About Russia » Facts about Russia
Facts about Russia
Official Name: Russian Federation
Subdivisions: 21 autonomous republics and 68 autonomous territories and regions.
Area: 17 million sq. km. (6.5 million sq. mi.); about 1.8 times the size of the United States.
Cities: Capital – Moscow (pop. Over 10 million). Other cities—St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Mourmansk, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Sochi, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok.
Terrain: Broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains (Caucasus range) along southern borders.
Climate: Russia’s extremes range from the frosts of the Siberian north to the heat of the European south. Siberian summers are surprisingly warm; it’s the winters that make regions distinct. Daytime summer temperatures over the nation may only vary from 20 to 30°C (68-86°F), in winter it is more like 10 to - 50°C (51 to -58°F).
Nationality: Noun and adjective—Russian(s).
Population: 144,53 million.
Ethnic groups: Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, other 14.4%.
Religion: Russian Orthodox, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestant, Buddhist, other.
Language: Russian (official); more than 140 other languages and dialects.
Education (total pop.): Literacy - 99.6%.
Life expectancy: —60 yrs. men, 74 yrs. Women.
Suffrage: Universal at 18 years.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, timber, furs, precious and nonferrous metals.
Agriculture: Products – Grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, meat, dary products.
Industry: Types – Complete range of manufactures: automobiles, trucks, trains, agricultural equipment, advanced aircraft, aerospace, machine and equipment products; mining and extractive industry; medical and scientific instruments; construction equipment.
Currency: Ruble (R).
Electricity: 220V 50Hz.
Electric Plug Details: European plug with two circular metal pins.
Country Dialing Code: 007.
Neighbor countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, Japan, USA.
Time: In winter Moscow time is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. During Daylight Savings Time, which stretches from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October (the same as most of Europe), Moscow is four hours ahead of GMT.
Weights, Measures & Numbers. The Russian system of weights and measures is similar to the one used in Continental Europe. Russians use kilometers, meters and centimeters to measure the length, and kilograms and liters to measure the weight.
1 inch = 2,54 cm
1 foot = 0,304 m
1 yard = 0,914 m
1 mile = 1,609 km
1 acre = 0,405 hectars
1 pound = 0,454 kg
1 gallon = 4,546 liters