Saint-Petersburg: Overview
Highest elevation: 42 meters above the sea level (Poklonnaya Gora) .
Neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark (The Baltic Sea Region).
Neighbouring Russian regions: Leningrad Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast and Republic of Karelia.
Population: According to the last census that took place in 2003, there are 4.7 mln people in St.Petersburg (which makes approximately 3% of the Russian population). Gender distribution: men — 45.1%, women — 54.9%.
Ethnic: Russians, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Moldavian, Tatar, Jews, Karelian, Azerbaidzhanian and Gypsies.
Resources: Fresh surface waters and underground waters. The surface fresh waters are concentrated in the columbine of the water system "Lake Ladoga — the Neva River — the Neva Inlet — the Gulf of Finland". On the territory of the city and its environs there are sand and gravel quarries, pebble stones, sands, clays, sandstone, loamy soils, as well as peat (the resources make approximately 17.5 bin m3 of raw peat which is the equivalent of about 2 bin tons of dried peat).
Islands: The city is located on 44 islands formed by the Neva River and 90 more rivers and canals.
Bridges: The abundance of islands has led to the construction of a multitude of bridges. Of these, nowadays there are 308 within the city proper, and 534 if suburbs are included. 22 of the bridges are drawbridges. The total length of all the bridges is about 16 kilometers. The longest bridge across the Neva is the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (909 meters with runways), the widest bridge is the Siniy Bridge on the Moika River (99.5 meters).
Language: Russian
Religions: Predominantly Russian Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhism, Jewish
concessions, Catholic and Baptist Church.
Voltage Requirements: 220 volts
Time Zone: 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time
is observed March-October.
Telephone Code: 7, country code; 812, St.Petersburg city code
Tipping: Tip 10%-15% in restaurants and hotels. Taxi drivers aren't
usually tipped.
Local government: The Governor and the Governor's Office, The Legislative
Assembly.
Zoning: 20 administrative districts, including satellite towns under
St.Petersburg's jurisdiction.
Nicknames of the city:
"Northern Venice" (referring to St.Petersburg's many
rivers and canals);"Northern Palmyra" (referring to architecture of St.Petersburg
and harmony of the city and its rivers and canals);
"The Northern Capital of Russia" (referring to the centuries-old rivalry
between St.Petersburg and Moscow);"Cultural Capital of Russia";"The Babylon of the Snows";"The Window on the West";"The Window into Europe";"Russia's Crown Jewel";
"The Cradle of the Revolution".
Symbols of the city:
the Angel with a Cross (weather-vane on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral);
the Little Ship (Korablik), weather-vane on top of the Admiralty tower;
drawbridges;
White Nights; the Seal - a sea anchor and a river anchor with a scepter — a symbol of
royal power — on a red field.