Russia

In terms of surface area, the Russian Federation is the largest country on earth and shares borders with no less than 15 other countries. However, it only has the ninth highest population in the world (143 million), giving a good idea of the sparse nature of much of its territory. Its capital city, Moscow, is found in the west of the country as are most of the nation’s most populous cities. Moscow itself has a population of 11.5 million and has a world-famous collection of cathedrals, churches, towers and palaces. As a whole, Russia has no less than 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as hundreds of national parks and nature reserves.

City temperatures in the west and Far East of Russia tend to be between -10°C in the winter to the mid-20s Celsius during June, July and August. The famously desolate Siberian region tends to be much, much colder and is rarely visited by tourists. Serviced apartments in Russia are prominent in the larger cities but also in Black Sea coast resorts and ski resorts like Krasnaya Polyana, which will feature heavily in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Tourists wishing to experience the best of Russian nature tourism head to Lake Baikal, the most luminous freshwater lake in the world.