Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Description

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), is a federal socialist state in Northern Eurasia. Nominally a union of multiple national Soviet republics, in practice its government and economy is highly centralized. It is a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, the Russian SFSR. Other major urban centers were Leningrad, Kyiv (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR) and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It is the largest country in the world by surface area, spanning over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) east to west across 11 time zones and over 7,200 kilometers (4,500 mi) north to south. Its territory includes much of Eastern Europe as well as part of Northern Europe and all of Northern and Central Asia. It has five climate zones such as tundra, taiga, steppes, desert, and mountains. Its diverse population is collectively known as the Soviet people.