August 18, 2021

What's in a Name?


What's in a Name?
Surprising to some, Russia is way more than just Moscow!  Photo by Marjan Blan via Unsplash

We all already know that Russia is full of so many weird and wonderful places, but Yandex.Maps most recent study of their database has given us an even deeper appreciation for all the different places one can visit within the giant country herself. 

The report begins by discussing the different types of municipalities in Russia. Of all the different places listed in Russia, less than 1.5% of them represented cities or suburban-type settlements. The rest of the 98.5% of Russia is a combination of various village types. Some specific types of villages can only be found in certain regions, such as auls in the Caucasus and South Siberian region.  

Most interestingly, the report also took stock of different municipality names. There were a total of 82,000 unique place names in all of Russia, the most common of which was Alexandrovka (unsurprisingly), with a total representation of separate 333 locations. 

Some rather amusing place names only occur once on the map, such as (in translation) Big Peas, Good Bees, or Meringue (unfortunately no New York though).  They also named the place with the most letters (and no hyphens or spaces to separate them). Measuring in at a whopping 23 letters in Russian, Verkhnenovokutlumbetyevo takes the title (and no, don't ask us to pronounce that, please). 

Much easier to type into your GPS are the two-letter named places in Russia, of which the country has many, including several Yams and Yars (spelled with two letters in Russian). In Russia, there are settlements that begin with every letter of the alphabet, except of course for the hard and soft signs. Most frequently, places begin with the letter K and least frequently, the letters that make the vowel sounds for Y (in Cyrillic Ы) and the short I (in Cyrillic Й).

The study also took the time to show us how to get to and from some of these more unusual, yet somehow related places. For instance, you can easily find the route from Ordinary to Happy Life with the help of Yandex.Maps. Alternately, it can take you from Big Grief to Consolation, or if you are feeling really adventurous, from the Moon to Mars

 

You Might Also Like

Locating Lotuses
  • July 26, 2021

Locating Lotuses

Did you know that wild lotus flowers are native to Russia? Well, here's an interactive map of where to find them in the Astrakhan region.  
Regions Measure Up
  • February 23, 2021

Regions Measure Up

RIA Novosti's annual survey, ranking each Russian region by residents' quality of life, has some not-so-surprising results.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955