Table of Contents
Russia
Siberia
As much as 77% of Russia's area is covered by Siberia. However, this area has a very low population - it is inhabited by about 40 million people, which is only 27% of the country's total population and gives an average of three people per square kilometer. 1)
Mother of 16 pairs of twins
In 18th century Russia, a woman became the mother of 16 pairs of twins, gave birth to triplets 7 times and quadruplets 4 times. All the children were born over 40 years and all were conceived by the same father. 2)
Employing cats
The Hermitage State Museum, located in St. Petersburg, has been “employing” cats to protect the works of art there from rodents since it was founded in 1764. The Hermitage State Museum, located in St. Petersburg, has been “employing” cats to protect the works of art there from rodents. 3)
Silene stenophylla
The oldest plant on Earth to be revived after hundreds of thousands of years is Silene stenophylla, a species of angiosperm in the clove family whose seeds were found in Siberia in the glaciated body of an Ice Age squirrel. The seeds had lain in the stomach of the mammal for 32,000 years. 4)
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway, which runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, is the longest railroad line in the world. It crosses as many as eight timezones on its route, and the total length of its railroad track is 5,772 miles. If you were to travel along with it without any stops, the entire journey would take 152 hours and 27 minutes. 5)
Dissolution of the USSR
The formal dissolution of the USSR took place on December 26, 1991. Since then, Russia was created on the world map, as well as 14 other republics that were part of the Soviet Union. 6)
Largest country in the world
In terms of territory occupied, Russia ranks first. 7)
Elbrus
The highest peak in Russia is Elbrus. It is also the highest peak of the Caucasus. 8)
Russian flag
The rectangular Russian flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes of white, blue, and red. The first one is supposed to symbolize the world, innocence, and purity, the blue one symbolizes faith, loyalty, and constancy and the red one refers to the bloodshed for the motherland. 9)
Venice of the North
St. Petersburg is sometimes called the Venice of the North. In this Russian city, there are more than 40 islands connected by nearly 400 bridges. 10)
Oldest mountains in the world
The oldest mountains in the world are located in Russia, the Ural Mountains. The age of Mount Karandash, located in the village of Alexandrovka, is estimated at about 4 billion years. 11)
Fifteen secret cities
There are at least fifteen secret cities in Russia. They do not exist on any map, their names do not appear on the road, and foreigners are not allowed to approach them. 12)
The Romanov family
The Romanovs were a Russian family that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917. Each ruling ruler of this dynasty left his successor a country that was territorially larger than he originally received. 13)
Camel in coat of arms
Chelyabinsk is a city lying one part in the Urals and the other in Siberia. It was founded in 1736 and is now home to more than a million people. Its coat of arms depicts a camel. Where does a camel come from in such a cold and remote place like Egypt? More than 200 years ago, a trade route led through this city. Caravans on camels often entered the city. 14)
Matryoshka
Matryoshka is one of the symbols that we associate with Russia. However, it is not a traditional toy of this culture. It was created by Vasily Zvyozdochkin in the late 19th century. The Russians presented it at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris as an Old Russian toy. At that time it received a bronze medal in the “Toy” category. 15)
Lake Baikal
Located in Siberia, Lake Baikal is the oldest and also the deepest lake in the world. Its waters are fed by 336 rivers. 16)
The Tunguska event
On June 30, 1908, an event occurred in Tunguska, Siberia that has not been explained to this day. Roughly in its central part, a huge explosion occurred that knocked down trees within a 40 km radius. The explosion could be seen as far away as 650 km and the bang could be heard as far away as 1000 km. After this event, many European cities experienced a “white night” effect. The reason for this explosion was supposed to be a meteorite falling from space. 17)
Moscow subway
Moscow has one of the best underground city rail systems in the world. 18)
Subway stations
The first metro line in the Russian capital was launched in 1935. Many stations are underground museums that are visited by tourists. 19)
Tetris
Each of us has played Tetris at some point. This game was created in 1985 by three Russians - Alexei Pazhytnov, Dimitri Pavlovsky, and Vadim Gerasimov. 20)