Geography and geology of Siberia

With an area of over 9,653,000 km2, Siberia makes up roughly three-quarters of the total area of Russia . If Siberia were to secede from Russia , it would be the world's second-largest country, with only Canada being larger. Major geographical zones, include the West Siberian Plain and the Central Siberian Plateau.

The West Siberian Plain consists mostly of Cenozoic alluvial deposits and is extraordinarily flat, so much so that a rise of fifty meters in sea level would cause all land between the Arctic Ocean and Novosibirsk to be inundated. Many of the deposits on this plain result from ice dams; having reversed the flow of the Ob and Yenisei Rivers , so redirecting them into the Caspian Sea (perhaps the Aral as well). It is very swampy and soils are mostly peaty Histosols and, in the treeless northern part, Histels. In the south of the plain, where permafrost is largely absent, rich grasslands that are an extension of the Kazakh steppe formed the original vegetation (almost all cleared now).

The Central Siberian Plateau is an extremely ancient craton (sometimes called Angaraland) that formed an independent continent before the Permian (see Siberia (continent)). It is exceptionally rich in minerals, containing large deposits of gold, diamonds, and ores of manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum. Only the extreme northwest was glaciated during the Quaternary, but almost all is under exceptionally deep permafrost and the only tree that can thrive, despite the warm summers, is the deciduous Siberian Larch (Larix sibirica) with its very shallow roots. Soils here are mainly Turbels, giving way to Spodosols where the active layer becomes thicker and the ice content lower. Eastern and central Sakha comprise numerous north-south mountain ranges of various ages. These mountains extend up to almost three thousand meters in elevation, but above a few hundred metres they are devoid of vegetation to an extraordinary degree. The Verkhoyansk Range was extensively glaciated in the Pleistocene, but the climate was too dry for glaciation to extend to low elevations. At these low elevations are numerous valleys, many of them deep, and covered with larch forest except in the extreme north, where tundra dominates. Soils are mainly Turbels and the active layer tends to be less than a meters deep except near rivers.

People of Siberia

There are over 120 nationalities currenlty inhabiting Siberia , among which are such unique nations as Keto (700 people), Ngasany (800 people), Entsy (200 people) and many others . The Keto are the most exotic ,their language sounds similar to that of the Basque, North American Indians, and the Caucasus .

*Recent findings indicate that nomadic groups, such as Huns ,Mongols, and Manchus, who conquered and then lost immense empires, inhabited southern parts of the region as early as 300,000 years ago. Russia 's conquest of the Tatar khanate of Sibir in 1581 opened a new page in the Russian history; it was the beginning of the new Empire – the Russian empire. At the end of the 16th century Russia officially added to its territory new lands of Western and Eastern Siberia and settlement was initiated by groups of zemleprokhodtsy (literally, crossers of land), who came mostly from European Russia to pioneer new forts and trading communities. The development of the region has passed through three major stages since the late 16th century: hunting, agrarian and industrial. In the mid-17th century some 145 thousand sable were trapped annually. Silver, lead, and copper mining began around 1700, followed later by intensive gold mining.

History of Siberia

Siberia was occupied by differing groups of nomads such as the Yenets, the Nenets the Huns and the Uyghurs The Khan of Sibir in the vicinity of modern Tobolsk was known as a prominent figure who endorsed Kubrat as Khagan in Avaria in 630. The area was conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century and eventually became the autonomous Siberian Khanate

The growing power of Russia to the east began to undermine the Khanate in the 16th century First groups of traders and Cossacks began to enter the area, and then the imperial army began to set up forts further and further east. The towns like Mangazeya Tara Yeniseysk and Tobolsk sprang up, the latter being declared the capital of Siberia . By the mid-17th century , the Russian-controlled areas had been extended to the Pacific .

Siberia remained a mostly unexplored and uninhabited area. During the following few centuries, only a few exploratory missions and traders inhabited Siberia . From the early 17th century, Eastern Siberia was used as a penal colony and a place of exile for political prisoners. Among the Old Believers and the GULAG archipelago exiles there was one event that deserves special attention – the Decembrist Conspiracy of 1825. After Napoleon was defeated in 1812, during the reign of Alexander I, secret societies sprang up throughout the country calling for the abolition of serfdom. One of these movements, a group of dissatisfied nobles known as the Decembrists, also petitioned for the end of autocracy. On 14 December 1825, they marched into Senate Square in the city of St. Petersburg with soldiers who had refused to swear allegiance to the new Tsar, Nicholas I. The uprising was crushed within a few hours and the conspirators immediately hanged or sent to Siberia . The spouses, who decided to follow, had to give up social ranks and nobility privileges in exchange for permission to accompany their husbands.

The settlement of Eastern Siberia on a large scale began only with the construction (1892-1905) of the Trans-Siberian railroad. In the late sixties through the seventies, it was expanded by the Baikal-Amur Magistrate (BAM) railroad, later including the Severo-Myisky tunnel - the longest ever built in Russia and second in the world. It was finally completed in 2001 after more than 15 years of struggle with the Baikal Mountains .

