Special Sub-Topic: From Russia with Love Click Here To Play: From Russia with Love

Russia covers one eighth of the world's total land area. What is that in square miles?

6,592,000. At just over six and a half million square miles, Russia is nearly double the size of Canada in second place.

How many time zones does Russia span?

11. Spanning across the whole of Northern Asia and 40% of Europe, there are eleven time zones in total. When it is midday in London, it is 3.00 pm in Krasnodar Krai in the West and 2.00 am in Kamchatka in the Far East.

How much of the world's fresh unfrozen water is found within the Russian Federation?

25%. The (mainly) unspoilt Russian wilderness contains thousands of lakes and rivers including Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake on the planet. It holds more water than all five North American Great Lakes put together.

How many other countries share a land border with Russia?

14. Let's go clockwise here, North Korea, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Norway.

The Trans-Siberian railway runs from Saint Petersburg in the West to Vladivostok in the East. What does the name Vladivostok mean?

Rule the east. The City of Vladivostok was founded as a naval outpost in 1859. The name comes from the Russian "vladet" meaning “to possess” and "vostok" meaning “East”. Under Soviet rule it was the home base for the Pacific fleet and was closed to all foreigners.

What is the highest point in Russia?

Mount Elbrus. Mount Elbrus at 18,510 feet is not only the highest point in Russia, but also Europe's tallest peak. It is situated in the Western Caucasus Mountains near the border with Georgia and is actually a dormant strato-volcano.

What is the name of the belt of coniferous forest that extends from the Finnish border into northern Siberia?

Taiga. The Taiga is the world's largest forest region, roughly the size of the continental United States. Tundra is to the north where only mosses, lichens and dwarf willow grow due to the cold and dark winters. The steppe is to the south and is a treeless grassland where Russia grows most of her grains. Norilsk is a city north of the Arctic Circle.

Which is the longest river in Russia that flows into the Pacific Ocean?

Amur. The Amur River flows across North East Asia for over 2,700 miles. It forms most of the border between eastern China and the Russian Far East.

What are Okrugs, Krais, and Oblasts?

Administrative units. Russia is a federation consisting of 83 separate units. Okrugs are autonomous districts, Oblasts are provinces, and Krais are territories. The designation affects the autonomy of the region.

The longest river in Europe, the Volga, unsurprisingly forms the largest estuary in Europe when it flows into which body of water?

Caspian Sea. The Volga is almost 2,300 miles long and is the most important river in Russia. It is joined by canals that can connect ocean going vessels with the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Sea of Azov, White Sea, the Don River, and the Moscow Canal.