Russia is divided into seven federal districts encompassing 89 units -- regions (oblasts), territories (krais), and republics. As central power has weakened, the importance of these units and their local leadership has increased commensurately. This work brings together in one volume all basic political, economic, and demographic data on every territorial unit of the Russian Federation, its local government structure, and electoral history current through the spring 2000 elections and the summer 2000 reorganization. Each entry includes an extensive profile of the president, governor, or prime minister, and an overview of local political trends, policies, economy, and business conditions.

This excellent reference source brings together hard-to-find information on the eighty-three constituent units of the Russian Federation. The introduction examines the Russian Federation as a whole, focusing on the evolution of the relationship between the central state and the regions, followed by a chronology, demographic and economic statistics, and a review of the Federal Government. The second section comprises territorial surveys, with a chapter on each of Russia’s federal subjects, each of which includes a current map. The third section comprises a select bibliography of books. The fourth section features a series of indexes, listing the territories alphabetically, by Federal Okrug and Economic Area. Users will also find a gazetteer of selected alternative and historic names, and a list of the territories abolished, created or reconstituted in the post-Soviet period.

Three quarters of Russia's territory lies in Asia, east of the Ural mountains. The country's principal threats now come from Asian countries on its southern borders. Drawing on a wide variety of Russian language sources, this book provides the first substantial study of Russian military posture in the Asia Pacific since the collapse of the USSR.