Interesting Facts about Russia...

Russia has had a very checkered history and is a country that many people find interesting. It is a state in Northern Europe and shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It has shares sea borders with Japan and the United States. Its capital city of Russia is Moscow. Russia has a population of approximately 142,905,200 people and the official language of the country is Russian.
Facts about Russia

• It is the largest country in the world with an area of 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi).
• Russia is the 9th most populated country in the world.
• Russia spans 9 time zones and spreads across the top of Asia and 40 % of the European continent.
• It has the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources
• The lakes in Russia contain approximately ¼ of the world’s fresh water
• In the 18th century, Russia was the 3rd largest empire in earth’s history; it covered the area from Poland in Europe to Alaska in North America,
• Russia was the world’s first constitutionally socialist state, as the Soviet Union (USSR).
• Russia was responsible for the world’s first space flight and launching the first satellite.
• For many years before Russia became a soviet state, Russia was ruled by a royal family the Tsars. They were strongly connected to the Russian Orthodox Church, which is believed to be the one true church.
• Moscow is home to 11 million people and is Europe’s largest city
• Russia has the world’s largest forest reserves and is known as the “lungs of Europe” and is second only to the Amazon rainforest in the amount of O2 it produces.
• Russia is also home to the world’s largest active volcano Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which has a height of 4,750 m (15,584 ft)
• Religious icons are very important to the Russian people and many houses have at least one.