Officially the Russian Federation, Russia is home to more than 144.5 million people. Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning more than 17 million kilometres. It covers more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land, and contains nine time zones, after decreasing from 11 in 2010. Because of its size, the terrain in Russia is extremely varied, and incorporates a wide range of environments. Russia shares land borders with 14 other countries, which makes it the country with the second highest amount of land borders, behind China.

Russia has a long and turbulent history, and continues to be a fascinating place. The culture is very different to that of many Western countries, being influenced by more than 170 ethnic groups living in Russia. The country is renowned for their traditions in literature, folk dancing, ballet and cinema, among many other fields.

Russia has a long tradition of education, and has a highly educated population. Entry into Russian universities can be highly competitive, and there is a strong emphasis put upon gaining technological and scientific degrees. In 2003, Russia signed the Bologna Declaration, which allowed them to streamline their higher education, moving from 5 year degrees to 4 year degrees at undergraduate level. Universities in Russia offer courses at three levels; bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral.

There are 15 of Russia’s universities in the 2019 QS World University Rankings top 500. The highest ranked of these is Lomonosov Moscow State University, which is placed at 90th. The next highest ranked is Saint Petersburg State University, which is placed at 235th. Each year, Russia welcomes students from more than 170 countries around the world.