I Can See Russia From Here!

Map of RussiaAs part of our celebration of “all things Russia” for Valentine’s Day, be sure to read our post in Rose’s Ridge, “From Russia With Love,” and try our recipes for Russian dishes from Around The Table.

“I am Russian. Russian by heart and soul, profoundly devoted to my land.”
– Fyodor Tyutchev (Russian poet 1803-1873)
Quick, interesting facts on Russia*:
  • The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world, covering more than one ninth of the earth’s land area
  • Russia spans nine time zones
  • Russia contains one fourth of the world’s fresh water
  • Russia is one of the top producers of natural gas and oil in the world
  • Russia borders with more countries than any other country in the world; 14 countries and 2 with maritime boundaries (USA and Japan)
  • Russia and America are less than 4km apart at the nearest point (near Sarah Palin’s Alaska)
  • There are 9 million more women than men in Russia (Happy Valentine’s Day!)
  • 70 percent of Russia is made up of Siberia, defined as a region of central and eastern Russia stretching from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean
  • Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest and oldest lake in the world (it would take all the rivers of the world – Volga, Don, Dnepr and Yenisei, Ural and Ob, Ganges and Orinoko, Amazon and Thames, Seine and Oder – nearly one year to fill lake Baikal’s basin)
  • Russia is the only country in the world washed by 12 seas
  • The word “vodka” comes from the Russian word “voda” which means “water.”

*Facts compiled by FactSlides and CNN. See also here.

Map of eastern Russia

See below for some beautiful pictures taken by our friend Meghan Houser during her trip to Russia in 2013:
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
Russia
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser
russia8
Photo courtesy of Meghan Houser

 

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