St Petersburg, Russia, satellite image. St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, with 4.7 million inhabitants (2002). It is the world's northernmost city with a population of over one million. It lies on the Neva River where it runs into the Baltic Sea, and it is a major port. The city was founded in 1703, but it was known as Petrograd (1914-1924) and Leningrad (1924-1991) before reverting to its historical name after the fall of the Soviet Union. This image was taken on 27th August 2002.