Published By: Preeti Kaul

Fascinating things you didn’t know about Russia

Discover Russia with some intriguing facts in this story. It will make you a little more aware of the largest country in the world.

“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” – Winston Churchill (1939)

Russia is the largest country in the world which occupies one-eighth of the earth’s total landmass. A country so big does spark our sense of curiosity about it. Despite being in the news most of the time, Russia still carries a sense of mystery in it. It is time to brush up our knowledge about this splendid country and make us aware of it.

 Alaska originally belonged to Russia

This truth indeed is stranger than fiction. Alaska, a part of Russia, was sold to the United States of America on March 30, 1867, for a mere 7.2 million dollars. Considering that Alaska encompasses a vast area of 586,412 square miles, the US struck gold with this deal. The reason behind the agreement was the suspicion that Britain could seize the region from Russia in case of a political or military conflict.

The longest railway line in the world

This fact is justified keeping in mind the size of the country. The Trans-Siberian railroad is the longest railway line in the world. This line was built from 1891 to 1916. It connects Moscow from far-eastern areas of the country and covers 9,289 kilometres (5,772 miles) in distance across eight time zones.

Moscow- The capital of billionaires 

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is home to the third-largest billionaire population of the world. The latest figures indicate that seventy billionaires are residing in this city. Russia is only behind New York and Hong Kong in terms of billionaire count.

Deepest Fresh Water Lake in the World

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake. It is the source of 20% of the total freshwater of the world. This Lake is a habitat to 1700 species of flora and fauna out of which two-third species are exclusively found around this part of the world.

Borders 

Being the largest country in the world, Russia shares its border with as many as 14 countries. These countries are North Korea, Mongolia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus, China, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Poland. Well, that’s a lot of countries to remember.

Russia has a total of nine time zones, and it works permanently on daylight time saving around the year.

Plus, the country has a lot of forests area. Forests constitute half of Russia.

Interestingly, the country has a remarkable literacy rate of 99.7%.

So, that’s Russia for you. A country which never ceases to fascinate the world!