Russia (Russian: Россия, Rossiya), formally known as the Russian Federation (Российская Федерация, Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a sovereign state located across northern Eurasia. At over 17 million square kilometers in area (one-eighth of the world's land), Russia is the largest nation on Earth. Russia is a federation currently comprised of dozens of republics. The republics are defined as equal and sovereign entities (on par with US States).