Russian
Language
Which countries speak Russian?
Russian is the official language of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. It is also spoken as a native language by part of the population in twelve other countries, including Ukraine, Estonia, Finland, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, and parts of China.
What is the total number of Russian speakers globally?
Russian is a global language, spoken by approximately 265 million people worldwide.
What is the origin of Russian?
Russian is descended from Old Slavic (Old Russian), spoken in the medieval empire of Kievan Rus.
What languages is Russian related to?
Russian is an Indo-European language closely related to Ukrainian and Belarusian. Additionally, Russian shares numerous similarities in grammar and vocabulary with other Slavic languages, such as Polish, Croatian, Serbian, and Czech.
Is Russian a challenging language to learn?
Russian is considered to be one of the most challenging languages in the world, along with Mandarin (Chinese), Finnish, and Arabic. It is estimated to take approximately 1,100 hours to become reasonably proficient in Russian.
Why is Russian difficult to learn?
Russian has complex grammar and challenging pronunciation. In addition, the Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet with sounds unusual or unfamiliar to a native German speaker, for example „Ы“ or „Ж„.
What alphabet does Russian use?
The Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet consisting of 33 letters.
What are the peculiarities of Russian?
Russian comprises approximately 200,000 words and is the most widely spoken language in Eurasia. Additionally, Russian is known as the language of space. It’s noteworthy that stress on a word can alter its entire meaning.
What dialects of Russian are there?
There are three dialects in Russian: Central, Northern, and Southern. However, the differences between the dialects are minimal, so all dialect speakers can understand each other.
Economy
What does Russia export?
Russia’s main exports are crude oil and natural gas, as well as precious stones, metals including silver, gold, and aluminum, and diamonds.
What is Russia's GDP?
In 2022, Russia’s GDP reached 2.22 trillion USD.
How stable is the Russian economy?
Russia’s GDP decreased by 2.1% in 2022. According to forecasts, the Russian economy is expected to further decline.
Mentality
What defines Russian culture?
Russian culture is diverse. It is expressed through multi-faceted literature, a rich history of the Russian world, contributions from Russian actors and presidents as well as Orthodox churches.
What are public holidays in Russia?
Russia observes eleven public holidays, with the most notable being May 9th (Victory Day in commemoration of the victory over the Nazis in 1945), June 12th (Russia Day), November 4th (People’s Unity Day), and December 31st (New Year’s Eve).
What are the significant customs in Russia?
New Year is celebrated on the 1st of January, with Father Frost and Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden) bringing gifts to children. Easter in Russia is one of the most important holidays and is celebrated with customs like egg dyeing or baking kulich (round bread). Another regular tradition is the banya (steam bath), which involves using bundles of birch or oak branches.
What are the traditional dishes in Russia?
The most famous national dish of Russia is pelmeni (stuffed dumplings with minced meat). Other typical dishes are blini (pancakes), syrniki (cottage cheese patties) or Olivie salad (a salad composed of potatoes, vegetables, and meat, with mayonnaise).
Are other languages spoken in Russia?
Apart from Russian, about one hundred other languages are spoken in Russia. These include Tatar, Chechen, Bashkir, Avar, and Karelian.
Population
What is the population of Russia?
The estimated population of Russia is 143.4 million people.
What indigenous peoples live in Russia?
About thirty different ethnic groups live in Siberia, including the Khanty, Mansi, Evenks, Chukchi, and Nenets.
What is the capital of Russia?
The capital of Russia is Moscow.