Russia is the world’s largest country, and it has much to offer to visitors of all ages and interests. It has some of the greatest wooded regions, mountains, and deepest lakes on the planet, as well as twelve seas bordering its shoreline. Russia is a place of mystery, a country of openness and honesty, and interesting facts about Russia are only a small fraction of what this huge country has in store for tourists.
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1. The city of Oymyakon in Russia is the coldest occupied area on the planet
Oymyakon is a settlement located on the banks of the Indigirka River in eastern Yakutia. The cold here hit minus sixty-seven degrees Celsius in 1933. There is additional evidence that a temperature of minus seventy-seven degrees Celsius was recorded in the village in 1938. Oymyakon is renowned as one of the world’s “cold extremes”; according to certain metrics, the Oymyakon region is the most severe region on the planet with a small population. Oymyakon sees temperatures exceeding plus thirty degrees Celsius in the summer, in combination with intense cold in the winter. The difference in temperature between its absolute highest and its lowest is over a hundred degrees, and Oymyakon is one of the first locations in the world on this metric.
2. The Trans-Siberian Railway is the biggest train line on the planet
The Trans-Siberian Railway, which connects Moscow and Vladivostok, is the world’s longest railway. It runs the length of the country from west to east. The duration of the rails exceeds nine thousand kilometers. The Russia train line covers it in six days and two hours. The line was built constantly for twenty-five years, from 1891 to 1916, and cost the Russian government one and a half billion rubles in gold. After the Civil War, another three hundred million rubles in gold were spent to rebuild it.
3. The underground in Saint Petersburg is the globe’s deepest.
The subway in St. Petersburg is the planet’s deepest (in terms of the average depth of the stations), with an average depth of fifty-seven meters. Admiralteyskaya platform is Russia’s deepest, at a depth of almost a hundred meters. However, in terms of the deepest station, located a hundred and ten meters below the ground, Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, is the world’s deepest station. Some individuals assume that deep subterranean tunnels in Saint Petersburg were expressly designed to be used as underground bunkers. The intricacy of the marshy soils, though, is the primary cause for its depth.
4. Russia’s surface area is larger than Pluto’s
Let’s do the math. Pluto has a surface area of around sixteen million km2, which is equal to 0.33 percent of the Earth’s surface area. Russia has a land area of seventeen million km2, which is substantially greater than a tiny planet on the outskirts of the universe. Owing to the large size of Russian territory, you can squeeze in Spain thirty-three times, Japan forty-five times, and Austria two hundred times.
5. Baikal, the deepest lake on earth, is in Russia
About the magnificent Siberian marvel – Lake Baikal is the world’s greatest source of freshwater. However, there are a few interesting facts: Baikal has twenty-three thousand cubic kilometers of water, and all of the world’s major rivers would have to run for nearly a year to fill a basin the size of Lake Baikal. And there are so many fish in Baikal that if you capture all of them and distribute them among the Russians, everyone will get more than one kg of fish. And the length of Baikal’s shoreline is the same as the distance between Turkey and Moscow.
6. Russia ranks among the most unfriendly countries
Russia is regarded as one of the least friendly nations, mainly due to the fact that Russians do not smile. However, Russians are generally open and, in most situations, will not deny a request for assistance. Smiling out of politeness is simply not acknowledged in Russian communicative behavior, and even the contrary – a purely courteous grin from the speaker, if recognized as such, is frequently treated with mistrust by the Russian person.
7. Russia is the home of Tetris
Tetris, the most well-known computer game, was designed in 1985 by Russian programmer Alexei Pazhitnov. It rose to prominence in the USSR and afterwards in the West.
The game was formally acknowledged as a work of art, and a replica of the 1984 game is housed in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, New York. The game has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as many as nine times.
8. Home to the world’s largest university building – Moscow State University
The MSU skyscraper is the world’s largest university construction. It is one of the most recognizable structures in Moscow. It is not for nothing that the Kremlin, Christ the Saviour Cathedral, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and MSU are stitched on the four corners of the Moscow flag.
