Interesting facts about Russia
Geographic facts about Russia
Russia is the largest country in the world. It
covers 1/7 of all of the the land of our planet. Russia has longest
borders in the world, it is washed by 22 seas and has 12 in-land
seas. Russia neighbors more other
countries than any country on earth. Russia boasts an enormous
variety of landscapes, ranging from tundra to to steppes, from
deserts to mountains, from glaciers to volcanoes. The Urals are the
oldest mountains in the world and lake Baikal is the world's
deepest lake and a largest reservoir of fresh water on earth. You
can find more geographic facts about Russia on the Map of Russia page.
Climatic facts about
Russia
Because of its vast size Russian climate differs drastically
depending on where you are located. Most of Russia lives in a
continental climate with distinct periods of warm and cold weather.
This continentality increases as you travels east.
Temperatures for Moscow and St. Petersburg range from highs of 32 C
in the summer to low - 25 C in winter.
Demographic facts about
Russia
Russia has about 145.5 million people. Another 30 mln. Russians
reside outside of Russia, mostly in as called "near abroad." Eighty
percent of Russians reside in Western Russia. Moscow alone has 11 million people. It is the
largest city in Europe. St. Petersburg
has 5 million inhabitants. Russia is very urban. Two-thirds of its
population reside in cities. Every fourth Russian is retired. The
average age of Russian is 30 years old. Average family size is
three persons. The average life expectancy is a bit lower than in
other developed countries, but the gap is narrow each
year.
Economic facts about
Russia
Given its vast size and immense reserves on natural resources, much
of Russia's economy is focused on mining. Russia is the leading
producer of energy in the world, and a world-class producer of
military technologies. Some of the fastest growing sectors in the
Russian economy include telecommunications, finances, construction
and energy production. Russian economy has not yet finished a
transition from command to a market economy. Although most of
enterprises have been privatized, domestic prices on energy are not
established by market forces.
Living Standards
Russian living standards had plunged after the collapse of the
Soviet Union and started to gradually recover since 2000. In 2007
the living standards recovered to the level of 90 and continue to
improve as Russia closes the gap with developed countries. Many
attribute this spectacular recover to petrodollars which of course
is true. It is not often mentioned in the West that it failed to
finance structural reforms during the 90s. The West, of course, did
not have to.
Language facts about
Russia
Russian is the official language in Russian (yes, really).
Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of the Latin
and is one of the 5 most spoken languages in the world.
Cultural facts about Russia &
Social Life
Most of Russian cities have a vibrant social life that can be
compared in spirit to that of New York. In regard to the high art,
Russia has always occupied a prominent spot on the world scene. The
Bolshoi Theater and Pushkin Art Gallery in Moscow, Mariinsky
theater and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg are considered to be
some of the best art institutions in the world. In St. Petersburg
alone there are 2,000 libraries, 221 museums, 80 theaters, 100
concert halls, 45 art galleries, 62 movie theaters, 80 nightclubs.
The city also hosts over 100 concerts, shows and festivals each
year. There are always things to do, not to mention that Russians
place much importance on friendship and family and, as a result,
anniversaries and birthdays tend to be great parties.
Ethnic diversity
Russia is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups.
Slavs account for about 75% of the total
population.
Religious facts about
Russia
Russian Orthodox Church is the official religion in Russian. 20% of
Russians practice Islam. Catholicism, Protestantism and Judaism are
not wide spread, but exist. Many of Russia's most famous sights are
former or present churches signifying the important role that
religion has played in the past. Russian Orthodox Church,
diminished during the Soviet period, has recovered recently.
International travel
Moscow and St. Petersburg are three hours ahead of London
time and eight hours ahead of New York. Vladivostok is seven hours
ahead of Moscow. It takes about 9 hours to travel from New York to
Moscow, 3:30 from London to Moscow and 10:30 from Tokyo.
|
