The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a subject of Russia, which, due to its natural and territorial conditions, has no analogues on the planet. It was here that unique experience in farming in the extreme climatic conditions of the North was accumulated, and the first technologies for housing construction on permafrost were applied.
It is located in the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent and is the largest region of the Russian Federation. Its area is 3083.5 thousand km², which is slightly smaller than India. Among the states, Yakutia would rank 8th in the world. Over 40% of the republic’s territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle. There are three time zones within its borders.
The territory of Yakutia is located within three time zones, their difference with Moscow time is +6, +7, + 8 hours. Until now, Yakutia is one of the most isolated and inaccessible regions of the world in terms of transport: 90% of the territory does not have year-round transport links.
Yakutia is characterized by a variety of natural conditions and resources, which is due to the physical and geographical position of its territory. Most of it is occupied by mountains and plateaus, which account for more than 2/3 of its surface, and only 1/3 is located in the lowlands. The highest point – Mount Pobeda (3147 m) – is located on the Chersky ridge.
Almost the entire continental territory of Yakutia is a zone of continuous permafrost, which only in the extreme southwest turns into a zone of discontinuous distribution. The average thickness of the frozen layer reaches 300-400 m, and in the Vilyui River basin – 1500 m: this is the maximum freezing of rocks on the globe. In the mountains of Eastern Yakutia there are 485 glaciers with a total area of 413 square meters. km and with a fresh water reserve of about 2 thousand cubic meters. m.
The natural and climatic conditions of Yakutia are characterized as extreme in many respects. First of all, Yakutia is the coldest inhabited region on the planet. The climate is sharply continental, characterized by long winter and short summer periods. The maximum amplitude of average temperatures of the coldest month – January and the warmest – July is 70-75 ° C. In terms of the absolute value of the minimum temperature (in the eastern mountain systems – basins, depressions and other drops to minus 70°C) and its total duration (from 6.5 to 9 months per year), the republic has no analogues in the Northern Hemisphere. Human life itself and methods of farming require special approaches and technologies, based on the conditions of each natural and climatic zone. Thus, on average, in Yakutia the duration of the heating season is 8-9 months a year, while in the Arctic zone it is year-round.
Yakutia is one of the rare places on the planet where the pristine purity of nature and an amazing diversity of flora and fauna have been preserved. Today, the world scientific community recognizes that the nature of Yakutia is a unique heritage of humanity, a promising reserve of the planet’s biosphere. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) accounts for more than 30% of Russia’s wildlife, or more than 10% of the entire world. More than 90% of the territory of Yakutia is not affected or slightly affected by industrial development, and represents ecosystems with undisturbed natural processes.
Yakutia is one of the most riverine (700 thousand rivers and streams) and lake (over 800 thousand) regions of Russia. The total length of all its rivers is about 2 million km, and their potential hydropower resources are estimated at almost 700 billion kW. The largest navigable rivers are: Lena (4400 km), Vilyuy (2650), Aldan (2273), Kolyma (2129), Indigirka (1726), Olekma (1436), Anabar (939) and Yana (872 km).
The territory of Yakutia falls within four geographical zones: taiga forests (almost 80% of the area), tundra, forest-tundra and arctic desert. The predominant tree species are Daurian larch (85% of the forest area); pine, dwarf cedar, spruce, birch, and aspen are also ubiquitous; in the southern regions – Siberian cedar; in the mountains – fragrant poplar and choicenia. The exploitable reserves of forest resources of the republic are estimated at 10.3 billion cubic meters. m.
Yakutia is part of the taiga-tundra zoogeographic zone with an unusually rich fauna. Here they live: on the island territory – walrus, seal, seal, polar bear; on the continental territory – elk, reindeer, musk deer, bighorn sheep, wapiti, brown bear, wolf, as well as animals with valuable fur – red fox, arctic fox, sable, ermine, weasel, American mink, etc. Hunting these animals has always been of great commercial importance for the indigenous peoples of Yakutia, and “soft junk”, as fur goods were then called, Since the 17th century, large quantities were exported to Russia: first in the form of yasak, then in the form of government deliveries.
