Did you know that Russia extends across eleven different time zones? Not only that, but it’s the world’s largest country by area and even shares land boundaries with fourteen other countries. As Europe’s most populous country, Russia’s population was at 143.4 million people as of 2021, and it’s a country with a storied and fascinating history.
Here are five fascinating facts about Russia!
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- Russia is home to the largest city in Europe. (source) It’s not a city like Paris or London that can take claim to being the largest city in Europe, but instead it’s Moscow in Russia, which is home to 12 million people. Moscow has a rich history that is full of culture. The city covers an area of 970 square miles is not only the largest city in Europe, but also one of the largest cities around the globe.
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- Russia produces the most diamonds in the world. (source) Between 2016 and 2020, Russia produced 113,600 carats, equating to 22,720 kilograms worth of diamonds, which was the most in the worst. In fact, Russia is responsible for producing approximately 31% of the world’s supply of diamonds, just ahead of second-ranked Canada.
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- The world’s second largest art museum is in Russia. (source) The Hermitage, located in Saint Petersburg (the former capital of Russia), is the second-largest art museum in the world, with more than three million pieces of art inside.
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- Tetris was created in Russia. (source) Today, Tetris is one of the oldest but still most popular video games out there. In 1979, it was the Soviet Academy of Sciences’ Alexey Pajitnov that developed the concept of the game. It would be seven years later in 1986 that a company from Hungary began selling the game, and its popularity skyrocketed from that point. Today, Tetris has sold more than 200 million copies worldwide across 65 different gaming platforms, making it one of the most successful gaming franchises of all-time.
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- The pipelines in Russia could circle the Earth more than six times. (source) The pipelines in Russia contain gas, condensate, oil water, liquid petroleum gas, and refined products, and collectively make up 259,913 kilometers of pipelines. In comparison, the circumference of Earth is 40,075 kilometers.
Russia is one of the largest countries in the world with one of the most storied histories. If you have any more fun facts about “the motherland,” be sure to let us know about them in the comments below!
