The countries of the near abroad of Russia were formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. There are 14 in total. These include those that were former Soviet socialist republics. Subsequently, they became independent states. Each of them differs in spiritual, cultural, political directions. In economic terms, they are independent of Russia, but they are trading partners, on a par with European countries. It is worth noting that before the collapse of the USSR, such a term as "near abroad" did not exist.
Near Abroad: features of the concept
It is noteworthy that some neighboring countries do not have any borders with the Russian Federation. These include 6 post-Soviet republics (Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and others). Moreover, there are countries in the world that border on Russia, but are not part of the “nearestabroad”, for example, Poland, China, Norway, Finland, etc. Based on the above, it becomes clear that the matter is not in the geographical position of the states. The main factor here is the political situation, because for about 70 years the countries of the near abroad were one whole.
List of countries
B altic countries:
- Lithuania is the largest B altic state in terms of area (65.3 thousand km2). The capital is the city of Vilnius. The type of government is a parliamentary republic. The population is about 3 million people.
- Latvia is located in the northern part of Europe. It has common borders with Lithuania. The area of the state is about 64.6 thousand km2. The population is just under 2 million people. The capital is the city of Riga.
- Estonia is the smallest state among the B altic countries (the area is more than 45 thousand km22). The capital is the city of Tallinn. It has borders with Russia, Latvia and Finland. The population is about 1.3 million people.
The list will continue with the following states, the description of which can be found below in the article.
- Azerbaijan.
- Ukraine.
- Belarus.
- Kazakhstan.
- Georgia.
- Moldova is located in the southeastern part of Europe. It has common borders with Romania and Ukraine. The area of the state is almost 34 thousand km22. About 3.5 million people live in this territory.
- Armenia is a country of the Caucasus. The capital is Yerevan. The area is about 30 thousand km2. For a long time it was in a military conflict with Azerbaijan. populationpopulation - about 3 million people.
Countries of the near abroad (list of former republics of Central and Central Asia):
- Uzbekistan borders on five states: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. It occupies a territory with an area slightly less than 450 thousand km2. The number of inhabitants is almost 32 million people.
- Turkmenistan is a country that has access to the Caspian Sea. The capital is the city of Ashgabat. The area of the state is about 490 thousand km22, the population is more than 5 million people.
- Tajikistan is located in Central Asia. It occupies an area of 142 thousand km2. More than 8.5 million people live here permanently. The capital is Dushanbe.
- Kyrgyzstan is a country located in Central Asia. It has borders with China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, Kazakhstan. The capital is the city of Bishkek. The population is about 6 million people, the area is slightly less than 200 thousand km22.
Azerbaijan
Among the countries of the near abroad, the Republic of Azerbaijan can be noted. The state is located in Eastern Transcaucasia and is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. Its territory is 86.6 thousand km2, and its population is more than 9 million people. According to these two parameters, Azerbaijan is the largest Transcaucasian state. The capital is the city of Baku.
In recent years, this republic has significantly increased its economic level. This is especially noticeable when comparing other neighboring countries. The oil and gas industries are the most developed here. From the RussianAs a federation, Azerbaijan has not only a land border, but also a sea border. In 1996, in accordance with an agreement between these countries, the Baku-Novorossiysk route was built to transport oil. And in 2006, the Trade Representation of Russia was opened in the Azerbaijani capital.
Belarus
The Republic of Belarus is adding to the list of "Countries of Russia's Nearest Abroad". This state is located in Eastern Europe. The capital is Minsk. The territory is more than 200 thousand km2, and the population is about 9.5 million inhabitants. It borders with the Russian Federation on the eastern side. Most of all, in terms of economic indicators, Belarus is well known in engineering and agriculture. And the most important foreign trade partner is Russia. In addition, these two countries have strong military, political and economic relations. There is an Embassy of Belarus not only in Moscow, but also in other Russian cities.
Georgia
The Russian Federation has diplomatic relations with such a neighboring country as Georgia. This state is located in Western Transcaucasia and is washed by the waters of the Black Sea. From the eastern and northern parts it borders on Russia. The territory is about 70 thousand km2, and the population is more than 3.7 million people. The capital is the city of Tbilisi. The food, light and metallurgical industries are most developed here. After the collapse of the Union in 1992, Russia and Georgia signed the Sochicontract.
Kazakhstan
The Republic of Kazakhstan is also on the list of "Nearest Abroad Countries". It has close relations with the Russian Federation. Its population is more than 17.7 million inhabitants, and the territory is 2.7 million km2. The capital is Astana. In second place after Russia in terms of economic indicators among all post-Soviet countries. It has a land and sea border with the Federation along the Caspian Sea. Similarly to the countries listed above, in 1992 an agreement was signed on diplomatic relations between the countries.
Ukraine
Of all neighboring countries, Ukraine is closest to Russia. These two states have common borders. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. The territory is more than 600 thousand km2, and the population is 42.5 thousand inhabitants. This country is industrial-agrarian. Heavy industry, metalworking and mechanical engineering are widely developed. Since 2014, hostilities have been taking place in the eastern part of the state, which have led not only to a decrease in the population, but also in the level of the economy.
That's all the neighboring countries. The list of countries in full with a brief description is given above.
