The most fascinating geography fact about Russia is its sheer scale: it is the largest country on Earth at roughly 17.1 million square kilometres, spanning 11 time zones and two continents. No other nation comes close. Russia covers more than one-eighth of the planet's inhabited land, borders 16 countries, and contains geographic superlatives — the deepest lake, the largest forest, the coldest inhabited place — that simply do not exist anywhere else.
A Country Built on Extreme Scale
Russia stretches about 9,000 kilometres from Kaliningrad on the Baltic to Kamchatka on the Pacific, and roughly 4,000 kilometres from its Arctic coast to its southern mountains. When it is midnight on the western edge, it is already mid-morning the next day in the far east. A few quick numbers capture the scale:
- At 17.1 million km², Russia is nearly twice the size of Canada, the second-largest country.
- It crosses 11 time zones, from UTC+2 in Kaliningrad to UTC+12 in Kamchatka.
- It shares land borders with 16 nations — more than any other country.
- Only about 3.8 kilometres separate Russia's Big Diomede Island from America's Little Diomede in the Bering Strait.
Despite this immensity, Russia's population is only around 144 million, an average of roughly eight people per square kilometre. About three-quarters of those people live in the European west, which makes up only about a quarter of the land. The vast Asian remainder is among the emptiest inhabited terrain on Earth.
Lake Baikal and the World's Water Records
Siberia's Lake Baikal is the single most remarkable body of water on the planet. It plunges to 1,642 metres, making it the deepest lake in the world — deep enough to swallow five Eiffel Towers stacked end to end. It is also the oldest, formed in an active rift valley an estimated 25 to 30 million years ago, while most lakes silt up within a few thousand years. Baikal holds roughly 20% of all the unfrozen fresh surface water on Earth, more than North America's five Great Lakes combined.
The lake is a world of its own biologically. More than 2,500 species live in and around it, and over 80% are endemic, including the nerpa — the planet's only exclusively freshwater seal. In winter Baikal freezes solid under one to two metres of ice so clear you can stare down 40 metres into the depths. Because it sits on a spreading rift, the lake widens by about two centimetres a year and may, in the very distant future, become an ocean. Russia also holds over two million freshwater lakes overall, second only to Canada, and Ladoga and Onega in the northwest are the two largest lakes in Europe.
Siberia, Permafrost, and the Cold
Siberia alone covers roughly 13 million km² — about 77% of Russia — yet holds only a quarter of its people. Beneath much of it lies permafrost, permanently frozen ground that underlies around 65% of Russian territory and reaches depths near 1,500 metres in Yakutia. This is the realm of the world's cold records. Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk in Yakutia trade the title of coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, with readings below minus 67°C. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is the largest subnational region anywhere — about 3.1 million km², larger than Argentina — yet home to fewer than a million people.
As the climate warms, this frozen foundation is destabilising, releasing methane and ancient carbon while buildings and roads built on it crack and sink. The contrast within the country is staggering: while Siberia sits at minus 40°C, palm trees grow in subtropical Sochi on the Black Sea coast.
Mountains, Volcanoes, Rivers, and Forest
Russia's relief is as varied as its climate. Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus rises to 5,642 metres, making it the highest point in Europe and one of the famed Seven Summits. The ancient Ural Mountains run 2,500 kilometres and mark the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia. Far to the east, the Kamchatka Peninsula holds over 160 volcanoes, around 29 of them active, including Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the highest active volcano in Eurasia at about 4,750 metres. Kamchatka's Valley of Geysers is the second-largest geyser field on Earth.
Water and forest finish the picture. Russia has roughly 100,000 rivers; the Volga, at 3,530 kilometres, is the longest in Europe, while the Ob–Irtysh and Yenisei rank among the world's mightiest by length and discharge. Blanketing the north is the taiga, the largest forest on Earth at around 12 million km², holding about a quarter of the world's remaining untouched woodland and acting as a colossal carbon sink. For more on the nation behind these numbers, see our russia country guide.
Engineering Across a Continent
To tie such distances together, Russia built record-breaking infrastructure. The Trans-Siberian Railway runs 9,289 kilometres from Moscow to Vladivostok — the longest rail line in the world — crossing seven time zones over a journey of about six days. On the Kola Peninsula, the Kola Superdeep Borehole reached 12,262 metres, the deepest artificial point ever drilled into the Earth. And remote Wrangel Island in the Arctic, a UNESCO site, was the last refuge of woolly mammoths, which survived there until roughly 4,000 years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many time zones does Russia have?
Russia officially spans 11 time zones, from UTC+2 in the western exclave of Kaliningrad to UTC+12 in Kamchatka in the far east — more than any other country on Earth.
What is the deepest lake in Russia?
Lake Baikal in southern Siberia is the deepest lake in Russia and the world, reaching 1,642 metres. It also holds about 20% of the planet's unfrozen fresh surface water and is the oldest lake on Earth.
How many countries does Russia border?
Russia shares land borders with 16 countries, including Norway, Finland, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea — the most of any nation.
What is the coldest place in Russia?
Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk in the Sakha Republic compete for the title of coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, both having recorded temperatures below minus 67°C.
