Russia is the world's largest country. It spans a massive 17.1 million square kilometers.
Its geography is split across two distinct continents. A smaller portion occupies the eastern edge of Europe, while the vast majority stretches across northern Asia.
Administratively, the country has eight federal districts. Five of them sit in European Russia, which accounts for a relatively small fraction of the total territory. Meanwhile, the other three districts in Asia account for nearly three-quarters of the nation's landmass.
So, does Russia actually belong more to Europe or Asia?
The Asian Part of Russia
Russia actually spans both continents, with the vast majority of its territory located in Asia.
The Asian part of Russia stretches from the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains all the way to the Pacific coast. The Ural Mountains act as a natural dividing line between Europe and Asia from the Arctic Ocean down to the Caspian Sea.
Administratively, the Russian part in Asia is divided into three major federal districts: the Ural, Siberian, and Far Eastern Federal Districts. Together, they cover roughly 13 million square kilometers, or nearly 75 percent of the country.
The Ural Federal District sits at the western edge of the Russian part in Asia near the Ural Mountains. It spans about 1.8 million square kilometers and borders Kazakhstan to the south.
Further inland, the Siberian Federal District covers roughly 4.3 million square kilometers. The region contains major rivers like the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena flowing north into the Arctic Ocean, while its southern borders meet Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Further east, the Far Eastern Federal District stretches all the way to the Pacific Ocean across a sprawling 6.9 million square kilometers. It contains the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin Island, and the Kuril Islands, and shares borders with China and North Korea.
The European Part of Russia
Crossing back over the Ural Mountains, the European part of Russia accounts for roughly a quarter of the country, or about 3.9 million square kilometers.
Even though most of Russia's physical landmass is located in Asia, its most important cities are concentrated on the European side.
Administratively, the European part of Russia is split into five federal districts that anchor the major cities in Russia. Four of these districts also share direct borders with neighboring European regions.
The Central Federal District covers 652,700 square kilometers in southwestern Russia. It serves as the political core of the country and houses the national capital, Moscow.
To the north and northwest, the Northwestern Federal District spans 1.67 million square kilometers. It is home to Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and borders Nordic and Baltic neighbors like Norway, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
Toward the interior, the Volga Federal District covers about 1.03 million square kilometers around the Volga River basin. It features Nizhny Novgorod, the country's fourth-largest city, and sits near Kazakhstan.
Further south, the Southern Federal District covers 420,000 square kilometers. It stretches across the lowlands of the Caspian and Azov Seas and shares a direct land border with Ukraine.
Situated at the southern tip of the European part of Russia, the North Caucasus Federal District spans 170,700 square kilometers along the Caucasus mountain range. The region marks the outermost edge of Russian territory and shares borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Reference:
Bassin, M. (2017). Russia between Europe and Asia: The ideological construction of geographical space. Slavic Review, 50(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.2307/2500595