It is worth noting that the ceremonial event of laying the first stone of the tower occurred in 1949, twelve years prior to Gagarin’s mission.
The MSU Central Tower was Europe’s highest building prior to the completion of the Messeturm skyscraper in Frankfurt am Main in 1990.
9. Forests cover most of Russia’s territory and account for as much as 60% of land area
More than half of Russia’s land area is covered by forests. They are divided into two natural zones: taiga and mixed and broad-leaved woodland. The woodland zones are more hospitable to living things than the tundra. As a result, the plants and wildlife are far more diverse here.
10. Russia is home to one of the most active volcanoes, Kliuchevskaya Sopka
Kliuchevskaja Sopka is the Eurasian continent’s highest active volcano. It stands at a height of four kilometers and eight hundred and fifty meters. Kliuchevskoi Sopka is Russia’s highest peak outside of the Caucasus. It shoots ash columns eight kilometers into the sky and rises with each eruption. Kliuchevskaya Sopka has been erupting for over seven thousand years.
11. The Hermitage Museum is the largest and oldest museum in the world
From the Stone Age to the present, there are three million pieces of art. If you spent one minute on each of these masterpieces, it would take more than twenty-five years to visit the Hermitage, as if you were working and seeing the exhibitions for eight hours a day.
12 Russia’s favorite holiday is New Year
New Year’s Eve, December 31st to January 1st, is perhaps Russia’s favorite holiday. Usually, New Year’s Eve is followed by a public holiday – 9 or 10 days off in January.
New Year’s Eve is traditionally a family event enjoyed at home with loved ones, however, some Russians spend it in the city’s main plaza (which is usually where all the fun is concentrated). Bookings for New Year’s Eve concerts at restaurants must be made at least a month in advance.
13. Minimum 15 secret cities in Russia
Russia has at least fifteen hidden towns. They are not on the map, are not marked, and are not even permitted to be approached by strangers. In addition, Russia now maintains forty-two closed geographic entities, or CATOs, that are encircled by rows of barbed wire and are patrolled by armed forces. They are the property of the Ministry of Defence, Rosatom, and Roscosmos.
14 . The Russian Empire was one of the most powerful in human existence
Each new ruler left his predecessor a territory that was larger than the one he inherited. Even though it has lost territory due to different historical events, Russia is now the world’s largest country, occupying 1/9 of the planet’s landmass and is located in two continents of the world, Europe and Asia.
15. The world’s largest forest is located in the Siberian taiga
The taiga encompasses an area of more than fifteen million kilometers, accounting for approximately twenty-seven percent of the world’s woods.
The majority of the trees in the taiga are conifers, but there are some deciduous trees as well. The taiga is critical to the planet’s oxygen balance. Despite its vastness, the taiga’s wildlife is relatively scarce. On the same hand, the Siberian taiga provides a relatively optimal environment for animals; many of them have never seen a person and must rely only on natural enemies to survive.
What do you need to visit Russia?
When compared to the cost of hotels, food, transportation, and entertainment in Europe, Russia is a moderately priced tourist destination. Many tourists are increasingly considering vacation choices in Russia and looking for familiar, comfortable lodging that is typically cheaper than in other countries.
If you are determined to visit Russia, we recommend that you read the essential documentation and regulations on our website. Furthermore, with our assistance, you will be able to get your Russian visa photo taken quickly and affordably on your own.
This brings us to the end of our article on intriguing facts about Russia. We’re sure you’ve already packed your luggage and purchased your plane tickets. Have a great trip 😉
Michal Jonca is an experienced author of articles concerning biometric photography. He is a travel, food, and trail running passionate who visited 40+ countries on four continents. He is a Travel Leader for the adventurous travel company Solisci and the Community Manager at Passport-Photo.Online. Only this year, he enjoyed his workation in Thailand, Turkey, and the Caucasus mountains.
