🇷🇺map Russia [Overview]

Russia, known as Rossiya in Russian, stretches across the northern half of Eurasia from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific. It is the world’s largest country by land area and ranks among the ten most populous nations. The population is highly urban, yet many city residents keep strong ties to the countryside and spend weekends at small garden cottages called dachas. This blend of big-city life and rural tradition shapes daily rhythms, travel habits, and even how people spend their summers.

Russia’s people and places reflect centuries of movement and mixing. Eastern Slavic communities took root on the vast plains alongside Finnic, Baltic, and other peoples, with early centers such as Kiev and Novgorod influencing language, trade, and governance. Over the last five hundred years, Russian speakers became politically and culturally dominant across a wide territory, while minority cultures—from the North Caucasus to Siberia—maintained distinct identities. The shared experience of the Soviet period still echoes in institutions, housing, and social life, even as regions and communities continue to reassert local traditions.

Economy

Work in Russia clusters around its major cities, where most people are employed in services and industry, from manufacturing and logistics to retail and office roles. The countryside supports agriculture and food production, and many families still supplement their tables with produce from garden plots. Urbanization is strong, but those weekend dacha routines mean a surprising amount of hands-on know‑how with gardening, preserving, and seasonal work. This urban–rural balance is one reason you’ll see office towers and high-rise housing in the city, then fields, forests, and kitchen gardens just a short drive away.

The country’s sheer size underpins a diverse economic base and deep internal connections by rail and river, as well as links to neighboring states by extensive land borders and maritime routes. Business cooperation and civil organizations expand across regions, supported by a long tradition of technical, commercial, and legal associations that grew rapidly from the late 1980s onward. For an expatriate, this means a large domestic market, strong regional differences, and a networked civic landscape that ranges from professional groups to cultural and humanitarian organizations. The result is an economy that feels both continental in scale and very local in practice.

Culture

Russian is the dominant language, and ethnic Russians form the largest group, but the federation is home to many peoples, including Tatars, indigenous Siberian communities, and groups from the North Caucasus, as well as East Slavic Ukrainians and Belarusians who are widely dispersed. Cities are modern and dense, yet many families maintain close ties to villages or dachas, and weekend life often involves gardening, hiking, and foraging. Everyday food traditions reflect this practicality: bread is essential, potatoes and cabbage are staples, and soups and stews rely on onions and garlic. Dairy is varied and popular, with items like tvorog and other soured milk products common in home kitchens.

Public life has swung over time from tight central control to broader civic activity, and today you’ll find a busy landscape of associations dedicated to cultural, environmental, medical, and professional causes. Religious and community groups are part of this mix, though they have experienced changing levels of freedom and oversight across decades. Annual rhythms include state observances and large city festivals, workplace and school calendars, and the informal “season” that starts when people open their dachas and ends as they put gardens to bed for winter. For newcomers, the culture can feel both formal and warm: expect straightforward communication in business settings, then generous hospitality at home, with tea, bread, and hearty dishes at the center of the table.

Franz
Franz is a German technical writer and business consultant from Munich, with over 15 years of experience in international corporate relocations and German business culture. Having worked for major German multinational corporations including BMW and Siemens, Franz has extensive experience facilitating the relocation of international talent to Germany and helping German professionals navigate complex assignments abroad.