Some estimate that Russia has about 50 percent of the world's supply of oil. In Western Siberia, natural gas exists in large quantities along the Arctic coast. The natural gas is transported from Western Siberia to Western Europe via the Siberian pipeline. Much of the natural gas remains in Siberia due to lack of transportation and the high cost of moving it. The area is also impassable, especially in the summer, due to permafrost that partially melts and creates miles of sloppy mud.
Permafrost areas are actually easiest to pass when they are frozen solid.
The population is unevenly distributed across the country. Most of the people live in the Russian core around Moscow. Moscow has a population of about 9.3 million people and is the focus of an area that includes one third of the country's population. Moscow is a metropolis of high-rise apartment complexes, which are congregated in the residential areas. The use of high-rise apartments helps somewhat with the overpopulation of Moscow, but still most people live in extremely cramped living areas.