YAKUTIA

Yakutia, or Sakha Republic is the largest division the Russian Federation. Total area is 3,103,2 square kilometers, occupying one fifth of all the territory of Russia.

Permafrost of Yakutia keeps many mysteries attracting tourists fr om all over the world, who are interested in ancient fauna. A significant portion of all the world' s known unique finds of mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, bison, musk oxen, cave lions was found here.

The Pole of Cold is situated in the Oimyakon region of Yakutia, where the lowest temperature -71.2 degrees Celsius was fixed. It is also the only place on Earth, where people live and work in such cold temperatures. The summer is short but hot, temperature can hit +40 degrees Celsius. Here one can see such a unique natural phenomena as Aurora Borealis, northern lights. Here, beyond the Polar Circle, the night lasts all winter, and the day all summer.

Yakutia is famous for its rich natural resources. Famous diamond deposits are in Western Yakutia, gold deposits are in rivers Aldan, Indigirka and Yana. More than 90% of diamonds and 40% of the gold are extracted in Yakutia, Russia.

Culture of Yakutia is very diverse and formed by traditions and languages of the Sakha, Russians, indigenous minorities of the North, Evens, Evenks, Chukchi, Dolgan and Yukagir.

Yakutia is a land of dense taiga wilderness and immense tundra zones, hundreds of thousands of large and small rivers and lakes, harsh mountain ranges and ice arctic regions, untouched nature, original culture and hospitable people.

All this is Yakutia, very different in all of its displays: simple and unique, lucid and mystical, beautiful and harsh, distant and familiar. You can find your own Yakutia and be sure to solve its riddle by visiting it at any time of the year.

One thing is for certain — the place is exotic enough. Yakutia is one of few sites on Earth wh ere one can feel that our planet is a living thing!