Here are some interesting Russia Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.
Russia stretches from Eastern Europe to Asia. A flight to Moscow takes almost 4 hours from London/England and 9 hours from New York/USA
The 14 countries bordering Russia are: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea.
Russia is a huge country that is double the size of Australia. The vast country is located in part on the European continent and on the Asian continent.
Almost half of the country is covered in forests, only 14% are suitable for agricultural land due to the harsh climate.
The climate ranges from steppe in the South to subarctic in Siberia and tundra in the polar North.
Here some Russia facts and geo superlatives:
Did you know that the geographical distance between Russia and the USA is very small. The Bering Strait separates Russia from the USA and the North American continent. The two countries are just 82km/51miles apart!
Russian is a Slavic language and it is the most widely spoken Slavic language (before Ukrainian and Polish).
It is spoken in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Russian is also spoken by many people as a second language in much of Eastern Europe and the Baltics as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The language is the eighth most spoken language in the world but is the second most dominant language on the internet - after English!
Russian is one of the six working languages spoken at the United Nations!
The Russian language is written with the Cyrillic alphabet which consists of 33 letters. Some letters are similar to the Latin alphabet, but some are different. For example: 'P' in Russian is pronounced 'R' in English or the 'C' is pronounced as 'S', the 'Y' is an 'U'
Until 1991, Russia belonged to the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and this was commonly displayed as 'CCCP' which is pronounced as 'SSSR' in English
Most young people in Russia also learn to speak English, French or German in school.
Most of the Russian population lives in the westernmost parts of the country. Here are the majority of the largest Russian cities such as Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Samara and Omsk. Three out of four people in Russia live in urban centres.
In 2018 Russia hosted the Fifa Soccer World Cup from 14 June to 15 July 2018. Soccer which in Russia is referred to as 'Futbol', and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Russia.
The winner of the 2018 world championship was the national football team of France. Russia lost in the quarter finals against Croatia.
The family is very important to Russians. Here most families include the grandparents, parents and children in the same household.
Children start school when they turn six years old and typically go to school for ten years. After Grade 11, students can go to study at university.
Russia is among the ten largest economies in the world and the world's third biggest gold producer after China and Australia.
The Russian Federation belongs to the BRICS countries. The BRICS are an association of the world's major emerging economies and include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Russia is one of the leading producers of natural gas and oil as well as metals. The main agricultural products are grains, sugar beets, sunflower seeds and vegetables and fruits as well as beef and milk.
The country's main export partners are China, Germany, Belarus, Netherlands and the USA.
The Russian main dishes contain: pork and beef, lamb, chicken, fish, potatoes and root vegetables as well as porridge and bread. Sour cream accompanies many dishes.
Especially vegetable soups and stews play an important role in Russian cuisine.
Russian food is full of flavour and the Russian cuisine is as diverse as the regions in the huge country. Here is some typical Russian food:
Did you know? One of the rarest and most costly caviar comes from the Beluga sturgeon of the Caspian Sea. Black Beluga caviar cost up to 10,000 US dollar per kg/4,500 British pounds per lb! Today, caviar comes from fish farms, as wild caviar from the Caspian Sea has become illegal due to overfishing.
Due to the harsh climate in many regions in Russia, wildlife is often limited. The tundra landscape is covered by snow for more than nine months every year. However, large mammals such as reindeer survive in the tundra. Reindeer are referred to by some as caribou.
Arctic foxes and polar bears can be seen in the far north, while whales and seals swim in the Arctic waters.
Steppe (grassland) mammals in southern Russia include wild boars and various antelope species.
There are several bear species such as the brown bears in the Caucasus and the Asian black bears which live in the Russian far-east.
The Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard are among the most endangered species in Russia.
Russia facts last amended and updated on 07.06.2019
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