St. Petersburg, Russia facts, St. Petersburg, Russia travel videos, flags, photos

	Russian rulers from Catherine the Great to the last Tsar (Nicholas II) called the Winter Palace's 1,001 rooms home. Today the palace houses the State Hermitage Museum. Photograph by Sisse Brimberg

St. Petersburg, Russia Information and History

"HERO CITY"

City of monuments and grand European-style facades, St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great on swampy ground along the Neva River to be a bulwark against Sweden, to serve as his "window on the West," and to become a splendid showcase for art, music, and literature. It was named capital of Russia in 1712 and remained so until after the Bolshevik revolution, when it was renamed Leningrad. During 1941-44 the city was besieged by the German Army, and nearly a million residents died. Restored in name and splendor, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Site of a naval base, St. Petersburg's location gives Russia an outlet to the Baltic Sea.

ECONOMY
Machinery, chemicals, electrical equipment, textiles, nuclear reactors, timber, shipbuilding, metallurgy, oil refining, printing, woodworking, food and tobacco processing.

Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004

St. Petersburg, Russia Fast Facts
Population City proper 4,596,000 Metro area 5,315,000 Elevation 11 meters (36 feet) Temperature January -7°/-13°C (19°/9°F); July 21°/13°C (70°/55°F) Average daily High/Low °C (°F)	Rainfall January 38 (1.5); July 78 (3.1) Average monthly mm (inches) Time Zone +3 hours UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)