The term 'Former Communist State' refers to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which was a Marxist-Leninist state that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a single-party state governed by the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital. The USSR was the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones and covering an area of over 22 million square kilometers. It was a superpower, possessing the world's largest standing military and a nuclear arsenal. The USSR was dissolved in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.