Russia

Russia is a transcontinental country extending over much of northern Eurasia. Russia shares land borders with the following countries (counter-clockwise from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast), Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It is also close to the U.S. state of Alaska, Sweden, Turkey and Japan across relatively small stretches of water. Russia has an extensive coastline of over 37,000 kilometers (23,000 mi) along the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Baltic, Black and Caspian seas. Russia stretches across much of the north of the super-continent of Eurasia. Because of its size, Russia displays both monotony and diversity. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water. Most of Russia consists of vast stretches of plains that are predominantly steppe to the south and heavily forested to the north, with tundra along the northern coast. Mountain ranges are found along the southern borders. The country contains 23 World Heritage Sites and 39 UNESCO Biosphere reserves.