Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Pearlette Louisy Prime minister: Kenny Anthony
President : Vladimir Putin
Population
162,178
142,517,670
Life Expectancy
77.040 years
66.460 years
Capital City
Moscow
Largest city
Bisee (population: 12,980)
Moscow (population: 10,381,200)
Human Development Index
0.821
NA
GDP per capita
$17,000 US
Literacy Rate
90.1%
99.4%
Corruption Perception Index
7.1
2.1
Percentage of Women in Parliament
17.2%
NA
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Mikhail Prokhorov ($9.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.600%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary democracy
federation
Independence date
24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Religions
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census)
Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule
Languages
English (official), French patois
Russian, many minority languages
Exports
petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures
External Debt
$519,400,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar - 24.3 (2008 est.), 25.659 (2007), 27.19 (2006), 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
72
Location
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean
Area
616 km sq
17,098,242 km sq
Coastline
158 km
37,653 km
Climate
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August
ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast
