Book excerpt: 7 The Territories of the Russian Federation 2006 offers a diverse collection of political and economic information on the Russian Federation and its eighty-nine constituent units. The Introduction examines the Russian Federation as a whole, and consists of an essay written by acknowledged experts, focusing on the economic relationship between the federal subjects and the state, 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 eighty-nine federal subjects. Each chapter includes: * A map, plus a description of location, topography, area and population * Details of the history of the territory, followed by information on the recent and existing political situation * An economic survey, presenting the latest available data on transport, agriculture, industry, external trade, finance and employment * A directory listing essential names and addresses for the leading political officials. The third and fourth parts comprise a select bibliography of books and Indexes, listing the territories alphabetically, with a gazetteer of alternative names, and by both Federal Okrug and economic area. Key features: * A comprehensive overview of the Russian Federation * Offers an analysis and understanding of the country's regional dimension * Invaluable directories of important territorial contacts * Detailed and accurate political, economic and statistical information * Some 100 current maps * Extensive information from a wide variety of sources, many of which are unavailable in English.