9 interesting facts about Russia
Russia has everything that can interest travelers of all age groups and individual preferences. It is a mysterious country with a “wide open soul”. It is huge and dominant, welcoming and outrageous, magnificent and stunning, proud and self-criticizing. If Russia were a person it would be one of the most contradictory personalities you ever knew. And nevertheless the most attractive and appealing. So let’s jump into the 9 interesting facts about Russia one should know! Our interesting facts about Russia are only part of what awaits guests of this immense country.
1. The biggest country in the world.
Russia is the biggest country in the whole world. It is also the only country washed by a dozen seas. Its area is also known – 17,075,400 square kilometers. To imagine how huge Russia is, we will give you a few facts about Russia:
- the area of the whole country is approximately equal to the surface area of the planet Pluto
- it is 1.8 times bigger than the USA
- the Czech Republic is the size of the Kostroma region
- Germany is approximately equal in area to the Arkhangelsk region
- the Kaliningrad region is not inferior in the area to Hungary
- Switzerland is equal to the Yaroslavl region
- Ireland is the size of the Novgorod region
- Yakutia is equal in area to half of Western Europe
- it is 30 times larger than Ukraine and 21.8 times larger than Turkey
- France is 20 times smaller.
2. Time-Zones
Russian territories are truly endless, and urban residents live in different time zones. When Moscow people are meeting a new day, in the Far East people are already going to bed. Time differences are explained by the fact that these are different time zones. The country is distinguished by a great length from west to east and is divided into 11 time zones. The main is Moscow time. Television announcements are made, focusing on it.
3. Russian women
We can’t but mention among interesting facts about Russia about Russian women. They have always inspired geniuses. Elena Dyakonova was the muse of Dali and Eluard, Lydia Delektorskaya inspired Matisse. Elsa Triole was a girlfriend of Aragon, Olga Khokhlova- of Picasso. Some consider Russian women as ideal wives. Lara Lieto (Larisa Tyaka) is Adrian Brody’s girlfriend, Anastasia Makarenko- Mickey Rourke’s.
Despite the attractiveness universally recognized by the world community, more than 95% of Russian women consider themselves not beautiful.
Russian women often break records. Maria Sharapova was the first Russian tennis player to win the Wimbledon singles titles. She is one of the highest paid athletes in the world. Another important person for our country is Valentina Tereshkova. She is not only the first woman in the world to go into space but also the only one whose space flight was solitary. Valentina bears the title of Major General.
It’s impossible to forget about Sofia Kovalevskaya. Sofia is an outstanding mathematician. Thanks to her mathematical talent, Kovalevskaya was able to become a woman scientist. In 1888, she became a laureate of the Paris Academy of Sciences, which made her famous all around the world.
4. Peter the Great
Peter the First, also called the Great, was the first Russian emperor. He made a real technical and cultural revolution in the country. Peter the Great the first in the dynasty who rejected several outdated norms. He brought a fresh stream of knowledge and culture into the development, while zealously protecting the identity. Peter the First ruled the country for 43 years. He began to govern the country independently at the age of seventeen. He was the one who introduced skates with blades. Before that, they were simply fastened with straps or ropes. However, he did not invent this innovation himself – Peter the First got the idea during his stay in Holland. One of the interesting facts about Russia is that the emperor chose a commoner as the second wife. Subsequently, she became known as Catherine the First.
5. St Petersburg
Peter the Great dreamed of building the second Amsterdam in his homeland. Amsterdam with its canals inspired Peter to build a sea city. In the 18th century, rivers and canals had a practical purpose – small ships traveled along them. The built city more and more resembled Venice – a city on the water. Venice is famous throughout the world for its architecture and masterpieces of architecture, numerous canals, and bridges. St Petersburg received its second unofficial name – Northern Venice. There are three times more bridges in St Petersburg than in Venice. By the number of canals and bridges, it is more appropriate not to call St Petersburg as the Northern Venice, but Venice as the Southern St Petersburg.
Do you know where the deepest metro in the world is? It’s in this historical city. The first train was started in 1955. The fame of it, as the most beautiful metro, instantly spread throughout the world. And the Admiralteyskaya station is the deepest metro station in Russia and one of those in the world. It is located 86 meters under the ground.
6. Trans-Siberian Railway
The famous Trans- Siberian Railway is called the Great Siberian Way. This railway cuts the whole of Russia along from Moscow to Vladivostok, from Europe to Asia. The way was built during the time of the Russian Empire, and this road has become a symbol of the long journey to the east.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway on our planet. The road was continuously built for 25 years – from 1891 to 1916. It cost 1.5 billion rubles to build it and about 300 million rubles to reconstruct it after the Civil War. The Great Siberian Way has a length of 9298 kilometers. It crosses 8 time zones, passes through 87 cities and towns and crosses 16 rivers, including the Volga.
7. Lake Baikal
Known as the great Siberian miracle- Lake Baikal is the deepest lake. It is also the largest source of freshwater. There are 23 thousand cubic km of water. All the biggest rivers of the world should flow for almost a year, to fill the pool, equal in volume to Lake Baikal. There are so many fish that after catching all the fish on Lake Baikal, everyone will get more than 1 kg of fish. The coastline of Lake Baikal has the same distance as from Turkey to Moscow. The territory of Baikal is much larger than the area of Holland and Denmark. It would fit about a hundred Azov seas.
The volume of Baikal water is about 23 thousand cubic km. This is more than the volume of water contained in all five Great Lakes of North America together (Upper, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario). The lake contains about 1/5 of the world’s surface water reserves of the Earth (excluding the ice of Antarctica, Greenland, and other glaciers). It contains more than 4/5 of freshwater in Russia.
8. Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is a real challenge to climbers around the world who are eager to conquer its peaks. Elbrus is often called the pearl of the Caucasus. It challenges the brave men who dare to climb it to the very top. Climbing Mount Elbrus is not an easy task, and only truly experienced climbers can do it. Elbrus has two peaks, and the difference in their height does not exceed twenty-one meters.
Elbrus is the highest of the mountains of Russia. For the first time, Elbrus was conquered by a man in the distant 1829. Climbing Elbrus has become much easier since the cableway was built. It is delivering climbers immediately to a height of 3750 meters.
9. Siberian Tiger
Powerful and graceful Siberian tigers are very interesting animals. Unfortunately, human activity has put them on the brink of extinction. Now all kinds of measures are being taken to preserve their population. These amazing representatives of the cat family live mainly in protected areas where they are not threatened by humans.
The cheetah is the only land animal able to run faster than these tigers. Siberian tigers at short distances are capable of speeds of 80 km / h. Among all species of tigers, the Siberian tiger is the most northern. He is not afraid of cold weather. Currently, tigers live only in the Russian Far East and in China.
It is a multifaceted country with vast expanses. Thousands of tourists annually seek to get acquainted with its nature, culture, and traditions. In this country, you will find a lot of amazing places. You are very welcome to visit this amazingly beautiful country with a rich history, hospital people, and learn even more facts about Russia!
For more inspiration look through the best photos of Russia.