Siberia is a large territory located in the North-East of Eurasia. In the West, it is limited by the Ural Range, and in the East it reaches the Pacific Ocean. In Siberia, you can find many natural areas - from arctic deserts to taiga and deciduous forests.
Siberia unites several natural zones at once. In geography, it is customary to distinguish Western and Eastern Siberia. Western Siberia runs from the Urals to the Yenisei, and Eastern - from the Yenisei to the Pacific Ocean.
Western Siberia
The area of Western Siberia is about 2.5 thousand square kilometers. Every tenth Russian lives here. Most of Western Siberia is located on the West Siberian Plain. The climate here is of the continental type. In winter, there are bitter frosts in Western Siberia, and the temperature of the warmest summer month can reach +35 degrees.
This region is divided from north to south into several natural zones. Closer to the Arctic Ocean is the tundra zone, followed by the forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppe zone and steppe.
The forest zone of Western Siberia is heavily swampy. Here is one of the largest bogs on the continent, which is called the "Vasyugan swamps". The Vasyugan swamps are larger than Switzerland and stretch from west to east for more than 570 kilometers.
Eastern Siberia
Eastern Siberia is located in the Asian territory of our country. Its area is over 4 million square kilometers. The taiga zone is mainly located here. In the north of Eastern Siberia, there is a small area occupied by forest-tundra.
Permafrost is typical for Eastern Siberia. There is an ice stratum under the soil layer, which has not melted for years and even millennia. The climate in Eastern Siberia is sharply continental. Compared to Western Siberia, less precipitation falls here, so in winter the thickness of the snow cover is relatively small.
Eastern Siberia also consists of several natural zones. Here you can find arctic deserts, deciduous forests, taiga and steppes.
The northern regions of this part of Siberia are distinguished by long and cold winters. In February, the thermometer here often drops to -50 degrees. Summer is, on the contrary, very hot. Closer to the Pacific Ocean, the climate of Eastern Siberia becomes temperate. Thanks to the southerly wind blowing from the ocean, unique natural conditions have been formed here. There are many endemic plants and rare species of animals.
The forests of Eastern Siberia account for almost 50% of all forest resources in the Russian Federation. As a rule, they are represented by conifers - pine, larch, cedar, fir.
