Russia: A Country With A Long History And A Rich Culture | Facts about Russia
General Facts About Russia
Fact about Russia No 1:
Russia, quite frankly, is huge. It is spread over two continents - Europe and Asia - it has an area of 17.13 million square kilometers. This makes it even more significant than the famous ex-planet Pluto, which comes in at just 16.7 million km. Not sure where to stay in this vast country?
Fact about Russia No 2:
That's right, and the famous Moscow Square is named for its looks rather than any political persuasion. The Russian language is heavily influenced by Old Church Slavonic, which was the official literary language of Moscow until the late 1600s. When Red Square (Красная лощадь, Krasnaya ploshchad) was completed in the late 19th century, it was named расный (Krasny), meaning 'red,' from the Old Slavic word for 'beautiful.' This is hardly surprising, though, as Red Square is beautiful.
Fact about Russia No 3:
Most European countries abandoned the Julian calendar at the end of the 16th century. However, until February 1918, Russia finally switched to the Gregorian calendar, which it uses today to celebrate many of its festivals and celebrations. Obviously, using the Julian calendar made the Russian Empire 12 days too late for the 1908 Olympic Games in London.
Fact about Russia No 4:
Despite being ideologically opposed for much of the 20th century, Russia and the United States are separated by only 4 km of water. Actually, there are two islands in the middle of the Bering Strait, Little Diomede, and Big Diomede. Little Diomede belongs to America, while Big Diomede (Остров атманова, Ostrov Ratmanova) belongs to Russia. The islands straddle the International Date Line, which means that Big Diomede is approximately one day ahead.
Fact about Russia No 5:
Russian was the first human to go into space
The famous cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin traveled to outer space in 1961. Don't be surprised if you don't know the difference between an astronaut and an astronaut. An astronaut is trained by the Russian Space Agency, while an astronaut is trained by NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, or the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Fact about Russia No 6:
There are a lot of trees in Russia.
One-fifth of the world's trees are in Russia. That's 643 billion trees - the most any country has. About 45% of the country is covered with trees, most in Russia's boreal forest or taiga. These densely forested areas were once entirely subject to glaciers and are now home to many brave species, including Siberian tigers, wild boars, eagles, and owls. Unfortunately, these forests face threats from deforestation and wildfires, so organizations like WWF and Greenpeace do their best to protect them.
Fact about Russia No 7:
In Siberia, you'll find Lake Baikal. The lake is the deepest in the world, but it contains about 20% of the world's freshwater. Being in this cold part of Russia, the lake regularly freezes during the winter, which means it is even possible to cross. However, make sure you have the proper permits and go with an experienced guide.
Fact about Russia No 8:
St Petersburg has a spectacular underground view
If you live in one of the two largest cities in Russia - St. Petersburg and Moscow - you will almost certainly use the metro. However, these metro systems are built underground, so get ready to spend a lot of time on escalators. For example, Saint Petersburg's Admiralteskaya (Адмиралтейская) station has the four highest escalators in the world – an elevation of 68.6 meters (225.07 ft). It takes about two and a half minutes to get from top to bottom.
Fact about Russia No 9:
Russia has many languages
Of course, the most popular is Russian. However, according to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian population speaks at least 270 languages and dialects. Whether this figure is accurate, many languages are spoken in Russia. These include major foreign languages such as German and English and native languages of Russia, such as Tatar, Chuvash, Karelian, and Chechen. There are also several endangered languages, such as Votik and Ghodoberi.
Fact about Russia No 10:
A clock in St Petersburg marks the exact moment Russia became communist
Or at least, it used to. A clock in the town's iconic Winter Palace was stopped at 02:10 am on 26 October 1917. However, a century later, in 2017, the Hermitage Museum (now located in the Winter Palace) held an official ceremony to reintroduce the clock. But there is much more to the Hermitage than fine arts, Russian history, and watches.
Fact about Russia No 11:
Legend has it that Queen Elizabeth invited cats in 1745. While the cats are cared for by workers at the museum, there is now a website for potential cat parents to adopt a Hermitage cat. But don't worry, you don't have to live in an old palace to have a pet in Russia.
Fact about Russia No 12:
Whether you consider this a 'fact' about Russia or not, it is certainly interesting. One of the Hermitage Cats, Achilles, can predict the results of football matches. His divination powers were first invoked during the CAF Confederations Cup in 2017. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup - held in Russia - Achilles correctly predicted the winner of the first four matches by choosing from two bowls of food with the team's flag.
Fact about Russia No 13:
Stalin is more popular than ever
According to the Moscow Times, about 70% of Russians acknowledge the role of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in Russian history. In recent years, it has increased, and there can be many reasons for this. For example, some see Stalin as a mythical figure, while others say that the current Russian government glorifies the country's Soviet past while ignoring the human cost.
Fact about Russia No 14:
Russia is home to the only Buddhist region in Europe.
The Republic of Kalmykia in southwest Russia is home to the Kalmyk people, a former nomadic group who migrated from Asia. Stalin ordered his exile to Siberia but returned after his death. Since the 1990s, the republic has boasted magnificent temples, religious shrines, and Buddhist ceremonies.
Fact about Russia No 15:
It has an entire suburb dedicated to chess in its capital.
On the outskirts of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, is the city of Chess. The former (and very controversial) president of the republic, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, built it in 1998 to host the 33rd Chess Olympiad. It houses a chess museum, a giant chessboard, and a Buddhist art museum. Nowadays, it is mostly empty and is seen by many as misappropriating funds.
Fact about Russia No 16:
Most Russians live in Europe
The Ural Mountains divide European Russia westwards from Asian Russia to the east. However, despite making up 77% of Russia’s total landmass, less than a quarter of the Russian population lives there. There are many reasons, such as history—geopolitics, meteorology, and culture.
Russia is a fascinating country with a rich history and culture. There are many interesting facts about Russia that people don't know. I hope this article has given you a better understanding of this great country.