What do you call the area of Russia that stretches between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean from east to west? It reaches as far south as northern Kazakhstan and as far north as the Arctic Ocean. It also borders with Mongolia and China and makes up about 77 percent of Russia’s total landmass. Ironically, with regards to Russia’s total population, this part only accounts for about 40 million people or 27 percent of the total. Bandy, which is Russia’s national sport, is even more popular here than in European Russia. In case you haven’t guessed yet, I am talking about Siberia. What follows are some facts about this great Russian \u201cOutback\u201d that I hope you\u2019ll find entertaining.<\/p>\n
Siberia has a few negative stigmas attached to it that may make it unappealing to some. The most obvious being that it is a very cold, desolate place, one where the Communists used to send “bad people” or those they deemed to be.<\/p>\n
The Trans-Siberian Railway actually takes people from Moscow across Siberia to Vladivostok. Wild dogs, bears, and wolves rule the land and mankind has yet to establish total domination like elsewhere in the world. There is much more to this beautiful land than many of us know. It contains some of the world’s largest deposits of gold, coal, nickel, lead, silver, and diamonds. A plethora of oil and natural gas has also been helping the local and national economy for years.<\/p>\n
Here is a short video about some cool facts about a part of Siberia made by a native:<\/p>\n