*Courtesy of Wikipedia

Khabarovsk (about 8000 km, after 5 days

A city located on Amur river , China is just on the other shore. A nice and friendly town, and an important break from the train journey as well.

Vladivostok (about 9200 km, after 6 days)

Vladivostok is a small provincial town, and it wouldn't be interesting at all, if it wasn't one of the most important strategic centers of Russia (and, perhaps, political and social center of Far East ).
For a traveler, it's hard to continue the trip from Vladivostok - there are only occasional and quite expensive flights to Tokyo - Japan , Seattle - USA , Seoul - South Korea . Few ferries to Japan are unreliable and unsteady. All those options are quite expensive too (about $500 US for a one-way flight). So be prepared to go back by train in the same direction you've arrived.

Types of Trains:

There are 3 classes of trains in Russia :

1st class – 2-berth compartment, either one berth over the other or one berth opposite the other separated by a table

2nd class – 4-berth compartment ( one over the other)

3rd class – no compartments just many berths in one car ("platzcart").

There are no 3rd class carriages in the trains with routes: Moscow - Vladivostok , Moscow - Ulan-Bataar, and Moscow - Beijing , so if you want the 3rd class train, you can only take trains that go between Russian cities. Note, it's very hard to buy the 1st class ticket in the summer, so buy your tickets ahead of time!

Luggage: There is plenty of space to keep your luggage in the compartment, either in an overhead storage area, or under the bed. We advise to keep the luggage under your bed for security purposes. It's your right to have luggage under your bed: if it's already filled you can ask people to clear the space.

Toilets & Showers:

There are two toilets at each end of the carriage with a WC and a sink. In better, more modern trains the toilets are quite clean, but most of the time they aren't/ Our advise is to have sanitary towels with you.
There are no showers in most trains !!! (showers are provided in every compartment only in the 1st class, train #3 and #4, and in a separate carriage in some trains for extra payment - about 30 R ($1)).
The compartments themselves are being washed, and vacuum-cleaned on regular basis so they tend to be tidy (but that is on "good" trains only -).
Food : There are always restaurants in Russian trains, but the quality of the food and high prices keep people away.Almost on every station local people sell inexpensive and nice home-made food, so you won't be hungry. It's a good idea to pack dome dry food lie cereal, pretzels, etc. for breakfast.. We highly recommend buying “pirozhki” form the local babushkas on the train stations .
Money: Payments on board of the train are made in local currency only., sometimes the US $ is also accepted, but not at the restaurant. You may be able to change US dollars in the train (conductor will do it or will find a dealer for you), but the exchange rates are low so it's better to have some local currency (Russia - roubles, China - yuans, Mongolia - tugriks) and the whole sum in US dollars. Dollars are very easy to exchange in Russia , Mongolia or China .

Tips & Safety:

Russian Trains are actually more secure than most streets of the cities. There are few people around and they have no chance to escape. Just behave yourself and it'll be ok. There are local policeman around at most of the trains, so should there be a problem o you can ask a conductor to call them. If there are no policemen on the train, they will most definitely be at the next station. If you have a problem with a conductor, go to the train-master who is usually in a compartment in carriage #0.

Be careful hopping off and on . The trains along Trans Siberian stop for 5 to 20 minutes. If you decide to go outside, be careful: you may miss the train, which never

Keep Busy The journey from Moscow to Beijing lasts for 6 days, so as much time there is for personal reflection, there is also more than enough time to get bored. Your neighbors might save you with some vodka and pickles , but come prepared: bring a book, something to write on, music and other sources of entertainment.

Food Russian people usually bring some food with them, and buy some at the stops. What they traditionally bring is hard-boiled eggs, salted cucumbers, bread, dried cakes such as ‘Suckaris', and sausage ‘colbasa'. On the stops they buy boiled potatoes, more eggs, some colabasa and lots of fresh vegetables (Delicious!) Many old Babushkas living in the cities where the Trans-Siberian train stops prepare fresh food before each halt. It's a decent source of income for them , and what they prepare is almost always frech and very tasty! Our recommendation is to try traditional Russian ‘Pirozhki' ( cakes filled meat , cottage cheese or vegetables)Tea is a traditional Trans-Siberian train beverage. There is a special cup, specific for the train: a glass slipped inside a metallic holder . One can always ask for tea from the provodnik, Also, conductor usually sells some snacks (chips, chocolate bars) and soft drinks (water, cola, beers).

Emergency : If you need help cry: "Pozhar!" (Fire!), that will get everyones attention

First Aid . There's only one in the train, the train-master has it (his compartment is usually in the #0 carriage just after the conductor's one). Doctors are available only at the stations.

Alcohol . Be careful with drinking with your neighbors and what not. The vodka might be not of good quality

Money Keep most of your money and documents with you at all times and always have some cash available. Do not carry a lot of cash with you. Atms are the best form of money to have, there are ATMs and banks in big Russian cities however smaller towns not as many, so some cash is always a good idea to carry with you /