1 - The most famous drink is not vodka

The most popular drink in Russia is tea. Almost all Russians take it and do it more than
once a day. Often they accompany it with cakes, sandwiches or chocolates. Also, one of
the icons of tea culture in Russia is the samovar, a kettle that was used in ancient times.

2 - Tetris was invented by a Russian

The famous video game was invented in 1984 by Soviet computer scientist Alekséi
Pazhitnov. He currently lives in the United States and is the owner of The Tetris
Company.

3 - Siberia occupies 77% of the surface of Russia

The Siberian region occupies almost the entire surface of Russia - more than 13 million
square kilometers. However, despite being the largest, Siberia has a very low population
density: 3 inhabitants per square kilometer. Only 28% of Russians live there.

4 - Coldest city in the world

The coldest city in the world is Yakutsk. It is located in the Russian federal district of
the Republic of Sakha, very close to the Arctic Circle. Temperatures of up to -60˚C
have been reached there.
5 - Cats watch over the Hermitage

Dozens of St. Petersburg cats live on the territory of the Hermitage Museum to prevent
rodents from multiplying and damaging the works.

6 - In Russia, there are more women than men: In the Russian Federation, the number of
women is much higher than that of men, reaching over 11 million. This fact means that
there are currently 86.8 men for every 100 women and that to find their better half they
have to find a foreign partner.

7 - You can be arrested for being homosexual: Since 2013, the Russian government
with Vladimir Putin at the helm, banned homosexual propaganda alleging that same-sex
relationships were unnatural and illegal according to the country's legislation. As a
consequence, gay people in Russia can be detained by the police.

8 - In Russia there are 11 different time zones: from Moscow UTC + 3 to UTC + 12. It
is the country in the world with the most time zones.

9 - Day and night coincide on the territory of Russia. When it is noon in Moscow, it is
night in Kaliningrad.

10 - The Russians used the Julian calendar until 1918; instead of using the Gregorian
calendar. February 1, 1918 became February 13, 1918.

11- The Russian Federation is one of the richest countries in energy resources. They
have both natural gas and oil. In fact, only with its natural gas pipes it is possible to
travel 6 times the surface of the Earth.

12- Russian women live around 77.06 years, while men live only 66.5. This difference
in life expectancy is the largest in the world.
13 - The territory of Alaska was owned by Russia until, in 1867, it was sold to the
United States for 7 million dollars.

14 - Equal rights in Russia between men and women were proclaimed two years earlier
than in the United States. Russian women can vote since 1918.

15- Russians never smile because, for them, a serious expression is more sincere than a
false smile. This is so important to them that even Russian boys and girls are taught not
to smile at school.