[[Image:{{Country|name =''Союз Советских<br/>Социалистических Республик<br/>Soyuz Sovetskikh<br/>Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik'' |map =Soviet union rel 1986.jpg|flag =600px-Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union.svg.png||thumb|right|200px|Flag arms =Arms of the Soviet Union]].png|capital =Moscow|government =Communist|language =Russian (de facto)|president =Ivan Silayev (last, 1991)|area =8,649,538 sq. mi. (1991)|pop =293,047,571 (1991)}}
The '''Soviet Union''' (Russian: Советский Союз, ''Sovyetskiy Soyuz''), formally the '''Union of Soviet Socialist Republics''' (USSR) (Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик, ''Soyuz Sovietskykh Sotsialisticheskykh Respublik'', abbreviated ''СССР'') was one of the most powerful established [[socialist]] states in history. At it's height the USSR covered one - sixth of the earth's land area stretching from eastern Europe across north Asia to the Pacific Ocean.