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"Leningrad" redirects here. For other uses, see Leningrad (disambiguation).
This article is about the city in Russia. For the city in Florida, USA, see St. Petersburg, Florida. For other uses, seeSaint Petersburg (disambiguation).
Saint Petersburg
Санкт-Петербург (Russian)
— Federal city —

Clockwise from top left: Saint Isaac's Cathedral rises over the city, Peter and Paul Fortress onZayachy Island, Palace Square with the Alexander Column, Petergof, Nevsky Prospekt, and the Winter Palace.

Flag
Coat of arms

Coordinates: 59°57′N 30°18′ECoordinates: Click the blue globe toopen an interactive map.59°57′N 30°18′E
Political status
Country Russia
Federal district Northwestern[1]
Economic region Northwestern[2]
Established May 27, 1703[3]
Federal city Day May 27[4]Government (as of March 2010)
- Governor Georgy Poltavchenko
- Legislature Legislative Assembly
Statistics
Area [5]
- Total 1,439 km2 (555.6 sq mi)
Area rank 82nd
Population (2010 Census)[6]
-Total 4,879,566
- Rank 4th
- Density[7] 3,390.94 /km2 (8,782.5 /sq mi)
Time zone(s) MSK (UTC+04:00)[8]
ISO 3166-2 RU-SPE
License plates 78, 98, 178
Official languages Russian[9]
SaintPetersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург, tr. Sankt-Peterburg; IPA: [sankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk] ( listen)) is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulfof Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed to Petrograd (Russian: Петроград; IPA: [pʲɪtrɐˈgrat]), in 1924 to Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград; IPA: [lʲɪnʲɪnˈgrat]) and in 1991back to Saint Petersburg.
In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the "Saint" (Санкт-) is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg (Петербург, Peterburg). In common parlance Russians maydrop "-burg" (-бург) as well, leaving only Peter (Питер, Russian: [ˈpʲitʲɪr]).
Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27 [O.S. 16] 1703. From 1713 to 1728 and from 1732 to...