Siberia

Siberia, vast, indefinite area of land (about 2.9 million sq km/7.5 million sq km) in northern Russia between the Ural Mountains in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east, forming most of the Russian Republic. The landscape varies from the Arctic tundra to the great forest zone in the south and the steppes in the west. Summers are mild in most parts, winters extremely severe (as low as −90° F/−67.8° C in some parts). Most of the people are Russian or Ukrainians; Yakuts, Buryats, and Tuvans form autonomous republics. The largest cities are Novosibirsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Novokuznetsk. Siberia has rich natural resources—farmland, forests, fisheries, natural gas, and such minerals as coal, iron ore, tungsten, and gold. Industrial centers have developed in the regions of Krasnoyarsk and Lake Baikal (the world's deepest lake), and one of the world's largest hydroelectric plants is near Bratsk. Siberia was inhabited in prehistoric times. Russians conquered much of Siberia by 1598. Political prisoners were first sent to Siberia in 1710 and forced-labor camps still exist. The Trans-Siberian Railroad (completed 1905) led to large-scale colonization and economic development. There are now a number of large industrial centers. A pipeline has been placed in order to transport natural gas to Western Europe.

See also: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.