Requested by Bea

Russian Fact 1 (May 4–May 10, 2008)

Siberia is a horrible place to live.  It is largely permafrost, but also subject to flooding in the spring and forest fires in the summer and fall—not to mention, of course, its legendary winters.

Russian Fact 2 (May 11–May 17, 2008)

Russia is almost twice the size of the United States, and yet, the farmable land in the country only amounts to something about twice the size of California.

Russian Fact 3 (May 18–May 24, 2008)

There are more than 1,000 phone companies in Russia.

Russian Fact 4 (May 25–May 31, 2008)

The Kaliningrad-Oblast is the part of Russia on the Baltic Sea, bordering Lithuania and Poland.  It’s the home of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg, making it famous among mathematicians as the birthplace of graph theory.