Location: Eastern Europe, the Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland)
Latitude: 59 degrees 57' North
Longitude: 30 degrees 19' East
Established May 27, 1703
Federal city Day May 27
Government:
Governor Georgy Poltavchenko (acting)
Legislature Legislative Assembly
Area total 1,439 km2 (555.6 sq mi)
Population total 4,879,566
Time zone(s) MSD (UTC+04:00)[8]
License plates 78, 98, 178
Official languages Russian
How does St. Petersburg compare?
The most Northern city in the world with a population over 1 million
Main river: Neva. The city is located in the delta of the Neva River on numerous islands, a fact which prompted some observers to call it "The City on 101 Islands"
Main natural phenomena: White Nights, Floods
Culture capital of Russia
Origin of the name:
Named in honor of St. Peter and not Peter the Great, the founder of the city.
The name can be translated as "The City of St. Peter".
St. Petersburg, Florida USA was named in honor of St. Petersburg, Russia by Russian-born railroad builder Piotr Dementyev (Peter Demens)
Name changes:
May, 1703 - August, 1914 St. Petersburg
August, 1914 - February, 1924 Petrograd
February, 1924 - July, 1991 Leningrad
July, 1991 - Present St. Petersburg
Nicknames:
"The Venice of the North"(referring to St. Petersburg's many rivers and canals)
"The Palmyra of the North"
"The Northern Capital of Russia" (referring to the centuries-old rivalry between St. Petersburg and Moscow)
Second capital
Culture Capital of Russia
Symbols:
the Angel with a Cross (weather-vane on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral)
the Little Ship - Korablik (weather-vane on top of the Admiralty tower)
