USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), the Soviet Union, the Land of the Soviets, colloq. Sovok (1922—1991) — the predecessor state of the Russian Federation, where Soviet power reigned. In the 1920s-1930s the colloquial name for the USSR was Sovdepiya (formed from "Soviets of Deputies"). It occupied 1/6 of the world's inhabited landmass and was the largest country in the world by area.

The Union consisted of republics (from 4 to 16 in different years) which, under the Constitution, were sovereign states; each union republic retained the right to freely secede from the USSR. Each republic had the right to enter into relations with foreign states, conclude treaties with them, exchange diplomatic and consular representatives, and participate in the activities of international organizations, but in practice delegated all political authority to Moscow.

The period of the USSR's existence is collectively referred to as "Soviet times."

For most of this period Nizhny Novgorod was called the The City of Gorky and held the status of a "closed city": formally, foreigners and persons deemed suspicious by the state authorities were not admitted.

Population composition

By 1989 the population of the USSR had reached 284 million people.

Ethnic composition of the USSR according to the 1989 census (peoples numbering over 1 million):

  • Total population: 285 million 742 thousand 511 people.
  • Russians — 145 million 155 thousand 489 people (50.8 %)
  • Ukrainians — 44 million 186 thousand 006 people (15.46 %)
  • Uzbeks — 16 million 697 thousand 825 people (5.84 %)
  • Belarusians — 10 million 036 thousand 251 people (3.51 %)
  • Kazakhs — 8 million 135 thousand 818 people (2.85 %)
  • Azerbaijanis — 6 million 770 thousand 403 people (2.37 %)
  • Tatars — 6 million 648 thousand 760 people (2.33 %)
  • Armenians — 4 million 623 thousand 232 people (1.62 %)
  • Tajiks — 4 million 215 thousand 372 people (1.48 %)
  • Georgians — 3 million 981 thousand 045 people (1.39 %)
  • Moldovans — 3 million 352 thousand 352 people (1.17 %)
  • Lithuanians — 3 million 067 thousand 390 people (1.07 %)
  • Turkmens — 2 million 728 thousand 965 people (0.96 %)
  • Kyrgyz — 2 million 528 thousand 946 people (0.89 %)
  • Germans — 2 million 038 thousand 603 people (0.71 %)
  • Chuvashs — 1 million 842 thousand 347 people (0.64 %)
  • Latvians — 1 million 458 thousand 986 people (0.51 %)
  • Bashkirs — 1 million 449 thousand 157 people (0.51 %)
  • Jews — 1 million 378 thousand 344 people (0.48 %)
  • Mordvins — 1 million 153 thousand 987 people (0.4 %)
  • Poles — 1 million 126 thousand 334 people (0.39 %)
  • Estonians — 1 million 026 thousand 649 people (0.36 %)

Interesting facts

  • Among the 50 founding countries of the UN, alongside the USSR, were also two of its union republics: the Byelorussian SSR and the Ukrainian SSR.

See also