15 interesting facts about Russia

(Baonghean.vn) - Russia is not only a large and beautiful country but also contains many interesting things, but not everyone knows. Below are 10 extremely interesting things about Russia that you may not know.

1. Russia is bigger than a planet

With a surface area of ​​17 million km2, Russia occupies 1/9 of the Earth's surface; 1.8 times larger than the United States, even larger than Pluto (16.6 million km2). However, this is also a country with quite harsh geographical conditions, with 77% of the area covered by ice.

2. The country has up to 9 time zones

Russia is the largest country in the world, with about 17 million km2. Therefore, this country has up to 9 time zones. This special feature also has a significant impact on economic activities in the land of birch trees.

3. Karachay Lake of Death

Few people know that Russia's beautiful Lake Karachay is a lake of death, which can kill people if they stand around the lake for 5 minutes. The lake has a deep blue color and looks peaceful but actually contains many dangers. The reason is because Lake Karachay (in the southwest of Chelyabinsk, Russia) is located in the area of ​​​​Mayak Production Union - one of the largest nuclear facilities and has the highest level of radioactive leakage.

4. Russia's population

Russia’s population has a gender imbalance, with 11 million more women than men. This is in contrast to Asian countries such as Vietnam and China. Russia’s population has decreased by 6.6 million people since 1993, which is equivalent to the population of the US state of Massachusetts. Russia’s population was 141.9 million in 2010 and is expected to decrease by another 10.7% to 126.6 million by 2050.

5. Russian Vodka and Beer

Vodka is an extremely popular alcoholic beverage in Russia and many other countries around the world. Its name comes from the Russian word “Voda” which means “water”. As for beer, it was not considered an alcoholic beverage in Russia until 2013. Russians drink twice as much alcohol as Americans. On average, Russians drink 6.3 glasses of alcohol per week, compared to 3.3 for Americans. However, South Koreans lead the world with 13.7 glasses per week.

6. Russian fuel pipeline system

Russia's pipeline system for transporting condensate, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil, and refined products has a total length of 259,913 km. Meanwhile, the circumference of the Earth is only 40,075 km.

7. Moscow Metro

About 9 million people ride the Moscow Metro every day, more than London and New York combined. Park Pobedy is Moscow's deepest metro station, located 85 metres underground. Vykhino is the city's busiest metro station.

8. Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is the oldest lake and holds one-fifth of the world's fresh water reserves. Lake Baikal is only half the size of Lake Michigan in the United States, but is the world's deepest lake, at 5,387 feet (1,642 m).

9. Russian highly enriched uranium

Russia has 659 tons of highly enriched uranium, more than any other country in the world. The United States is second in this regard, with 604 tons of highly enriched uranium.

10. Russia's railway is the longest in the world

The longest railway in the world. The Trans-Siberian Railway stretches almost all the way across Russia. It is the longest single railway line in the world, with a total length of 9,289 km, starting in Russia and going into Asia.

11. The custom of hanging carpets on the wall

Russians often hang carpets on the walls. This habit comes from the past when the walls here were very thin, hanging carpets on the walls to block out noise from the neighbors, or for soundproofing.

12. Tax laws because of... beards

Back in the days of Peter the Great, around the 16th century, anyone in Russia who had a beard would have to pay taxes. Peter implemented this idea in his law after he visited developed European countries and discovered that in developed countries people usually did not have beards. And in order for everyone to have the brightest appearance, he introduced a tax law so that a developed country would always have "clean-bearded" people.

13. Birth record

In the 18th century, a fertile Russian woman gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, a total of 69 children in 40 years with the same husband. The woman was a peasant in Shuya province named Valentina Vassilyev, and her husband was Feodor Vassilyev. And what is even more special is that he had 18 more children with his second wife.

14. Alaska, America used to belong to Russia

In the 19th century, Alaska was a bustling trading center of Russia. On March 30, 1876, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for a relatively cheap price of 7.2 million USD (equivalent to 4.74 USD/km2). After purchasing Alaska, the US made huge profits from its gold and mineral resources. 50 years after purchasing Alaska, the amount of money the US earned was 100 times more than what it spent. Alaska is the largest state in the US and the least densely populated.

15. Russian is not the only spoken language

Russian is not the only spoken language: Russia is so large that there are 35 official languages ​​in different regions along with Russian. Many Russians are surprised by this fact.

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