East Siberia

The role of East Siberia in the country’s economy is primarily determined by the resources of energy, minerals, oil, natural gas and raw materials on its territory. The gold industry is also very important. The total volume of gold obtained annually in the region is 16 tons. East Siberia also possesses one of the world’s greatest deposits of rare metals.

The pride of East Siberia is the famous Lake Baikal. Its beauty is as remarkable as its unique flora and fauna: more than 1,800 species of plants and animals are to be found here, some of them nowhere else in the world.

Crossing the centuries-old taiga, the mountains, the rivers, permafrost and marshland, the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) opens the way to the rich deposits of Siberia and Far East. Siberia is a land of the young. The young have built the new towns such as Angarsk, Bratsk, Divnogorsk on the banks of the large Siberian rivers.

Industry dominates the economy of East Siberia. Forest-steppe is the main agricultural area. Yakutia specializes in cattle-breeding. Dairy farming and sheep breeding are well developed in the Trans-Baikal region.

Words and Expressions

to border on граничить с

range хребет

tremendous огромный

grapes виноград

watermelon арбуз

beyond за пределами

severe суровый

campaign поход

pushing eastwards продвигаясь вперед

scholar ученый

might могущество