You may think you know, but you have no idea what Russia really is about.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG25. Notoriously B.I.G.
That’s right, Russia is literally the largest country in the world, taking up 1/7th of the earth’s land area.
24. 9
That’s how many time zones there are in Russia.
23. What “the” huh?
There isn’t “the” or “a” in the Russian language.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG22. Spice Girls of Tennis
Russian tennis player, Anna Kournikova achieved better success playing doubles with Martina Hingis. Together, they won Australian Open twice.
21. Bell of the ball
Tsar Kolokol bell in the Kremlin is the world’s largest, although it hasn’t been rung since 1735 when it was cracked open soon after its creation.
20. Easter…
…is the most popular religious holiday in Russia, more than 90% of the Russian population celebrates with eggs, cakes and cookies.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG19. Come and knock on my door!
Russia neighbors fifteen countries, can you name them all? Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland and Ukraine.
18. Do not disturb
2/3rd of the Kremlin Palace is not open to the public because Russian government officials are still using the space to work.
17. On the 6
Russian is one of six official languages of the United Nations, along with: Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish.
16. Mickey D’s
One of the world’s largest McDonald’s is in Moscow with 700 seats.
15. Hit the books!
Russia has a free educational system. Although competitive, it fosters focus in math, science and aerospace research.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG14. Lucky #7
That’s the international calling code for Russia: +7
13. Mix it up!
There are more than 160 ethnic groups in Russia.
12. Les Artists
Along with the Louvre, The Met and London’s British Museum, Russia’s Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the world’s largest.
11. “Mr. Alksandr Petrovsky”
Famous Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov requested political asylum while on tour in Canada, announcing he wouldn’t return to then U.S.S.R. in 1974.
10. Locomotion
The Trans-Siberian Railway is world’s longest railway. (photo on right)
9. Into the deep
The metro of St. Petersburg is the world’s deepest subway at 100 meters long.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG8. Top model
High fashion Russian model, Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova came in third on Forbes top-earning models list, with $8.6 million in a year.
7. Fast and furious
Moscow metro is one of the fastest in the world, commuters can catch a train once every 90 seconds.
6. Off the road
Inside the Kremlin Palace, visitors are not allowed to step on roads for cars. Security guards and cops will whistle at anyone who step foot on any roads intended for vehicles.
5. King of the World!
Leo DiCaprio’s maternal grandparents are immigrants from Russia.
4. Happy New Year! …and Happy New Year again 14 days later!
Russians celebrate two New Years, on January 1st and 14th for the Eastern Orthodox Church.
3. The Nutcracker
Every Christmas season, American ballet companies make 40% of their annual revenues from famous ballet performances, scored by celebrated Russian composer Tchaikovsky.
PHOTO WENDY HUNG2. Laika, the Space Pooch
Russia was the first to send a canine to space. Although Laika died soon after launch of spacecraft Sputnik 2, she’ll always be remembered as the first pooch to orbit the Earth.
1. Drink up!
Vodka is the purest drink in the world since it’s distilled composed mostly of water, ethanol and contains very little fusel oils. Cheers!
