Russia – The Facts
- Full name: Russian Federation
- Population: 142.5 million (UN, 2007)
- Capital: Moscow
- Area: 17 million sq km (6.6 million sq miles)
- Major language: Russian
- Major religions: Christianity, Islam
- Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 rouble = 100 kopecks
- Main exports: Oil and oil products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, weapons and military equipment
- GNI per capita: US $4,460 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .ru
- International dialling code: +7
- President: Dmitry Medvedev
- Prime Minister: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
- The press
- Komsomolskaya Pravda - mass circulation, left-leaning daily, controlled by energy group YeSN
- Kommersant - daily, business-orientated, controlled by steel tycoon Alisher Usmanov
- Moskovsky Komsomolets - popular privately-owned Moscow daily
- Izvestia - popular daily, owned by state-run gas monopoly Gazprom
- Rossiyskaya Gazeta - government-owned daily
- Nezavisimaya Gazeta - influential privately-owned daily
- Trud - left-leaning daily, owned by Promsvyazbank
- Argumenty i Fakty - popular weekly, owned by Promsvyazbank
- Novaya Gazeta - twice-weekly, known for its investigative journalism; English-language pages
- The Moscow Times - English-language daily
- The Moscow News - English-language weekly
- Television
- Russia TV Channel - national network, run by state-owned Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
- Channel One - national network, 51% owned by state, 49% by private shareholders
- NTV - national network, owned by state-run Gazprom
- Centre TV - owned by Moscow city government
- Ren TV - Moscow-based commercial station with strong regional network
- Russia Today - state-funded, international English-language news channel, via satellite
- Radio
- Radio Russia - national network run by state-owned Russian State Television and
- Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
- Ekho Moskvy - editorially-independent station, majority owned by state-run Gazprom
- Radio Mayak - state-run national network
- Russkoye Radio - major private network, music-based
- Voice of Russia - state-run external service, broadcasts in English and other languages
- Links
