About Russia

Geography of Russia

Russia is world’s largest country in terms of total area. It covers much of Eastern Europe and northern Asia. Russia Geography with over 17 square kilometres area has one eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area. Russia is in two continents, Asia and Europe. Russia occupies a substantial part of continental Europe and this part in Europe is home to most of Russia's industrial activity. Russia includes the entire northern portion of Asia. Positioning of Russia is such that most part of the country is much closer to the North Pole than to the equator. Moscow is the capital city of Russia.

Russia Nature is divided into 5 natural zones namely the tundra zone, the taiga or forest zone, the steppe or plains, the arid zone and the mountain zone. Plain area is mainly two, the Eastern European Plain and Western Siberian Plain. Lowlands are North Siberia and the Kolyma. Two plateaus are Central Siberian Plateau and Lena Plateau. Mountains are mainly concentrated in extreme northeast part of Russia.

Climate and Weather in Russia

Russia Climate is largely continental. Most land part of Russia is over 400 KM away from sea contributing to the climate in Russia. Because most part of Russia is at north of 60° of north latitude, extensive regions in the country have six months of snow cover. Average temperature in most of European Russia is between 5 and 0° C while average temperature of almost all of Siberia is below freezing point throughout the year. Russia has mainly two season summer and winter. Russia sees extreme variations in temperatures in different parts of country.

Russia Weather for you as a visitor should matter to you depending on which part of the country you are in. One cannot say anything about Russia’s weather in general because in a single month weather is different in different parts of the country. However you can visit cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg in summers and winters both. Winters give you many exciting experiences like white nights and so on.

History of Russia

Russia History is quite old as the land has been inhabited by people for thousands of years. In 862 the first modern state in Russia was founded by King Rurik of the Rus. He became the ruler of Novgorod. After some years, Kiev was conquered by the Rus and they started the kingdom of the Kievan Rus. In next two centuries the 10th and 11th the Kievan Rus became a powerful empire in entire Europe. They reached the peak under Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav I the Wise. Later in 13th century Kievan Rus was wiped out by the Mongols led by Batu Khan who overran the area and finished the Kievan Rus.

History of Russia from 14th century to 16th century saw Grand Duchy and Ivan IV rising to power. Ivan IV crowned himself in 1547 as the first Tsar of Russia. In early 17th century Mikhail Romanov rose to establish Romanov dynasty which ruled Russia for many years. Since then Russia was under rule of other rulers as well and after First World War in 1917 Vladimir Lenin removed leadership of Tsars after a great revolution and Soviet Union was born in 1922. You can experience the great history of Russia when you are there on a trip.

Culture and Traditions of Russia

Russian Culture is quite interesting. Russia culture has a rich history and strong traditions. There are many colors to it. You can see variety of influential arts, literature, philosophy, classical music, ballet, opera, painting, cinema architecture and animation. You will feel enriched when you go deep into many aspects of the Russian cultural and traditional heritage. Ballet is the best contribution to the world by Russians. Family always held quite a significant place in Russia. Russia has hundreds of ethnic groups. Majority of Russians around 77% are of Russian descent. The rest of the population consists of Tatar, Ukrainian, Bashkir, Chuvash, Chechen and others.

Russia Traditions are quite rich and worth experiencing. Their art and crafts are quite old and they passed it on to new generations. You can witness the best of Russia art and craft brilliance in Russian dolls. Russian Dolls are super popular not just in Russia but even thousands miles away. These decorated wooden dolls with a secret are also known as Babushka dolls. Samovar or tea boiler is also another attraction of Russian craft. Apart from this pottery, wood working, art painting and others are also part of Russia traditions for ages.

Food and Cuisine in Russia

Russian Food is full of variety. Soups have always been vital part of Russian meal. They have hot soups and cold soups. One of the most traditional Russia foods is borshch which is beet soup full of vegetables and meat. This is served with a dollop of sour cream. Another popular food is Pirozhkis which is small baked bun. Buns are filled with potatoes, meat, cabbage or cheese. Main Food and Dishes of Russia are meat dishes like Pelmeni, Kotlety, Shashlyk and Kholodets. Fish and vegetables also have been and continue to be important element of Russian food. Vodka is popular alcoholic drink. Beer and tea are consumed widely as well.

Russian Cuisine comprises different cooking styles and traditions of Russian people. From 16th to 18th century Russia's great expansions of culture, influence, and interest saw emergence of more refined foods and culinary techniques. Russia also became one of the most refined food countries in the world. In Current times also you can taste variety of cuisine on table with influences from Northern and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, Caucasus region and East Asia. You can find the mix of traditional and multinational cuisines in Russian restaurants. You can also get to know the difference between Russian Traditional Cuisine and Soviet Cuisine.  

Languages of Russia

Language is the identity of a country. In Russia there are almost 160 different ethnic groups and about 100 languages are spoken by these groups. Russian is spoken by the majority. Besides, there are some native languages that are spoken as well. Tatar is a language of Volga ethnic group, and as a native language is also spoken in Ukraine, Finland, China, Romania and Turkey.

Interesting Facts About Russia:

1. In terms of land area, Russia is the largest country in the world. Russia is located across 9 time zones.
2. Russia has the world's longest railways. The Trans-Siberian Railway spans almost all the way across the county, making it the single longest railway in the world. Its originates from Moscow and covers 9200 km to Vladivostok on the Pacific shore in the east in about 152 hours.
3. Russians drive on the right-hand side of the road.
4. Russia has a wide range of natural resources and is one of the world’s largest producers of oil.
5. The world’s first satellite, named Sputnik, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.
6. The official residence of the Russian president is the Kremlin in Moscow. The name Kremlin means fortress.
7. Russia has over 40 national parks and 100 wildlife reserves.
8. Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It reaches 1642 metres (5,387 feet) in depth and contains around 20% of the world’s unfrozen fresh water.
9. Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia (and Europe), it reaches a height of 5642 metres (18,510 feet).
10. Russia’s Volga River is the longest in Europe, with a length of around 3690 kilometres (2293 miles).
11. Russia has the world’s largest area of forests.
12. Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Olympic Games.
13. There are approximately 10 million more women in Russia than there are men.
14. In Russia, men never give an even amount of flowers to a women. You should always make sure you give them in odd numbers, unless going to a funeral, where even numbers are the rule.
15. Moscow has more billionaire residents than any other city in the world.
16. Russian’s will never shake hands over a doorway. It is believed to be a bad omen and most Russians are convinced the action will lead to an argument.
17. Russia's greatest Museum - The Hermitage, also in St Petersburg - is home to around 70 cats, which guard its treasures against rodents.
18. Russia sent a dog in space in 1957 and there's a monument sculpture of him in  Russia.
19. Traffic in Moscow is so bad that wealthy Russians hire fake ambulances to beat the jams.
20. There's a restaurant in Moscow staffed entirely by twins.