| Mention the word "Siberia," and images of gulags, | | | | Trans-Siberian Railway or in the massive natural |
| frozen tundra and wastelands may come to mind. | | | | resource industries. Siberia is the home to |
| While there is some truth to these, my impressions of | | | | tremendously large oil, gold, timber and diamond |
| Siberia included more. | | | | deposits. With the turn to capitalism, the country is |
| Siberia comprises more than 75 percent of modern | | | | making a major effort to take advantage of such |
| Russia. Unless you visit, there is simply no way to | | | | resources. This has led to a population explosion in |
| describe the total landmass of this much-maligned area | | | | cities such as Irkutsk, Chita and Ulan Ude. |
| of the world. To give you some perspective, consider | | | | Siberia is always depicted as a land of freezing snow. |
| the fact that Siberia is bigger than Canada, has more | | | | Having lived there, I can tell you it does get "Oh, my |
| natural resources than any area of the world, spans | | | | god" cold in the winter. Temperatures can drop into the |
| nine time zones and contains the largest plain in the | | | | -40s. In the spring and summer, however, temperatures |
| world. | | | | can reach as high as 110 degrees. With such a |
| One of the best ways to give you an impression of | | | | massive area, the climates and temperatures fall all |
| the size of Siberia is to discuss the infamous gulag | | | | over the map. Put another way, the United States |
| system. When one thinks of a gulag or prison, visions | | | | could fit in Siberia, so you can see how temperatures |
| of guards with guns, electrified fences and so on | | | | might vary. |
| come to mind. In Siberia, most of the gulags did not | | | | Lake Baikal |
| have fences or any kind of barrier to keep people in. | | | | Lake Baikal is the largest fresh water lake in the world. |
| With freezing temperatures in the winter, huge rivers | | | | Fed by over 300 rivers, the lake is really an inland sea. |
| of mud and water in the summer, Siberia formed a | | | | The lake has over 30 islands. If you drained all of the |
| natural gulag for many of the prisoners. If a prisoner | | | | water from lakes Superior, Erie, Huron, Michigan and |
| escaped from a gulag, there was simply nowhere to | | | | Ontario, you still couldn't fill Lake Baikal. Standing on one |
| go. The closest population center might be 1,000 miles | | | | shore, you cannot see the other side. It is simply huge. |
| away. | | | | Siberia is one of the few locations in the world still |
| "Siberia" comes from the Mongolian word "sibir", which | | | | considered to be an untamed adventure travel |
| means "sleeping land." In the early 1700's, Siberia | | | | destination. You can fish, hike, camp, hunt, drink vodka, |
| became a place of exile. It continued to be "the last | | | | ski, swim, take in a spa and do just about anything you |
| stop" for criminals and political exiles throughout much | | | | like. The Siberians are universally friendly and can tell |
| of the 20th century. The city of Chita is in fact known | | | | one heck of a story. |
| as the "City of Exiles." | | | | If you get a chance to visit Siberia, I highly recommend |
| With the end of communism, Siberia has seen a | | | | it. Heck, I stayed for a year! |
| voluntary migration of Russians who work on the | | | | |