The Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics (Russian: Союз Советских Cуверенных Республик Soyuz Sovyetskikh Suvyeruennykh Respublik, commonly referred to as the Soviet Union or the USSR), is a nation composed of many ethnic republics stretching from East Europe to the northwest Pacific Ocean. The Soviet Union is currently the largest nation in the world, and is the successor state to the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.