Saint Petersburg is the second largest
city in
Russia. It is politically incorporated as a
federal subject (a
federal city). It is located on the
Neva River at the head of the
Gulf of Finland on the
Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed from Saint Petersburg to
Petrograd , in 1924 to
Leningrad , and in 1991, back to Saint Petersburg. In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the word "Saint" is usually omitted, leaving "Petersburg". In casual conversation Russians may drop the "burg" as well, referring to it as "Peter": ().
