Russia Is A Country Full Of Charm, Not Just A Matter Of War
As a country, Russia is not always synonymous with war, nuclear weapons, or international political rhetoric. Just like any country in general, Russia has many unique aspects related to culture, population, and geographical structure. These non-political facts in Russia have escaped the attention of the world.
Apart from being the largest country in the world, Russia also has the world's largest military power. According to the Global Firepower Institute, which released a list of world military powers with the title Military Strength Ranking 2021, Russia is in second place after America, with an annual defense budget of US$ 42.1 billion with a total of 3,014,000 active military personnel.
Wider Than Pluto
The uniqueness of Russia geographically is its location on two continents, namely Asia and Europe. Most of Russia's territory is included in the Asian region, about 13 million sq km, while only 4 million sq km is included in the European area
Russia holds the title as the largest country in the world, with a surface area larger than Pluto, because the total area reaches 17.1 million sq km while Pluto's surface is only about 16.6 sq km. And because Russia is so vast, it borders 14 countries and has 11 time zones, namely Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and North Korea.
Siberia, the Widest and Coldest
Siberia can be said to be an icon of Russia, because the Trans Siberian Railway in Russia is the longest rail line in the world, reaching 9200 km in length. This train line takes people from Moscow to Vladivostok which is located in the east with a travel time of up to 7 days on a train. This train has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest single train in the world, crossing 8 time zones, passing through 87 small and large cities and 16 rivers including the Volga.
About 60 percent of Russia's land is covered by forests and most of it lies in Siberia, with forests reaching 8.1 million sq km in size. This makes Russia one of the countries with the largest forest area in the world, beating Indonesia which only has a forest area of 903,000 square kilometers.
Temperatures in Russia including extreme can reach -40 degrees Celsius, even recorded in 1938 the city of Oymykonm, Yakutia, Siberia had reached -77.8 degrees Celsius. This makes Russia the coldest earth after Canada.
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Largest Petroleum Producer
Not only superior in the nuclear arsenal, but Russia also ranks second in global crude oil production after the United States. According to the latest data released by the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI), Russia has surpassed Saudi Arabia in terms of crude oil volume. Russia's daily oil production averages 10.7 million barrels per day, while Saudi Arabia produces about 10.6 million barrels per day. This is why Russia's pipeline network includes condensate, liquefied petroleum gas, oil-water, to refined products up to 6 times the circumference of the Earth.
There are more women than men
Not only has the population decreased, but the disparity in the number and life expectancy between Russian women and men is also indeed very far. Based on Worldometers statistics, Russian women have a life expectancy of 78.2 years, while men are predicted to only live to 67.6 years (the age gap is around 11 years).
This is because of the large number of male soldiers who died in World War II and the alcoholism problem that plagued young Russian men. Currently, the male population stands at 67.6 million, while the female population is around 78.2 million. This number means that there are 11 million more women in Russia than men.
At school, it is taught to be expensive to smile
Russia ranks first in the list of the world's most inhospitable countries. According to Daria, the CEO of Luxe Adventures, it is true that Russians are taught not to smile at school. Even when Russians smile, they only use their lips. Because if you show your teeth it is considered vulgar. Even at the 2018 FIFA world cup, Russian workers should be taught how to smile and appear more welcoming to foreign guests. The Russian government even held special training to teach their staff to smile. But not smiling doesn't mean they are unfriendly, some Russians will help tourists when they get lost.
Behind the rigidity and nuances of the Russian military which are always reported by the media, it turns out that this country has many advantages and interesting things.