Russia

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square has nine chapels, each with a unique dome.

Sometime in the 12th century the principality of Muscovy wriggled out from under Mongol rule, and by the early 17th century, a new Russian empire stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific. • Today, post-Soviet Russia spans 11 time zones, is the largest nation on Earth, and bestrides the globe like a political and economic colossus. • Lenin remains in his tomb in Red Square, and the lights of the Kremlin burn brightly late into the night, but Russia has long since shed its Soviet skin. • The economic collapse of a decade ago is a distant memory. • Moscow today cuts its own deals, calls its own shots.