rch being the largest denomination (ABC-CLIO, Inc. Kaleidoscope, 1999.)The land of Russia borders 12,514 miles with 23,398 miles of coastline. The total area of the nation is 6,592,850 square miles. The land is used in 3 main ways. 7.7% is cropland, 4.6% is permanent pastureland, and 45.6% is forests and woodland. The other 42.1% is used for other things including industry, cities, and homes. However, a lot of the territory is unusable because of the severe weather or problems caused with transportation. Only 8% of the land is arable making the arable land per capita only 2.3 acres (Europa World Year Book, FAO Production Yearbook, The World Factbook for 1999 respectively). The population is approximately 145,835,000 with a population density of 22 inhabitants per square mile (1999) and a population distribution of 73.9% urban and the rest rural or suburban (1991). The age distribution is 20% in the 0-14 category, 68% in the 15-64 range and 12% in the 65+ range (1998). Median age is 36.9(2000) and the population growth rate is -0.2% per year (2000-2010 projection). The fact that the population is not increasing could be good since the country is now in so much turmoil. The average life expectancy is 69.8 years (2000-2010 projection) with men being expected to live 64.5 years and women 75.1. The life expectancy is good, nearly paralleling that of the United States. The infant mortality rate is 16 per 1000 live births (2000-2010 projection). In Russia there are 38 doctors and 118 hospital beds per 10,000 people (Europa World Year Book, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, The World Factbook, World Military and Social Expenditures, World Population Prospects, 1999 respectively).Those are the basic numbers to give the reader an idea of the size and constitution of the Russian nation. There are however many problems in contemporary Russia. The economy is a shambles. The government changes often and since the Cold-War is over...
