Facts About Russia for Kids

This article contains some interesting facts about Russia that children or students might find interesting.

Hopefully it will provide some inspiration for teachers too!

Russian History

The Russian Empire

From 1721 until 1917, Russia was an empire, ruled by the Russian Tsars. The family name of the Tsars was the Romanovs. You can read more about the Romanovs in our article Who Were the Romanovs?

The Romanov Family

The Russian Royal Family

The last Russian Tsar was Nicholas II. He abdicated in February 1917, and a Provisional Government ruled Russia until the Bolshevik Revolution in October 1917 that led to the formation of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union

From 1917 until 1991, Russia was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union. Famous leaders of the Soviet Union include Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Russian Democracy

Today, Russia is a democracy, although it is often criticised for being not very democratic at times. Since 1991, Russia has had three Presidents – Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

Russian Geography

Russia is the largest country in the world

The size of Russia is 17,075,400 square kilometres. From east to west, the Russia is 8,000km long, making it also the longest country in the world. Russia is so long that it has nine time zones.

Map of Russian Time Zones

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake

At it’s deepest, Lake Baikal is 1,642 metres deep. It is also the oldest lake in the world. Lake Baikal is in Siberia, near the city of Irkutsk.

Russia is the coldest country in the world

The lowest temperature ever recorded in the world was −71.2°C (−96.2 °F). It was recorded in Russia, in the towns of Verkhoyansk and in Oymyakon, which both jointly hold the record of the world’s coldest place.

Russian Population

There are more than 141 million people in Russia today. This makes Russia the 9th largest country in the world.

Famous Russians

Ded Moroz - Russian Father Christmas

Grandfather Frost

The Russian Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) is called Grandfather Frost. In Russian, he is called Ded Moroz. Instead of bringing presents on Christmas Eve, Grandfather Frost brings presents on New Year’s Eve.

Garry Kasparov

The most famous, and probably the best chess player ever to live, Garry Kasparov was the youngest world champion in history. When he won his first world title in 1985, Kasparov was just 22 years old.

Vladimir Putin

Russia’s second President is now its Prime Minister. His critics accuse him of being an authoritarian, and not supporting democracy in Russia.

Alexander Pushkin

If you ask any Russian who is the greatest poet, they will tell you it is Pushkin. Famous for his romantic nature, Pushkin was killed in a duel in 1837.

More Russia Facts

If you enjoyed these Russian facts for kids be sure to check out our other Russia facts articles, many of which are listed below.