Russian Trivia for the American

I’m not going to lie—most of my knowledge about Russia comes from Rocky IV. Okay, it’s maybe not that bad, but there’s probably room for improvement. Here’s a little Russian trivia to help understand the massive country that’s ingrained in American discourse.

 

Can Russian history be summarized quickly?

I’ll try. Most start the story with the Kievan Rus, a loose federation of Slavic tribes that took hold in the ninth century (of the Common Era). After being displaced by the Mongols, the entity eventually set up shop in and around Moscow in the 13th century, paving the way for what would become the rapidly expanding Tsardom of Russia (starting with Ivan the Terrible in the 1500s). The Tsardom morphed into the Russian Empire, thanks to the 1721 proclamation of Peter the Great. In 1917, the monarchy was overthrown, followed by a civil war between a provisional government and forces led by Vladimir Lenin, with Lenin’s victory ultimately resulting in the birth of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1922. The USSR and its communist regime—after engaging in a decades-long struggle for global dominance with the West known as the Cold War—collapsed in 1991, leaving the downsized Russia (and many other independent countries) that we know today.

 

Isn’t Russia still really big?

Yes. It is by far the world’s largest country by land area (and that’s after having sold Alaska to the US in 1867 for $7.2 million). The country spans 11 time zones, explaining why the Trans-Siberian Railway, with a length of 5,772 miles, is the longest railway line in the world. Russia borders a whopping 14 countries, and that number swells to 16 if a couple territories in Georgia are considered independent countries (and 18 if maritime borders with the US and Japan are thrown in).

 

Has Russia made it a priority to be so big?

That does seem to be the case. Ivan the Terrible had a seriously expansionist agenda, extending the Tsardom north, east, and south. Peter the Great and his successors later brought the Empire west. While the Communists weren’t happy with the monarchy, they definitely didn’t mind all the land, extending the USSR further yet. The leaders of modern-day Russia don’t appear too excited about its relatively paltry size, taking little bites out of nearby countries because, well, that’s just what they do.

 

Is Russia part of Europe or Asia?

Both. By convention, the Ural Mountains, which run approximately from north to south through Russia, serve as a natural boundary between the continents—to the west is Europe and to the east is Asia.

 

What is the population of Russia?

The country has around 146 million residents, good for ninth in the world. (About 77 percent of the population lives on the European side.) The largest city and capital, Moscow, has a population of nearly 13 million, making it the largest city entirely within Europe (the more-populated Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia).

 

What languages are spoken in the country?

This isn’t great trivia, but Russian is the official language at the national level. Given the country’s vast footprint, it follows that there are something like 193 ethnic groups throughout the nation, translating into over 100 minority languages, some of which have co-official status with Russian on a regional level.

 

Is religion a big deal in Russia?

During Soviet times, the government actually went out of its way to promote atheism and weaken religious institutions. In current times, the majority of believers identify as Christian (predominantly Orthodox). Islam and other religions are in the mix, though their following is less than that of both undifferentiated believers and atheists.

 

What is Russia’s system of government?

It is called a federal semi-presidential constitutional republic. I don’t exactly know what that means, and it sounds like a rather benign description for a country with one dominant political party that backs what is perceived to be an authoritarian state.

 

What is the standard of living like for a typical Russian?

An imperfect way of answering that question would be to look at GDP per capita, adjusted for purchasing power parity. Russia ends up 74th on such a list, sandwiched between Malaysia and Seychelles.

 

What are some natural resources that give Russia an edge?

Per Wikipedia, Russia has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, the second-largest coal reserves, and the eighth-largest oil reserves, always helpful when it comes to negotiating with countries reliant on those energy sources. Mining is also big business, resulting in the production and export of diamonds, platinum, gold, steel, and a bunch of other stuff. Nontypical Russians (i.e. wealthy oligarchs) have benefited greatly from such endeavors. While perhaps not as economically important, Russia has over a fifth of the world’s forests and is home to Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, larger than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

 

What are some good things that Russia has done?

The list is long, but some highlights include inventing the periodic table, contributing priceless works of literature (think Gogol and Tolstoy) and music (see below), popularizing vodka (is that good?), sending the first person to space (while still the USSR), collaborating on the International Space Station, and just generally dominating science and technology.

 

What are some bad things that Russia has done?

This list is also long—highlights (or lowlights) include manipulating the elections of other countries, imprisoning/poisoning/executing political opponents, doping in international athletic competitions, using the aforementioned technological expertise for nefarious purposes, and invading sovereign nations like Ukraine.

 

Are sports a big deal in Russia?

I’m going to go with a yes. Soccer and ice hockey are undoubtedly popular, and the country has had immense success in gymnastics, figure skating, tennis, and chess. Russia hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics (Moscow), 2014 Winter Olympics (Sochi), and 2018 FIFA World Cup. When viewed as one entity, Russia/USSR has the second most Olympic medals of all time behind the US. Winning is obviously taken seriously—so much so that, as mentioned above, fair play isn’t always prioritized.

 

Do Russians make good music?

Definitely. In addition to some top-notch folk traditions, there were the greats like Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich. And today, along with standard pop and rock, a modern, technology-driven sound has found a home in the country. Here’s an example.

 

What’s the best way to learn more Russian trivia?

I recommend that you watch Rocky IV.