Russia or the Russian Federation is transcontinental country that is extending over much of the northern Eurasia , comprising 83 federal subjects and is a semi- presidential republic. It shares its border with Norway , Estonia , Finland , Latvia , Poland , Lithuania , Ukraine , Belarus , Mongolia , China , Kazakhstan , Azerbaijan , Georgia and Korea . Russia has 17,075,400 square kilometers of land, which makes it largest country in world, it is covering more than eighth of Earth's area and population is over 142 million. Russia is ninth largest by its population. It also extends across the whole northern Asia and about 40% of Europe . It is incorporating the great range of its landforms and environment and spanning 11 time zones in country. Russia has largest forest of world that reserves and contains about one-quarter of world's fresh water unfrozen. History of Russia began with East Slavs that emerged as recognizable group in the Europe between 3 rd and 8 th centuries.