Siberia

Siberia is a vast geographical territory that encompasses all of North Asia, extending from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It is the biggest country in the world by landmass. As a result of Russian conquests in territories east of the Ural Mountains in late 16th century, it has been considered a part of the Russian Federation since that time. Siberia is huge and sparsely inhabited, spanning an area of more than 13.1 million square kilometres (5,100,000 square miles), however it is only home to one-fifth of Russia's population while covering an area of more than 13.1 million square kilometres (5,100,000 sq mi). The major cities in the area are Novosibirsk and Omsk, which are both located in Siberia.

The fact that Siberia is a geographical and historical area rather than a political entity means that its territorial boundaries cannot be defined with absolute precision. Siberia is traditionally defined as the region stretching eastward from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and it comprises the majority of the Arctic Ocean's drainage basin. The river Yenisey separates Siberia into two distinct regions: Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia. Southwards from the Arctic Ocean, Siberia extends to the hills of north-central Kazakhstan and the northern sections of Mongolia and China, as well as the northern parts of Mongolia and China. Central Siberia (which includes the West and East Siberian economic districts) is regarded the "heart" of the region in Russia, with the rest of the region being considered peripheral. Aside from its core, Siberia's western portion contains certain areas of the Ural, while the far eastern portion has traditionally been referred to as the Russian Far East, and the northern portion includes the territory of Kazakhstan.

Siberia is well known around the globe for its long, severe winters, with an average temperature of 25 °C (13 °F) in January. Despite the fact that it is physically located in Asia, it is culturally and politically a part of Europe as a result of its colonisation and incorporation into Russian territory. European cultural influences, notably Russian, prevail across the area as a result of Russian emigration from Europe from the 16th century and the establishment of the Siberian Russian sub-ethnic group, which is now a separate ethnic group. Slavs and other Indo-Europeans make up the great bulk of Siberia's population, with Europeans accounting for more than 85 percent of the region's total population of over 100 million.