The East Slavs emerged as a recognisable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Russians are the largest Slavic and European nation they speak Russian, the most spoken Slavic language, and the most spoken native language in Europe. Moscow, the capital, is the largest city in Europe, while Saint Petersburg is the nation's second-largest city and cultural centre. It has a population of 146.2 million and is the most populous country in Europe, and the ninth-most populous country in the world. Russia extends across eleven time zones, and has the most borders of any country in the world, with sixteen sovereign nations. It is the largest country in the world, covering over 17 million square kilometres (6.6×10 6 sq mi), and encompassing more than one-eighth of Earth's inhabited land area. Russia (Russian: Россия, Rossiya, Russian pronunciation: ), or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.
It is the largest country on Earth, and borders Finland, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. Russia, or the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация), is a VI tier nation located both in Europe, and Asia.