By now, we understand that Russia is big, it is the biggest country on Earth, but it’s still hard to comprehend exactly how big. To illustrate this point, we have come up with an example that may help you understand the sheer size of the country.
Simply put, Russia is almost as big as an entire planet. It is 17 million square kilometers, while the planet of Pluto is 16.6 million square kilometers. Yes, they are basically the same size. Try and wrap your head around that…
Women, Women, Everywhere
Over the past century, there have been more women living in Russian than men, a lot more. According to a 2018 countrywide survey, 10.5 million more women live in Russia than men. That makes women 54% of the population to men’s 46%.
So how did this happen? Although pretty much the same number of boys and girls are born each year, the females end up living much longer. Men after the age of 30 begin to pass away for a variety of reasons, including war, car accidents, industrial trauma, and more. This has left more older women around than men.
Matryoshka Dolls
These interlocking dolls have become a symbol of Russia, and not many tourists who visit the country leave without purchasing one, but their origin actually has a strong connection to Japan. The doll was created by Sergey Malyutin, a crafts painter who was trying to design a Russian doll that would last for generations.
Many believe that he was inspired by the Japanese Daruma doll and that when he examined it, he discovered that it held a doll within a doll and so on. This clearly gave him a great idea, and that was how the first Matryoshka doll was born in 1890.
Fishing Frenzy
Russia is home to many rivers, lakes, and seas, and therefore it is no surprise that Russians are crazy about fishing and that fish are an important part of their diet. Every fisherman believes he has the best method, but Russians are experts in ice fishing. When the temperatures drop below freezing, and the lakes freeze over, they can finally get to work.
They start by cutting a hole in the ice with an ice saw, or slightly less convenient, an auger or a chisel. The lures they use include fatheads, wax worms, and crappies. Fishing in most places is known as a manly pastime, but in Russia, the women are just as avid to catch some fish as the men, and maybe even more so. So, if while visiting you see some women on the ice, there’s no need to be surprised.
The Mystery of the Amber Room?
One of the most expensive and exquisite rooms in the world once existed in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near the city of Saint Petersburg. It was dubbed the Amber Room because of the beautiful amber panels on the walls, which were adorned with mirrors and gold leaf.
When the Nazis invaded Russia in World War II, they dismantled the Amber Room and moved the pieces to the German city of Königsberg. Since then, its whereabouts have never been confirmed, and the fate of the priceless artifacts remains a mystery.