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

Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, 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