Famous for its harsh winters and vast landscapes, Siberia is located to the east of Russia’s Ural mountains. Occupying Northern Asia and stretching for an area of more than 5 million square miles. Siberia is among the least discovered corners of planet Earth. Boasting gorgeous nature and unique towns. Besides its vast size, those who travel Siberia are always impressed with its endless hiking opportunities. And dozens of landmarks that are worthy to discover. A total of 130 cities are part of the Siberian Federal District, dotted from the Ural Mountains in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north to China. Mongolia and Kazakhstan to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the east. We have put together some Interesting facts about Siberia you probably didn’t know.
Interesting facts about Siberia:
- The size of Siberia is 9,734 thousand square km. This is 57% of the whole of Russia. By its surface area, Siberia is only comparable with Canada, which is the second-largest country in the world.
- In Siberia, there is a unique Lake Baikal. The size of Lake Baikal is about equal to the square area of the Netherlands. It is the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
- At around 13 million square kilometers (5.1 million square miles). Siberia makes up three-quarters of all Russian territory and almost ten percent of Earth’s land surface.
- Siberia is associated with harshly cold temperatures. But the weather isn’t cold year-round. During Siberian winters, the temperature can reach lows of –94°F (–70°C).
- Summers are warm across Siberia, with some parts of Western Siberia reaching highs of 95°F (35°C).
- A deep hole drilled in Siberia became widely known as the “Well to Hell” when religious media purported that screams of the damned were recorded in its depths.
- Great Vasyugan Swamp is the largest swamp system in the northern hemisphere of the planet. It is located in the heart of the West Siberian Plain and it is a geographical phenomenon in the sense of an unusually wide distribution of swamps.
- Early humans lived in Siberia as far back as 125,000 years ago.
- The majority of Russian crude oil and natural gas comes from Western Siberia, where natural reserves spread over more than 2 million square kilometers. Russia is one of the world’s largest natural gas exporters because of its Siberian territories.
- The Trans-Siberian Railway Network, which connects Moscow and Vladivostok, is 5,771 miles (9,288.2 kilometers) in length. The journey lasts 6 nights and 7 days, with 10-20 minute stops at each station.
Fun facts about Siberia:
- Siberian husky, a gorgeous blue-eyed fur ball that is well-known for its resilient and whimsical temperament, used as a sled dog was initially labeled as “The Siberian Rat” because it seemed tiny next to their Alaskan Malamutes.
- A recent discovery in Siberia proposed a brand new type of humans – the Denisovans. The very first DNA sample was derived from the Denisov cave in Siberia in 2010 and was extracted from a fragment of a finer bone that belonged to a young girl. Since then new bones have been found in the area, giving scientists more research material. What differs Denisovan humans from Neanderthals and present-day humans are the sequence and structure of the nucleotide molecules in the mitochondrial DNA.
- Permafrost is a notable feature of most Siberian mountains. The continuous permafrost lasts all year round and covers around 255 square kilometers (or 98 square miles) of all of Siberia.
- Climate warming reduces the size of the permafrost in Siberia. Inside permafrost, there is the strongest greenhouse gas – methane.
- The majority of Russian crude oil and natural gas comes from Western Siberia, where natural reserves spread over more than 2 million square kilometers. Russia is one of the world’s largest natural gas exporters because of its Siberian territories.
- Indigenous Siberians are distinguished by strong health and remarkable strength. Strong immunity is facilitated by natural conditions and hardening – the Siberians have always been popular with walrus. Endurance Siberians amaze imagination. It is known that one man accidentally fell out of the train into a 45-degree frost. 7 km a resident of Bratsk in one t-shirt and slaps ran along the tracks to the nearest station. He not only ran to the station but did not even get sick.
Historic facts about Siberia:
- In Siberia was found a site of the ancient people from Paleolithic Karama. They lived in these places in the period of 1,000,000 – 800,000 years ago. In that time Siberia had a favorable climate. Genetic analysis showed that the Asian species Homo erectus could reliably be an ancestor of a modern man.
- Wolly mammoths, monstrous furry creatures with the size of present-day elephants used to roam the planet Earth. Numerous remains of woolly mammoths are found on the Siberian soil.
- Tunguska meteorite. June 30, 1908, in the area of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, which flows along the Central Siberian plateau, a meteorite fell. The power of the explosion is estimated at 40-50 megatons, which corresponds to the energy of the most powerful of the blown hydrogen bombs.
- The Tunguska Event, an explosion in Siberia in 1908, was 1,000 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, wiped out 80 million trees, and may have killed a total of 2 people.
- All Siberian rivers belong to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The largest rivers of Siberia are the Angara, Yenisei, Ob, Irtysh, Lena, Amur.
I hope I have satisfied you enough with Interesting facts about Siberia. You must have enjoyed riding through this winter land. For more such articles visit our official website Fajar Magazine.