Administrative divisions of Russia
Russia is divided into 86 first-level administrative divisions:
Largest cities in Russia
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MoscowCapital | 10,452,000 |
| 2 | St. Petersburg | 4,553,000 |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | 1,389,000 |
| 4 | Yekaterinburg | 1,313,000 |
| 5 | Nizhny Novgorod | 1,278,000 |
| 6 | Samara | 1,137,000 |
| 7 | Omsk | 1,135,000 |
| 8 | Kazan | 1,115,000 |
| 9 | Chelyabinsk | 1,091,000 |
| 10 | Rostov | 1,052,000 |
Moscow is the largest urban area in Russia with about 10,452,000 people.
Terrain, rivers & lakes
Highest terrain in Russia: ≈ 5,601 m — read from the global elevation model, so summit heights are approximate. The physical map paints elevation bands from green lowlands to brown highlands.
🌊 Rivers
- Sheksna
- Vyatka
- Unzha
- Aldan
- Pinega
- Tsna
- Vym
- Belaya
- Seym
- Sukhona
- Usa
- Tura
- Bol’shoy Yugan
- Vasyugan
- Shishhid Gol
- Tumen
- Markha
- Selemdzha
- Selennyakh
- Bytantay
- Uchur
- Chara
- Ozhogina
- Penzhina
- Ural
- Tvertsa
- Voronya
- Yenisey
- Ob
- Dnipro
- Dnepre
- Pechora
- Kolyma
- Lena
- Kyzyl-Khem
- Severnaya Dvina
- Malyy Yenisey
- Verkhniy Yenisey
- Neva
- Svir
- Tobol
- Lower Tunguska
- Daugava
- Indigirka
- Vychegda
- Trofimovskaya Protoka
- Tumatskaya Protoka
- Kem
- Bykovskaya Protoka
- Olenekskaya Protoka
- Taz
- Vuoksi
- Biya
- Vilyuy
- Don
- Selenga
- Angara
- Ertis
- Anadyr’
- Olenëk
- Tom’
- Kamchatka
- Kheta
- Chulyshman
- Khatanga
- Katanga
- Chulym
- Verkhnyaya Taymyra
- Vitim
- Zeya
- Suda
- Narva
- Lotta
- Nizhnyaya Taymyra
- Irtysh
- Ingoda
- Olëkma
- Sartang
- Donets
- Oka
- Desna
- Omolon
- Mezen
- Khopr
- Velikaya
- Kotuy
- Pur
- Katun
- Onega
- Nadym
- Ussuri
- Bol’shaya Kuonamka
- Kuban
- Shilka
- Pyasina
- Song’acha
- Neman
- Ishim
- Tuloma
- Podkamennaya Tunguska
- Anabar
- Yana
- Malaya Ob
- Volga
- Kama
- Chusovaya
- Bol’shoy Yenisey
- Amur
- Onon
- Taymura
- Alazeya
- Mana
- Popigay
- Palyavaam
- Kondoma
- Bol’shoy Anyuy
- Chuna
- Severnaya Sos’va
- Amgun’
- Moma
- Adycha
- Bikin
- Maya
- Kukhtuy
- Argun’
- Luza
- Sura
- Vishera
- Vakh
- Tyung
- Dulgalakh
- Oloy
- Patsoyoki
- Udzha
- Heilong Jiang
- Kureyka
- Uda
- Tumnin
- Poronay
- Volkhov
- Msta
- Kola
- Yanisyoki
🏞️ Lakes
- Engozero
- Pääjärvi
- Ozero Pitlyarskiy Sor
- Lake Ladoga
- Lake Baikal
- Lake Onega
- Lake Khanka
- Lake Pskov
- Ozero Yarroto Vtoroye
- Lake Srednye Kuyto
- Lake Chany
- Lake Peipus
- Ozero Nerpich'ye
- Ozero Yarroto Pervoye
- Ozero Neyto
- Ozero Yambuto
- Lake
- Lake Vygozero
- Lake Segozerskoye
- Lake Topozero
- Lake Taymyr
- Ozero Mogotoyevo
- Ozero Pyasino
- Lake Beloye
- Ozero Kulundinskoye
- Ubinskoye Lake
- Ozero Bustakh
- Ozero Tenis
- Ozero Chërnoye
- Ozero Bol'šoe Morskoe
- Ozero Chukochye
- Ozero Khantayskoye
- Ozero Keta
- Ozero Lama
- Ozero Krasnoye
- Ozero Teletskoye
- Ozero Dyupkun
- Ozero Labaz
- Lake Kolozero
- Ozero Beloye
- Ozero Ozhogino
- Ozero Sagarychye
- Ozero Bakul
- Ozero Soluntakh
- Ozero Bolshoy Olr
- Ozero Krugovatoye
- Ozero Ilirgytgyn
- Ozero Elgygytgyn
- Ozero Kronotskoye
- Ozero Kiyeng-Kyuyel
- Ozero Gusinoye
- Ozero Busani
- Ozero Baunt
- Ozero Kipylyushi
- Ozero Isinginskoye
- Ozero Bolshaya Kharga
