The Republic of Mordovia is a part of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation. It is located in the centre of European part of Russia in the Volga basin. It borders with the Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Penza, Ryazan Districts and the Chuvash Republic. The territory is 26.1 thousand sq. km. The distance between its capital Saransk and Moscow is 600 km.