More than the half of the territory of Russia is covered with deep-frozen soil.
Most of Russian waters, rivers and lakes are frozen most of the year.
Northern Siberia is the coldest region of Russia. January temperatures there average below -50F (-46C) and drop below -90F (-68C).
Snow covers more than half of Russia six months a year. Some parts of Siberia receive the heaviest snowfall, up to 4 feet (120 centimeters) a year.
Summers can be quite hot and humid, even in Siberia. A small part of Black Sea coast around Sochi has a subtropical climate.
Because of its vast size Russian climate differs drastically depending on where you are located
More Facts about Russia
May 21, 1872: The birth date of Nadezhda Teffi, known simply as Teffi.
She was a Russian humorist writer.
Teffi is a pseudonym.
Her real name was Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Lokhvitskaya.
Together with Arkady Timofeevich Averchenko she was one of the most prominent authors of the "Satiricon" magazine.
She had to leave Russia after the October Revolution, and died after the decades of immigration in Paris, France.
She is buried at Sainte-Genevive-des-Bois Russian Cemetery in France.
76% of the Russians choose red skiing slopes in the Alps
Temmos, French group of companies conducted a research concerning the behaviour of the European tourists
during winter holidays.
The survey was held during last 3 winter seasons in French skiing resorts had 3 main aspects: skiing, free time and expenses.
It turned out, that the Russians were one of the most imprudent among the Europeans in the Alps.
Only 27% of them wore helmets even though 76% of the tourists preferred red skiing slopes.
The Russian and British tourists turned out to be the most active in visiting clubs and parties:
35% of the Russians and 38% of the British tourists attended parties and discos every day.
As for the expenses, the Russians turned out to be the most generous nation:
they tip at the average for 8% from the bill sum (The British gave 6% and the Germans just 5%).
The Russians also preferred more expensive wine, than the British and German tourists. At the average the Russians were ready to pay 18 Euros for the bottle.
Budding Russian figure-skaters occupied all three podium places in the ladies'
competition at the Junior Grand Prix Finals in Quebec, Canada.
Julia Lipnitskaya skated to a landslide victory of on the night, claiming the gold with 17 points to spare.
Polina Shelepen and Polina Korobeynikova completed the all-Russian podium claiming silver and bronze medals respectively.
76% of the Russians choose red skiing slopes in the Alps
Temmos, French group of companies conducted a research concerning the behaviour of the European tourists
during winter holidays.
The survey was held during last 3 winter seasons in French skiing resorts had 3 main aspects: skiing, free time and expenses.
It turned out, that the Russians were one of the most imprudent among the Europeans in the Alps.
Only 27% of them wore helmets even though 76% of the tourists preferred red skiing slopes.
The Russian and British tourists turned out to be the most active in visiting clubs and parties:
35% of the Russians and 38% of the British tourists attended parties and discos every day.
As for the expenses, the Russians turned out to be the most generous nation:
they tip at the average for 8% from the bill sum (The British gave 6% and the Germans just 5%).
The Russians also preferred more expensive wine, than the British and German tourists. At the average the Russians were ready to pay 18 Euros for the bottle.
Budding Russian figure-skaters occupied all three podium places in the ladies'
competition at the Junior Grand Prix Finals in Quebec, Canada.
Julia Lipnitskaya skated to a landslide victory of on the night, claiming the gold with 17 points to spare.
Polina Shelepen and Polina Korobeynikova completed the all-Russian podium claiming silver and bronze medals respectively.
Russia's Valentina Artemyeva has won gold in the 100-metre breaststroke competition at the European closed-door
swimming championship in Szczecin in Poland.
The Russian women's curling team have won bronze at the home European championships in Moscow, confidently seeing off Denmark on a 13-7 in the third place game on Friday.
Russia were beaten by Scotland in an extra end in the semi-finals, meaning the Danes would be their
test for the last podium spot.
Denmark did come close to leveling matters in the penultimate end,
but the Russians showed their dominance by controlling the last end 5-0 and leaving the final score 13-7.
The third place wrapped up what was only the country's second-ever piece of European silverware.
Russia's Alexandra Chaun has won silver in the 200-metre breaststroke at the European championship
in closed-door swimming in Poland. She clocked 2 minutes and 20.84 seconds.
Cosmonaut Yelena Serova may become the first Russian spacewoman to carry out a space flight
after the collapse of the USSR.
She may go to the international space station (ISS) in 2013. 35-year-old Serova told journalists that she
was always interested in space research.
She said that she had already taken a winter and a desert survival course as well as training
in water according to the programme of the Space Training Centre.
Serova added that her cosmonaut husband and her 9-year-old daughter fully approve of her choice.
Russia swept the team and all-around titles at the 9th Éva Kanyó Memorial, held Saturday and Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.
The competition included all-around award for senior, junior and youth levels, and a combined team event.
Russian world team alternate Alyona Polyan captured the senior women's all-around title over Ukrainians Marina Kostyuchenko and Yevgenia Cherniy. Polyan, who won the floor title at August's University Games, had her best mark on floor with 13.666.
Junior standout Anastasia Sidorova won the junior women's all-around, scoring 14.150 on vault, 13.366 on uneven bars, a meet-high 15.166 on balance beam and 14.066 on floor exercise. Sidorova was a member of Russia's first-place team at the 2010 Junior European Championships in Birmingham.
Maria Bondareva, who turned 12 on Nov. 28, won the youth women's title with scores of 13.433, 13.566, 14.833 and 14.233.
Criminal gang recruiting Russian women for strip clubs busted in U.S.
U.S. federal agents arrested on Thursday 20 members of a criminal gang that allegedly smuggled women
from Russia and Eastern Europe to work at local strip clubs.
Charges brought against the suspected criminals include visa fraud,
marriage fraud and conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants.
The criminal gang is believed to have provided women to owners and operators of strip clubs in Queens and Long Island,
and then charged the clubs "protection" money.
The defendants procured and sent these women false job offers for waitressing
and other positions they would then include on their visa applications, however, once the women arrived in the U.S.,
they worked as exotic dancers at the strip clubs, in violation of visa rules prohibiting employment
in the adult entertainment industry.
