Area in total: 17,098,242 sq km – the area west of the Urals is considered to be part of Europe.

Bordering countries on the European side (clockwise) are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Norway.
The separated Kaliningrad oblast borders Lithuania and Poland.

Some of the larger cities:
Moscow (capital - population 10.5 million), St Petersburg (4.6 million, previously Leningrad), Archangel'sk, Murmansk, Voronež, Jaroslavl', Rostov-na-Donu, Volgograd (previously Stalingrad), Krasnodar, Nižni Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Ufa, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk.

Main European rivers: Volga and Don.
The country's lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.

Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of the Urals. Much of the huge area of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture.  Russia has the world's largest reserves of minerals, energy sources and forest.

Mountains: The Urals divide Europe from Asia, the Caucasus Mountains have the highest peak in both Europe and Russia - Elbrus 5642m. See Elbrus from a live web-cam.