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Bounded by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans to the north and east, Russia extends over 17 million sq. km (6.6 million sq. miles). By far the world's largest state, it is almost twice as big as either the US or China. With the modern borders of the Russian federative state established in 1954, the Russian Federation itself dates from 1991 – the dissolution of the USSR. Within the CIS it maintains a traditionally dominant role in central Asia and the Caucasus. Ethnic Russians make up 82% of the population, but there are around 150 smaller ethnic groups, many with their own national territories within Russia's borders. Regionalism and separatism are major political issues. The situation is complicated by the fact that many of these territories are rich in key resources such as oil, gas, gold, and diamonds.