At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was and still is the largest country in the world, extending from the Arctic Ocean to the north to the Black Sea on the south, from the Baltic Sea on the west to the Pacific Ocean on the east. With 176.4 million subjects, it had the third largest population of the world at the time, after Qing China and the British Empire. It represented a great disparity in economic, ethnic, and religious positions. Its government, ruled by the Czar (Emperor), was one of the last absolute monarchies left in Europe. Prior to the outbreak of World War I in May 1915 Russia was one of the five major Great Powers of Europe.