'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma' remains an
apt descriptive chestnut. Outsiders still have only a hazy
grasp of daily life in Russia, and the unfolding effects of
a deregulated market economy are surrounded by rumours of
rampant crime and prostitution, relentless drug-trafficking,
mile-long queues for nonexistent food and a general end-of-the-world
aura. But with countless cultural treasures having withstood
the tribulations of history and economics, and an artistic
legacy running the gamut from Karenina to Zhivago, Russia
remains a must-see destination. So grab your balalaika, turn
off the samovar and meet up with Boris and Natasha at Lenin's
tomb in Moscow, in the queue outside the Hermitage in St Petersburg,
in any one of the Golden Ring's gorgeous historic towns and
in the wildflower-filled meadows of the Caucasus.
Full
country name: Russian Federation
Area: 17 million sq km (6,563,706 sq mi)
Population: 147 million (growth rate -0.3%)
Capital city: Moscow (pop 8.3 million)
People: 81% Russian, 4% Tatar, 3% Ukrainian and numerous ethnic
minorities
Language: Russian
Religion: Russian Orthodox, Islam, Animist
Government: Federation
President: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Free
market reform has not been kind to Russia. Production and
investment are in diabolical decline due to uncertainty induced
by both the pace of change and the suspicions born of endemic
and insidious corruption. Some 40 million people languish
below the poverty line.
GDP: US$350 billion
GDP per head: US$2420
Annual growth: 4%
Inflation: 15.1%
Major industries: Oil, coal, iron ore, timber, automotive,
agricultural and construction equipment
Major trading partners: EU (esp. Germany), Belarus, Ukraine,
USA, China
Member of EU: no
Russia
Flight from UK
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