- Ozero Bolshoye Yeravnoye
- Ozero Arakhley
- Ozero Irgen
- Ozero Tembenchi
- Ozero Vivi
- Ozero Agata
- Ozero Severnoye
- Ozero Ayan
- Ozero Kokora
- Ozero Portnyagino
- Ozero Kungasalakh
- Ozero Samotlor
- Ozero Tormemtor
- Ozero Chrtovo
- Ozero Chaselskoye
- Ozero Untor
- Munduyskoye Ozero
- Ozero Sobachye
- Ozero Glubokoye
- Ozero Purinskoye
- Ozero Ayaturku
- Ozero Bol'shoye Topol'noye
- Ozero Kuchukskoye
- Ozero Gorkoye
- Ozero Tandovo
- Ebeyty Lake
- Ozero Ik
- Ozero Artevo
- Ozero Bolshoy Uvat
- Ozero Bolshoy Shishkarym
- Ozero Andreyevskoye
- Ozero Tuman
- Ozero Yakh-Tur
- Ozero Leushinskiy Tuman
- Ozero Tursuntskiy Tuman
- Ozero Syrkovoye
- Ozero Enetor
- Ozero Ergipskiy Sor
- Ozero Bolshoy Sor
- Ozero Vandmtor
- Ozero Bolshoy Kazymskiy Sor
- Ozero Shuryshkarskiy Sor
- Ozero Yasaveyto
- Ozero Sartlan
- Novosibirsk Reservoir
- Lake Kovdozero
- Lake Imandra
- Ondozero
- Lake Il'Men'
- Cheboksary Reservoir
- Umbozero Lake
- Paduskoye More
- Saratov Reservoir
- Nizhnekamsk Reservoir
- Serebryanskoe Reservoir
- Rybinsk Reservoir
- Samara Reservoir
- Ozero Kubenskoye
- Bratsk Reservoir
- Vilyuy Reservoir
- Krasnoyarsk Reservoir
- Kostroma Reservoir
- Uglich Reservoir
- Ivankovo Reservoir
- Votkinsk Reservoir
- Kama Reservoir
- Volgograd Reservoir
- Gorky Reservoir
- Ust-Ilimsk Reservoir
- Zeya Reservoir
- Tsimlyansk Reservoir
- Khantayskoye Reservoir
- Syvash
- Kaliningradskiy Zaliv
- Zalew Wislany
Ethnic groups in Russia
Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (2010 est.)
Regionally, Russian is the most common ethnic group across most of the 86 divisions, while Karachay predominates in 1 division (Karachay-Cherkess); Kabardian predominates in 1 division (Kabardin-Balkar); Ossetian predominates in 1 division (North Ossetia); Ingush predominates in 1 division (Ingush).
Source: CIA World Factbook (2010 est.) · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Religions in Russia
Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.)
Regionally, Russian Orthodox is the most common religious group across most of the 86 divisions, while Muslim predominates in 7 divisions (Chechnya, Ingush, Dagestan, Kabardin-Balkar, Karachay-Cherkess, Tatarstan, …); Buddhist predominates in 2 divisions (Tuva, Kalmyk).
Source: CIA World Factbook (2006 est.) · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Languages in Russia
Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% (2010 est.)
Regionally, Russian is the most common language group across most of the 86 divisions, while Chechen predominates in 1 division (Chechnya); Ingush predominates in 1 division (Ingush); Avar predominates in 1 division (Dagestan); Tuvan predominates in 1 division (Tuva).
Source: CIA World Factbook (2010 est.) · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
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RomaniaSources: boundaries, cities, rivers and lakes from Natural Earth (public domain, 1:10m); elevation from the AWS Open Data terrain tiles (SRTM/GMTED); ethnic, religious and language shares from the CIA World Factbook; regional dominance compiled by Glostats from national censuses and surveys. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.