Siberia

Siberia

Land Area
Siberia is a gigantic area of land that stretches from the Ural mountains in the West to the Arctic Ocean in the East. It also stretches from Mongolia from the south to the borders of Kazakhstan in the North. Many great geologic features lay within the area like the Yenisei and the Ob River. The greatest lowland area in the world is also within the Siberia, being the West-Siberian Plain. Lake Baikal is located here being the cleanest and deepest lake in the world. Siberia is home to half of the worlds boreal forest and hosts the largest forest-swamp natural complex in the world. []



Climate
The climate in Siberia varies but stays cold throughout the region year round. Along the North coast this area of land only gets one month of Summer a year. This drives most of the population to live in the South along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The climate in the South is Humid Continental. The Summers in the South are a more regulated 4 months. Summer temperatures only reach above 20 to 38 degrees. the lowest temperatures of all in the area have been recorded in a town called Oymyakon which is located in the East. Oymyakon is the coldest town on earth. The precipitation level in Siberia is low. All the moist winds from the seas flow to high mountains and thats where the small amount of glaciers in the area can be found. []



History
Way back in time, about 500 million years ago Siberia was formed. It was formed by volcanic events so strong that they were also responsible for a time called the Great Dying, which was responsible for killing 90 percent of all existing species at the time. Fast forward and Siberia was occupied with nomads and was conquered by the Mogols in the 13th century. As the dominant Mongol area faded over time and Russia took control in the 17th century. Towns sprouted up in the Siberian area but with scarce population. In the 19th century 1.2 million prisoners were sent to Siberia. The prisonners filled Siberia until the Trans-Siberian railway began to be constructed in 1891. The railway connected Siberia with the more industrialized Russia. This was the beginning of a modern Siberia. []



Religion
Siberia is the locus classcius of shaminsm and polytheism. Religion in Siberia dates back hundreds of years ago. Ak Ana and Anapel are a few Gods that have served polytheistic beleifs in Siberia over time. There are sacred places to embrace some religions in Siberia like Lake Baikal and Olkhon. Religions in the area include Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and forms of Christianity. It is also home to 70,000 Jewish people. Of all the religion found in Siberia, the most popular church is Russian Orthodox. []



Resources/Agriculture
Siberia contains a lot of economy valuable metals. Being very rich in minerals, Siberia has some of the worlds best deposits for coal, gold, silver, diamonds and zinc. There are also many resources for oil and natural gas there. The Siberian area is home to 70 percent of Russias oil. Agriculture is obviously not the greatest due to weather condtions but there is succsess in the Southwest region of Siberia. The soil ther allows farmers to grow potatoes, barley, and wheat. Siberia turns to timber for a succsessful export. Fishing is another way for Siberia to make money. Siberia is home to some of the richest fisheries in the world, producing 10 percent of the worlds fish catch. []