Russia and America

by metricpioneer

Россия (Russia) – World War Ally – Cold War Nemesis – Second World Country – Permanent Member of Security Council.

United States of America is large nation occupying almost ten square megameters with handful of mainland time zones. Russia has about twice as many time zones due not only to close proximity to pole but also due to sheer vastness – largest land area on Earth at seventeen square megameters.

Россия

English is main language in United States. Русский (Russian) is main language in Россия (Russia). Some Americans and some Russians speak wide variety of other languages.

English alphabet – twenty-six uppercase and lowercase Latin-script letters – Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

Русский алфавит Russian alphabet – thirty-three uppercase and lowercase Cyrillic-script letters – Аа Бб Вв Гг Дд Ее Ёё Жж Зз Ии Йй Кк Лл Мм Нн Оо Пп Рр Сс Тт Уу Фф Хх Цц Чч Шш Щщ Ъъ Ыы Ьь Ээ Юю Яя

Letters abolished in 1917–18 – Іі Ѳѳ Ѣѣ Ѵѵ and letters abolished before 1750 – Ѕѕ Ѯѯ Ѱѱ Ѡѡ Ѫѫ Ѧѧ Ѭѭ Ѩѩ

American Revolution – political upheaval between 1765 and 1783 – colonists in Thirteen American Colonies reject British monarchy / aristocracy and overthrow authority of Great Britain.

Great Britain

Русская Революция Russian Revolution – pair of revolutions in Russia in 1917 – Russians dismantle Tsarist autocracy – leading to rise of Soviet Union.

Imperial Standard 1700-1858

Flag of Russian Empire 1858-1883

Imperial Standard 1858-1917

Revolution

English dictionaries add гласность glasnost and перестройка perestroika in mid-1980s.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao decide to use Рубль (Ruble) and Yuan – their own national currencies – for bilateral trade instead of US dollar. According to The Diplomat: “The rise of a more politically and militarily assertive Russia and an economically and institutionally ascendant China may be characterized as the two principal forces challenging the United States in global policymaking.”

Ruble Currency Symbol

One Рубль (Ruble) is worth (at time of writing) about two cents. Рубль is subdivided into 100 копеек. Russia converts to decimal currency under Цар Пётр Вели́кий in 1704 thus making Russian ruble first decimal currency on Earth.

1 Ruble Coin

Thomas Jefferson in 1784 proposed decimal currency system with coins for 10 dollars, 1 dollar, 1/10 dollar, and 1/100 dollar. Euro and US dollar and Australian dollar and Canadian dollar all subdivide into 100 cents.

Копе́йка (Kopeck) coins come in denominations of 10 копеек and 50 копеек – 17.5 mm and 19.5 mm diameter, 1.25 mm and 1.5 mm thick, 1.85 g and 2.75 g

kopecks

Рубль (Ruble) coins come in denominations of 1 рубль and 2 рубля and 5 рублей and 10 рублей – 20.5 mm and 23 mm and 25 mm and 22 mm diameter, 1.5 mm and 1.8 mm and 1.8 mm and 2.2 mm thick, 3 g and 5 g and 6 g and 5.63 g

Coin Rubles

Рубль (Ruble) bank notes (150 x 65 mm) come in denominations of 50 рублей and 100 рублей and 500 рублей.

Notes 50-500

Рубль (Ruble) bank notes (157 x 69 mm) also come in denominations of 1000 рублей and 5000 рублей.

Notes 1000-5000

50 рублей = €0,78 = $0.82
100 рублей = €1,57 = $1.64
500 рублей = €7,85 = $8.20
1000 рублей = €15,70 = $16.40
5000 рублей = €78,48 = $82

United States of America is union of fifty states (and Washington DC and some territories) having relatively short history. Russia has long history going back many centuries. Russia is union of eighty-five federal subjects: forty-six областей (oblasts or provinces); twenty-two республиках (republics); nine края́ (krais or territories); four автономный округа́ (autonomous okrugs or districts); one автономная область (autonomous oblast – Евре́йская автоно́мная о́бласть Jewish Autonomous Oblast); and three federal cities (Москва́ Moscow, Санкт-Петербу́рг Saint Petersburg and Севасто́поль Sevastopol).

United States of America shares border with Canada (nearly nine megameters) and with Mexico (three megameters). Россия (Russia) shares border with Europe (five megameters) and with her Caucasus neighbors (one megameter) and nearly fourteen megameters with her Asian neighbors: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. Russian border is nearly twice as long.

Road trip from Salem Oregon to Washington DC is about four and half megameters. Road trip from Москва́ (Moscow) to Владивосток (Vladivostok) is about twice as far – nine megameters.

Governments of both nations struggle to govern large populations, taking advantage of religious inclinations. Both constitutions provide for freedom of speech and press, yet widespread voter suppression in United States (especially South) continues unabated. Arrest, prosecution and detention of members of Pussy Riot is just one example of lack of freedom of speech in Россия.

propaganda

United States Republican Party and Еди́ная Росси́я United Russia Party find it much easier to manipulate and create consensus through propaganda by appealing to religious minds and appeasing religious extremists via anti-LGBT sentiment. Ten largest nations by human population:

Ten Largest Nations

Metric System becomes legal in Россия in 1899 and is adopted 1918 with compulsory metric implementation in 1927.

Metrication in Russia

Metric System becomes legal in 1866 in United States of America but adoption is still incomplete. Americans are still waiting for compulsory metric implementation.

Metrication in United States of America

You can join the American effort to kill the inch! Join your fellow Americans and add your name to the Metrication Pledge Flag.

Metrication Pledge Flag

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