What Does Siberia Look Like? A Portrait of a Continent-Sized Region

Geography: Immense Scale, Varied Landscapes

Siberia spans over 13 million square kilometers (5.1 million sq mi)—77% of Russia—stretching from the Urals to the Pacific, and from the Arctic Ocean to the borders of China and Central Asia. It is the world's largest plain (the West Siberian Plain) and a mosaic of distinct terrains:

• West Siberian Plain: Flat, low-lying, covered in taiga forests, swamps, and tundra.
• East Siberian Highlands: Mountainous terrain with peaks up to 3,000 meters.
• Verkhoyansk Range: Arctic mountain range housing Oymyakon, the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth.

Major Rivers: Arteries of the North

Siberia is drained by three of the world's longest rivers:

• Ob River: 3,650 km (7th longest globally)
• Yenisei River: 3,487 km (5th longest)
• Lena River: 4,400 km (10th longest)

Climate: Extreme Continental

Long, brutal winters (January averages: -15°C to -35°C) and short, warm summers (July: 15°C to 25°C). The vast landmass, far from oceanic moderation, creates this intense seasonality.

Vegetation Zones

• West Siberian Plain: Spruce, fir, pine taiga.
• East Siberian Highlands: Larch-dominated forests.
• Verkhoyansk/Tundra: Mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs.

Wildlife

Iconic species include brown bears, wolves, moose, reindeer, and the critically endangered Siberian tiger and Amur leopard in the Far East.

People

A multiethnic population (Russians, Tatars, Evenks, Buryats, Yakuts, and others) concentrated in southern cities like Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Krasnoyarsk.