The following “Extraordinary Facts About Russia” reveals why this is the one country on Earth that never fails to surprise us with its incredible antics. From blatant displays of domination, to bending the rules, to indescribable discoveries and inventions, Mother Russia has seems to have a wide variety of astonishing tricks up her sleeve. The list below documents fifteen unbelievable but true facts about Russia that are absolutely bewildering:

15 In Russia, there is a town named Verkhoyansk where 1,311 people live. This town has recorded a lowest temperature of −69.8 °C (−93.6 °F). It was also once attacked by a pack of 400 wolves

There is a Russian town, Verkhoyansk, which has a population of 1,311 and average monthly temperature that ranges from −45.4 °C (−49.7 °F) in January to +16.5 °C (61.7 °F) in July. Also this town was attacked by a monstrous pack of 400 wolves in the year 2012. (Source)

14 In Russia, rich people can travel in “Ambulance Taxis” laden with high-end furniture and TV’s to beat city traffic. These rides cost more than $200 per hour

In Russia, the wealthy can hire fake ambulances, known as “Ambulance taxis”, to avoid city traffic. These fake ambulances contain high-end sofas and flat-screen TV’s instead of medical equipment. The ambulance rides can cost as much as 6,000 roubles ($200) per hour. These exclusive and fraudulent services were exposed after one such vehicle fitted with a high-class interior was stopped for breaking traffic laws. (Source)

13 Russia’s most dangerous prisons have Caucasian Mountain Shepherd dogs as prison guards; These dogs are 6-feet tall with a weight of 200 lbs, and have the stopping power of a .45 caliber gun

Some of the most maximum security Russian prisons use Caucasian Mountain Shepherd as guard dogs. They weigh up to 200 lbs, stand 6-feet tall and are said to have the stopping power of a .45 caliber handgun, according to a National Geographic documentary. These dogs have an uncanny ability of being able to distinguish between real threats and harmless interference, in addition to being known for their robustness, daring and alertness. These animals are deemed “extreme”, with explosive aggression. (Source)

12 A borehole was dug in 1989 by the Russian government that penetrated 40,230 feet into the Earth’s crust; This, by far, is the deepest borehole in the world, and it is known as “Kola Superdeep Borehole”

In the 1970’s, the Russians began digging a hole through the Earth’s crust. The drilling was stopped at 40,230 feet in 1989 due to higher-than-expected temperature of the bedrock that was as much as 180 °C (356 °F) instead of expected 100 °C (212 °F). The project was closed down in late 2006 because of a lack of funding. All the drilling and research equipment was scrapped. The site has been abandoned since 2008. Today, the Kola Superdeep Borehole remains the deepest artificial point, as well as the deepest borehole on Earth. (Source)

11 In the 1990’s, first McDonald’s store was opened in Soviet Russia. The Russian workers had to be specially trained on how to smile for the customers.

In the 1990’s McDonald’s opened its first store in Soviet Russia. and the Russian workers had to be taught how to smile and to be cheerful. It is widely known that Russians rarely smile as consistently smiling is deemed to be “insincere”, although a lot of businessmen in Russia have now proposed to adopt the “American” style of courtesy. (Source)