St. Petersburg is located in the Northwest of the Russian Federation at the Eastern part of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.

St. Petersburg which is located in the center of the intersection of sea, river, and on ground routes, is the European gateway of Russia and its strategic center, the closest point to the countries of the European Community.

St. Petersburg is the administrative center of the Northwest Federal District that includes the Republic of Karelia, the Republic of Komi, the Arkhangelsk Region, the Vologda Region, the Kaliningrad Region, the Leningrad Region, the Murmansk Region, the Novgorod Region, the Pskov Region, and the Nenetsk Autonomous District.

The Northwest Federal District has significant natural resources, a well-developed industry, and a high-density transport network. Through the seaports of the Baltic and the Arctic Ocean, St. Petersburg provides the connection of the Russian Federation with the outer world.

St. Petersburg is the second largest (after Moscow) city in the Russian Federation. The area of the city is 606 km², if counted with the closes environs located in the lowland close to the Neva and along the Gulf, the total area is 1,439 km². The geographic coordinates of the center of the city are 59º57' North latitude and 30º19' East longitude.

One of nicknames of St. Petersburg is the Northern Venice. Internal waters occupy about ten per cent of its territory.

Number of waterways within the city	40
Total length of all waterways	217.5 km
Number of bridges within the city	over 580
including drawbridges	20 (including 7 over the Neva)
Length of the Neva within the city	32 km
Number of floods over 300 years	288
Maximum level of water in the city	4.2 m above the Kronshtadt Normal Level Point (on November 7, 1824)