Siberia, Russia

The settlement of Siberia started in 1590. Siberia is a land of mysteries, paradoxes, scary stories and crystal clear divine nature.

Why Siberia is called Siberia?
What is the meaning of the word “Siberia”? Some scholars derive the word “Siberia” from the Mongolian Shaver (swamp), others associate the word with the name of “Sabirs” – the people who once inhabited the steppe of Western Siberia. The spreading of the name for the entire territory of Siberia, was due to the Russian advance in the late 16th century.

How big is Siberia?
The area of Siberia is 12.6 million square kilometers, 73.6% of all territory of Russia. What is it like? Imagine the area of 25 Frances, for example.

When was Siberia founded?
If you read somewhere that 14 March 1583 Ermak conquered Siberia in 1 day, do not be surprised. It’s true. Siberia is the second name of the city Isker, the capital of the Siberian Khanate.

Lake Baikal in Siberia
Among all top places to visit in Russia, Lake Baikal is surely in Top 10. The area of Lake Baikal in Siberia is 31.7 square kilometers, which is almost equal to the area of the Belgium. It is the deepest freshwater lake in the world. The water in the lake is very clear. About 20% of the world’s fresh water (excluding glaciers) is the water of Lake Baikal. More than 2000 earthquakes occur around Baikal annually.

Lena River in Siberia
The Lena River, which stands on the banks of the city of Yakutsk is the fourth in the world in length and the world’s second largest delta.

Tunguska meteorite
Devices all around the world recorded the phenomenon, but… At the site of the Tunguska meteorite there is no crater. The meteorite itself was never found…

Biggest swamp in the world
Siberia is home to the largest swamp in the world – Vasyugan swamp. 20% wider than the whole of Switzerland. There are more than 800 lakes within the bounds of Vasyugan swamp. This swamp contains the world’s largest deposits of peat.

Diamond Land
Yakutia is a land of diamonds. It produces around a quarter of all diamonds in the world, and the purity of the Yakut diamonds is valued much higher than most others. The most expensive diamond brooch “Bouquet” is located in the Diamond Fund in Yakutia. Decorated with 47 diamonds and pearls, brooch weights 35.32 g and is valued at about 7 million. rubles.

Always winter in Russia?
Permafrost occupies more than a quarter of the total land area of the planet Earth.
The territory of Russia is 65% occupied by permafrost, mostly in the areas of Eastern Siberia and Trans-Baikal. The greatest depth of the frost was recorded in Yakutia, on the river Viluy – 1370 meters.
Gradually, the permafrost has moved south and covered the whole territory of Yakutia. Geological data show that the age of permafrost in Central Yakutia is 1 million years. You can literally touch the permafrost in a unique complex of “The Kingdom of Permafrost”.

Population of Siberia
Siberian population is about 20 million people. Ethnically, the bulk of the population are Russians, but this area is also home to many other ethnic groups and nationalities, such as the Buryats, Dolgan, Nenets, Komi, Khakassia, Chukchi, Evenks, Yakuts, and others.

The biggest cities in Siberia
The largest cities of Siberia are Novosibirsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk. Biggest cities: Tyumen, Barnaul, Irkutsk, Novokuznetsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Ulan-Ude.

Lakes and rivers of Siberia
All Siberian rivers belong to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The largest rivers of Siberia are the Angara, Yenisei, Ob, Irtysh, Lena, Amur. The largest lakes are Lake Baikal, Taimyr and Uvs Nuur.
Lena and Yenisey are among the ten largest rivers in the world. Lena has the of length of 4.5 thousand km