Top 13 Most Fascinating Facts about Russia

1. Larger than life

Russia has long been known as the country with the largest land area in the world, covering a significant portion of the Earth's surface. However, what's even more fascinating is that with a measured area of 17,075,400 km², Russia is larger than the surface area of Venus, known to have an area of 16.6 million km². Truly an admirable nation, isn't it?

2. Busiest Subway Commuters in the World

3. Tax Levied for... Facial Hair

During the reign of Peter the Great, around the 16th century, anyone in Russia who wore a beard was required to pay a tax. Peter implemented this concept into his laws after visiting developed European countries and noticing that in those nations, people often did not wear beards. To ensure that all citizens maintained a clean and neat appearance, he introduced tax legislation to ensure that a developed nation always had individuals with 'clean-shaven' faces.

4. Record-breaking Childbirths

Aside from holding records for land area, Russia also boasts some remarkable records in... childbirths. Some of the numbers we're about to reveal might truly surprise you. In the 18th century, a fortunate Russian mother gave birth to a total of 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, totaling 69 children within 40 years with the same husband. The woman was a peasant in the Shuya province named Valentina Vassilyev, and her husband was Feodor Vassilyev. What's even more remarkable is that he had an additional 18 children with his second wife. These numbers may seem unbelievable to many, but they are indeed true.

5. Karachay Death Lake

Karachay Lake is an incredibly beautiful body of water in Russia, with its serene blue surface and captivating appearance. However, don't judge it solely by its beauty and outward appearance, because this lake is famously known as the most dangerous lake in the world. Despite its picturesque resemblance to a fairy tale painting, it harbors deadly dangers because Karachay Lake is located within the Mayak Production Association - one of the largest nuclear facilities with the highest level of nuclear leakage. If you don't want to bid farewell to the mortal realm within just 5 minutes, it's best not to linger around here, as it's known that even standing on the lake's surface for just 5 minutes is enough to claim a life.

6. Beer Once Considered as Refreshing as Soft Drinks

Russians regarded beer as a refreshment akin to soft drinks until 2013, leading to significant consumption of this carbonated beverage in the country. On average, each Russian consumed 18 liters of alcoholic beverages per year, doubling the safe limit for an average individual. Consequently, over 500,000 deaths occur annually in this country due to beer-related issues.

7. Unique Personality Traits

The following facts are sure to affirm the notion that Russians possess highly unique, sometimes incomprehensible personality traits. Did you know that in 1908, the Russian Imperial Olympic team arrived at the Olympics 12 days late, missing out on the Games? The reason behind this was their reluctance to switch to the Gregorian calendar, as they insisted the Olympics should follow the old calendar.
Furthermore, even to this day, there are still some Russians who believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Additionally, some ultra-wealthy individuals in Russia have the peculiar habit of renting fake ambulances to navigate through traffic lights swiftly.

8. Spanning 9 Time Zones

In the past, Russia had a total of 11 time zones, but by 2010, the country decided to reduce it to 9 time zones for easier timekeeping, work, and communication nationwide. Despite this reduction, it's evident that Russia still holds the record for having the most time zones in the world.

Russia's capital is renowned for hosting more billionaires than any other city globally. Currently, there are 79 billionaires residing in Moscow, a fact confirmed by Forbes. The prevalence of luxury Rolls Royce cars on the streets serves as evidence for this intriguing statistic. There are numerous reasons why billionaires choose Moscow as their residence, ranging from the favorable climate, culture, to the exceptional political security.

Many cities like Bruges, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and a few others are dubbed as the 'Venices of the North.' St. Petersburg is also on that list! Visitors to St. Petersburg often nostalgically note that the city is even more romantic than Venice. St. Petersburg has beautiful sunny days and a picturesque atmosphere at sunset, making it the perfect time to stroll around the city, admire the onion-domed roofs, and experience the distinctive Russian architecture.

Russians are highly superstitious, unlike the perception of a predominantly atheist Western country. From patting dogs' heads but peculiarly using only the left hand to do so, to ensuring a successful wish by tossing a coin into the boots of Peter the Great. Another superstition prevalent in Russia is how they choose the sites for their ancient homes. They believe that whoever steps into the house first will be the first to die, so to ward off this fate, they let a cat enter the house first. If the cat refuses to enter, they immediately demolish the house and build a new one.