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Key Demographic Features of Russia*

Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean
Map references: Asia

People

Population: 148,178,487 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 15,792,573; female 15,213,854)
15-64 years: 67% (male 48,145,679; female 51,125,902)
65 years and over: 12% (male 5,403,066; female 12,497,413) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.07% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.24 years
male: 56.51 years
female: 70.31 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions:
Religions:
Languages:
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)
total population: 98%
male: 100%
female: 97%

Government

Country Abbreviation: RS
Type of government: federation
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (1990)
Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Supreme Court (highest court for criminal, civil, and administrative cases), judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Superior Court of Arbitration (highest court that resolves economic disputes), judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:
pro-market democrats:
centrists/special interest parties:
anti-market and/or ultranationalist parties:
note: some 269 political parties, blocs, and associations tried to gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 17 December 1995 Duma elections; 43 succeeded
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMIR, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yuliy Mikhaylovich VORONTSOV
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700 through 5704
FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas R. PICKERING
embassy: Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, Moscow
mailing address: APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 252-24-51 through 59
FAX: [7] (095) 956-42-61
consulate(s) general: St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Economy

Economic overview:
GDP: purchasing power parity - $796 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP real growth rate: -4% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $5,300 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.2% (December 1995) with considerable additional underemployment

Communications

Telephones: 25.4 million (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there are about 1,050 (including AM, FM, and shortwave) radio broadcast stations throughout the country
Radios: 50 million (1993 est.)(radio receivers with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion 74,300,000)
Television broadcast stations: 7,183
Televisions: 54.85 million (1992 est.)

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

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