Post-Soviet states: the informative overview

The new English-language master’s program PolitIQ led by Columbia University professor Robert Legvold is devoted to the countries of the post-Soviet space. In this regard, we have made for you an informative overview of the basic information about the countries of the Near Abroad, which every educated student should know, much less a political science student!

Geographical regions

Traditionally, 15 CIS countries are divided into five groups:

• Territory of the Russian Federation;
• Baltic countries, or the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania;
• Eastern Europe: Byelorussia, Moldova, Ukraine;
• Transcaucasia: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan;
• Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan;

Area

Did you know that the area of the USSR was 22,400,000км²? ? Now, let’s find out what the area of modern post-Soviet states is!

• Russia: 17.1 million km²

 

• Estonia: 45.2 thousand km²
• Latvia: 64.5 thousand km²
• Lithuania: 65.3 thousand km²

 

• Belarus: 207.6 thousand km²
• Ukraine: 603.6 thousand km²
• Moldova: 33.8 thousand km²

 

• Georgia: 69.7 thousand km²
• Armenia: 29.7 thousand km²
• Azerbaijan: 86.6 thousand km²

 

• Kazakhstan: 2.7 million km²
• Uzbekistan: 448.9 thousand km²
• Turkmenistan: 491.2 thousand km²
• Tajikistan: 143.1 thousand km²
• Kyrgyzstan: 199.9 thousand km²

Capitals and the largest cities

• Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, Novosibirsk

Moscow

• Estonia: Tallinn, Narva, Tartu, Pärnu

Tallinn

• Latvia: Riga, Liepaja, Daugavpils, Jurmala
  

Riga

• Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai
  

Vilnius

• Belarus: Minsk, Brest, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Polotsk

Minsk

• Ukraine: Kiev, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkov

Kiev

• Moldova: Chisinau, Balti, Orhei, Tiraspol

Chisinau

• Georgia: Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Mtskheta, Borjomi, Gori, Kobuleti
  

Tbilisi

• Armenia: Yerevan, Gyumri, Vagharshapat, Vanadzor, Jermuk
  

Yerevan

• Azerbaijan: Baku, Ganja, Sheki, Lankaran

Baku

• Kazakhstan: Astana, Alma-Ata, Shymkent, Karaganda

Astana

• Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara

Tashkent

• Turkmenistan: Ashgabat, Turkmenbashy, Mary

Ashgabat

• Tajikistan: Dushanbe, Khujand, Bokhtar

Pamir Mountains

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek, Osh, Karakol

Karakol Mountains

Leaders of the states

• Russia: President Vladimir Putin
• Estonia: President Kersti Kaliulaid
• Latvia: President Raymonds Vejonis
• Lithuania: President Dalia Grybauskaite
• Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko
• Ukraine: President Petro Poroshenko
• Moldova: President Igor Dodon
• Armenia: President Armen Sargsyan
• Georgia: President Georgi Margvelashvili
• Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev
• Kazakhstan: President Nursultan Nazarbayev
• Uzbekistan: President Shavkat Mirziyev
• Kyrgyzstan: President Sooronbai Jeenbekov
• Tajikistan: President Emomali Rahmon
• Turkmenistan: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

Flags

Russia

Estonia

Lithuania

Latvia

Belarus

Ukraine

Moldova

Armenia

Georgia

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Население

• Russia: 147 million people
• Estonia: 1.3 million people
• Latvia: 1.9 million people
• Lithuania: 2.8 million people
• Belarus: 9.5 million people
• Ukraine: 42 million people
• Moldavia: 3.5 million people
• Armenia: about 2.9 million people
• Georgia: 3.7 million people
• Azerbaijan: 9.7 million people
• Kazakhstan: 18.2 million people
• Kyrgyzstan: 6 million people
• Uzbekistan: 32.7 million people
• Tajikistan: 8 million people
• Turkmenistan: 5.6 million people

Main religions

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus

Christianity / Orthodoxy

Moldavia

Christianity, Judaism

Estonia

Christianity / Orthodoxy, Lutheranism

Lithuania

Christianity / Catholicism

Latvia

Christianity / Lutheranism, Catholicism

Armenia

Christianity

Georgia

Christianity / Orthodoxy

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Islam

 

Great news for students who are fond of politics and history

 

Would you like to know more about the countries of the former USSR? The study of history, geography, culture and socio-political situation in the countries of the Near Abroad is possible on a new master’s program at Moscow State University. Details can be found here.

Good Luck!

PolitIQ