As the the world largest and major industrial nation with majestic history and rich culture and arts, Russia is one of the world major leisure and business travel destinations.

Located in Northern Asia and Europe, bordering the Arctic Ocean, Russia, the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union, stretches from the Polish border to the Bering strait spanning many time zones and 6,000 miles. Their combined landmass nearly 16,995,800 square kilometers wraps halfway around the globe. About 1.8 times the size of the United States, the vast Russian Republic is the largest country in the world in terms of area.

Russia has about 143,782,338 population (2004 estimate). Ethnic groups include Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, and other 8.1%. Russian is the official language.

Russia has modern telephone system with digital infrastructures. Based on 2002 estimate, Russia has 6 million Internet users.

As one of the world major industrial nations, Russia has complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, and handicrafts.

Moscow is the largest city in Russia, also is the capital of Russia since Romanov dynasty in 1613. Today Moscow is the center of politics, economy and culture. It is home to some of the country's most distinguished cultural institutions, theaters, and film studios. Every year, especially in spring and autumn when temperatures are moderate, millions of visitors come to Moscow to explore the majestic history of Russia.

Located in western Russia, St. Petersburg was built in 1703 by the passions of its founder, Czar Peter the Great. It has been called the Northern Venice due to its beautiful river, canals, bridges and architectures. This elegant city is not just famous by its rich history but also by its rich Russian culture. St. Petersburg is the birthplace of Russian literature and the home city of great musicians and ballet dancers, including world well-known Pushkin, Tchaikovsky, and Ulanova.