Privyet! Welcome to the largest country on Earth, spanning two continents—Russia, a vast nation that stretches from Eastern Europe all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There are around 144 million people living here, and the capital is Moscow, home to the iconic Red Square and the Kremlin. While Russian is the official language, there are over 100 minority languages spoken across its many republics.
Russia covers about 17,098,242 square kilometers (6,601,668 square miles). To imagine its size, the country is almost twice the size of the United States and covers one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area. It is so large that it spans 11 different time zones, meaning when people in the west are waking up, people in the east are finishing their day.
The most popular sports are Football, Ice Hockey, and Figure Skating, and the country has a long, storied history of dominance in the Olympic Games. Their national animal is the Brown Bear, a symbol of strength and endurance, though the Siberian Tiger is a rare and majestic inhabitant of the far eastern forests.
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of white, blue, and red, where the white represents nobility and frankness, the blue stands for loyalty and honesty, and the red symbolizes courage and love.
The food is designed to be hearty and warming. You must try Borscht, a vibrant beet soup usually served with a dollop of sour cream. Another favorite is Pelmeni, small dumplings filled with minced meat. For a special occasion, you might find Beef Stroganoff or Blini (thin pancakes) topped with caviar or jam. To stay warm, locals drink a lot of Tea (Chay) prepared in a traditional samovar.
Russia is home to Lake Baikal, the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world, containing about 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water. The country features the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway line in the world, which takes about six days to travel from Moscow to Vladivostok. You can visit the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, housed in the former Winter Palace. For a unique natural wonder, the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka is one of the largest geyser fields on the planet. Interestingly, Russia has more forests than any other country, which help act as the “lungs of Europe.”
From the colorful domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral to the frozen tundras of Siberia, Russia is a land of epic scale and profound cultural depth. Spasibo! That means “Thank you!”