International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

The Russian Federation is a 17.1 million km 2 territory, on which a population of 146 million is unevenly distributed. It has borders with 14 countries in Europe and Asia. Russia is a federal republic comprised of 88 federal administrative units subordinate to the central government. Russia is divided into seven federal regions headed by plenipotentiaries appointed by the president. Russia is a parliamentary democracy. The bicameral Federal Assembly consists of the Federation Council (members appointed for each of 88 federal administrative units) and the State Duma (450 members elected every four years by proportional representation from party lists (50 percent) and from single-member constituencies (50 percent). The major political parties are Yedinaya Rossiya (Unified Russia), the Communist Party, the SPS (Union of Right-Wing Forces), and the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party. The official language is Russian but the population is comprised of various ethnic groups speaking more than 70 languages between them. The major religions are Russian Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. The economic situation remains uneven despite Russia's rich natural resources. The disintegration and strong autonomy of regions hinder economic progress, and Russian political leaders have made strong efforts to consolidate regional markets into one economy. The development of the Russian media ... log in or subscribe to read full text