Etymology:
– Origin of the name is uncertain.
– Modern usage recorded in Russian after conquest of Siberian Khanate.
– Some sources suggest it comes from Siberian Tatar word for sleeping land.
– Polish historian proposed it derives from proto-Slavic word for north.
– Another account links it to ancient tribal ethnonym of Sirtyaru.
Geography:
– Siberia spans North Asia from Ural Mountains to Pacific Ocean.
– Covers over 13.1 million square kilometers.
– Vast and sparsely populated region.
– Includes cities like Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Omsk.
– Harsh winters with January average of -25°C (-13°F).
Administration:
– Russian government divides region into three federal districts.
– Central district is officially referred to as Siberian.
– Ural and Far Eastern federal districts are other two.
– Siberia culturally and ethnically European due to Russian influence.
– European descent population over 85%, with predominant Eastern Slavic cultural influences.
Ethnic Diversity:
– Majority are of European descent, mainly Russian.
– Sizable ethnic minorities of Asian lineage exist.
– Indigenous communities like Yakuts, Tuvans, Altai, and Buryats.
– Ethnic Koreans and smaller groups of Samoyedic and Tungusic peoples.
– Some classified as Indigenous small-numbered peoples by Russian government.
Climate:
– Known for long, harsh winters.
– January average temperature of -25°C (-13°F).
– Geographically in Asia, but culturally and ethnically European.
– Russian sovereignty and colonization since 16th century.
– European descent population over 85%.
Siberia (/saɪˈbɪəriə/ sy-BEER-ee-ə; Russian: Сибирь, romanized: Sibir', IPA: [sʲɪˈbʲirʲ] ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states since the centuries-long conquest of Siberia, which began with the fall of the Khanate of Sibir in the late 16th century and concluded with the annexation of Chukotka in 1778. Siberia is vast and sparsely populated, covering an area of over 13.1 million square kilometres (5,100,000 sq mi), but home to roughly a quarter of Russia's population. Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Omsk are the largest cities in the area.
Siberia
Сибирь | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Coordinates: 61°0′N 105°0′E / 61.000°N 105.000°E | |
| Continent | Asia |
| Country | Russia |
| Parts | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13,100,000 km2 (5,100,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 36.8 million |
| • Density | 2.8/km2 (7/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Siberians |
| GDP (2021) | |
| • Total | ₽35.360 trillion (US$480 billion) |
| • Per capita | ₽953,871 (US$12951) |
Because Siberia is a geographic and historic concept and not a political entity, there is no single precise definition of its territorial borders. Traditionally, Siberia spans the entire expanse of land from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, with the Ural River usually forming the southernmost portion of its western boundary, and includes most of the drainage basin of the Arctic Ocean. It is further defined as stretching from the territories within the Arctic Circle in the north to the northern borders of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China in the south, although the hills of north-central Kazakhstan are also commonly included. The Russian government divides the region into three federal districts (groupings of Russian federal subjects), of which only the central one is officially referred to as "Siberian"; the other two are the Ural and Far Eastern federal districts, named for the Ural and Russian Far East regions that correspond respectively to the western and eastern thirds of Siberia in the broader sense.
Siberia is known for its long, harsh winters, with a January average of −25 °C (−13 °F). Although it is geographically in Asia, Russian sovereignty and colonization since the 16th century have rendered the region culturally and ethnically European. Over 85% of its population are of European descent, chiefly Russian (comprising the Siberian sub-ethnic group), and Eastern Slavic cultural influences predominate throughout the region. Nevertheless, there exist sizable ethnic minorities of Asian lineage, including various Turkic communities—many of which, such as the Yakuts, Tuvans, Altai, and Khakas, are Indigenous—along with the Mongolic Buryats, ethnic Koreans, and smaller groups of Samoyedic and Tungusic peoples (several of whom are classified as Indigenous small-numbered peoples by the Russian government), among many others.