23 Fun facts about russia

Russia’s natural gas reserves are equivalent to about 13 billion Olympic-size swimming pools. Tweet This

Russia has nine contiguous time zones, more than any other country. Tweet This

Russia has proven oil reserves for next 70 years. Tweet This

One third of Ekaterina’s budget came from alcohol levies. Tweet This

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Once, “Pobeda” (Russian for “victory”) were the most mass-produced watches worldwide. Tweet This

Peter the Great’s friend Menshikov had the exclusive right to form a regiment from handpicked soldiers. Tweet This

When the Spanish Civil War started in 1936, Spain had the world’s fourth largest reserves of gold. Two-thirds of them were shipped to the USSR in exchange of military supplies. Tweet This

Only Ekaterina and Peter were named “Great”. Tweet This

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Trotsky (real name Leon Bronstein) got his nickname from a prison guard he befriended during his incarceration. Tweet This

The famous writer Maxim Gorky served time in jail. Tweet This

Russia’s homicide rate is twice as bad as America’s. Tweet This

Russians drink two to three times more alcohol than people from the Western countries. Tweet This

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Standing on the shore of Russia’s Lake Karachay for an hour would give you 600 roentgens of radiation, enough to kill a human being. Tweet This

Russia’s 20 richest people have a combined net worth of over $250 billion, roughly equal to the GDP of Israel. Tweet This

Russians drink six times more tea than Americans. Tweet This

Lake Baikal holds one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. Tweet This

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The Urals are the oldest mountains in the world. Tweet This

Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe. Its area is 17,700 km2 (6,800 sq. mi), with maximal depth 230 m (750 ft.) Tweet This

The USSR launched the first artificial satellite of Earth “Sputnik” on 4 October 1957. Tweet This

Russia was the first to send a living animal (the dog Laika) into space. It returned safely. Tweet This

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Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel into outer space, completing an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. Tweet This

Siberia has more than 25% of the world’s forests. Tweet This

Ostanikino Tower is the tallest TV tower in Europe. Tweet This