RU-2835691 RU-4077807 RU-4157419 Russia Россия

Russia (Россия) also officially known as the Russian Federation at 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi) is the largest country in the world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the world's ninth most populous nation with 143 million people as of 2012. It extends across the entire northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe.  There are nine time zones in Russia.

 

Russia is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and therefore plays a major role in maintaining international peace and security.

Russia is made up of 85 Federal subjects including the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.  These 85 Federal subjects are categorised into:

46 oblasts (provinces)

 

22 republics: nominally autonomous.  They have their own constitution, direct-elected head of republic and parliament. Republics are allowed to establish their own official language alongside Russian but are represented by the federal government in international affairs. Republics are meant to be home to specific ethnic minorities.

9 krais (territories): essentially the same as oblasts.

4 autonomous okrugs (autonomous districts): originally autonomous entities within oblasts and krais created for ethnic minorities, their status was elevated to that of federal subjects in the 1990s.

1 autonomous oblast (the Jewish Autonomous Oblast)

3 federal cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol): major cities that function as separate regions.

This postcard shows a hypsometric map of the Russian Empire, 1912.  A hypsometric map is a map that shows relief, whether by contours, hachures, shading, or tinting.  I have received two copies of this postcard.  The first one came from Irina on 18 July 2014 Postcrossing and the second one came from Kalua (20 November 2015) Postcrossing.
.
The postcard of the crest and flag came from Svetlana (23 October 2015) Postcrossing.