Siberia is a region covering the vast lands between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, has a surface area of โโapproximately 13 million kmยฒ and around 30 million people live here. There is the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Manchuria in the south, and the Ural Mountains in the west.
Geographically, the region is divided into three main parts: Western Siberia, Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Western Siberia is located in the area between the Urals and the Yenisei River and is the most densely populated, most developed part of the region. Here, a huge low plateau of 2.5 million kmยฒ extends; This plateau is considered one of the largest plateaus in the world. The region has generally flat terrain; Omsk, for example, sits just 82 meters above sea level, while the Altai Mountains rise to the southeast and have their highest point at around 4620 metres.
The climate is continental; Winters are extremely cold, summers have a large temperature difference, the average January in Tomsk is around -21ยฐC and under snow usually lasts for six months.
In the natural environment, tundra in the north, coniferous forests (taiga) underneath, and various steppes around the Altai Mountains in the south are seen. These forests make up two-thirds of the Western Siberian plateau, and the region is home to Russia's rich natural resources such as coal, iron ore, oil, natural gas and timber.
The Altai Mountains are the source of the Ob and Irtysh rivers; These rivers feed the Kuznetsk Basin and form the heart of the region's coal mining and iron and steel industry.
Economically, Western Siberia exhibits a structure based on agriculture and industry. Coal production is approximately 100 million tons per year; At the same time, products such as wheat, oats, potatoes, sugar beets and sunflowers are planted. Cattle and sheep breeding and milk production have an important place in the Altai region.
The railways connecting the region are the Southern Siberian and Central Siberian lines, especially the Trans-Siberian Railway; Additionally, the waterway can be used during periods when the Ob and Irtysh rivers are melting.