Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia 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 to Petrograd , in 1924 to Leningrad, and in 1991, back to Saint Petersburg. In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the "Saint" is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg. In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" as well, referring to it as Peter.