In the sea, river and lake reservoirs of the republic there are about 50 species of fish, among which salmon and whitefish predominate. The territory of Yakutia is also known as a mass nesting site for more than 250 species of birds. Among them are such rare birds as the pink gull, white and black cranes, little curlew and gyrfalcon, listed in the International Red Book. In 1993, Yakutia became a member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), within which the Lena-Nordenskiöld International Research Station operates, conducting biological monitoring in one of the most interesting regions of the Arctic – the Lena River Delta.
In Yakutia, the muskrat was acclimatized and the sable was reacclimatized. And today, work to enrich biodiversity is one of the priorities of the State Environmental Policy of the Republic of Sakha.
In 1999, the republic began a project to re-acclimatize musk oxen in the Arctic zone of Yakutia. Today the population of these animals is more than 700 animals. In order to populate new territories with this species, in 2009-2010 additional musk oxen were brought from Taimyr and the Krasnoyarsk Territory and it is planned to increase the number of musk oxen in the Arctic zone of Yakutia to 1000 in five years, i.e. to the state of a stable independent population.
Another project involves the importation of bison to the historical homeland. In 2006, 30 wood bison were brought to Yakutia for the first time from Canada. The bison have successfully survived the seventh winter in the sharply continental climate of Yakutia. In March 2011, the second batch of wood bison was delivered, and in March 2013, the third batch.
This project is a unique experience in restoring the historical range of this species in Yakutia and has become a major international event in the field of nature conservation.
In accordance with the law of the Republic of Sakha “On Specially Protected Natural Areas,” about three million hectares of land are classified as specially protected natural areas – Ytyk Kere Sirder.
Currently, the area of these territories is more than one-fourth of the territory of the republic and includes more than two hundred specially protected natural areas. Including: two nature reserves of the Russian Federation, the Botanical Garden of the Institute of Biological Problems of the Permafrost Zone of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 6 national natural parks, for example, the famous Lena Pillars, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012 as one of the most amazing places on our planet with an ideal ecosystem untouched by man, the Yana Mammoths state nature reserve, 113 resource reserve, 26 unique lakes, two protected landscapes, 17 natural monuments and 16 peace zones.
The system of specially protected natural areas of the republic has received international recognition as a reserve of the planet. As the first president of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Mikhail Nikolaev said, we are leaving these territories in their original form to future generations – this is a gift from our generation to the 21st century.
The basis of the economy of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is industry, the development of which is associated, first of all, with the development of the richest natural resources.
The composition and spatial distribution of subsoil resources of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are determined by the diversity of geostructural zones of its territory. The share of reserves of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the mineral resource potential of Russia is: diamonds 82%, gold 17%, uranium 61%, antimony 82%, iron ores 5%, coal 5%, tin 28%, mercury 8%. There are significant reserves of rare earth elements, silver, lead, zinc, tungsten, etc. up to the last elements of the periodic table.
The leading place in the mining industry of the republic is occupied by the diamond mining industry. The Yakut diamond-bearing province is the largest in Russia – it accounts for 90% of reserves and 95% of production.
In modern conditions, fuel and energy raw materials (coal, gas, oil, condensate), identified on more than 20% of the continental territory of Yakutia, are acquiring important strategic and economic importance. Today there are 900 explored deposits of hard, brown, coking coals and coal occurrences. The largest deposits: Lena coal basin – 840 (billion tons), South Yakut coal basin -38 (billion tons), Tunguska coal basin -11 (billion tons), Zyryansky coal basin -9 (billion tons), Elginskoye coal deposit -2 (billion tons), Neryungri coal deposit – 300 (million tons), Taymylyrskoye coal deposit < 100 (million tons), Sangarskoye coal deposit < 100 (billion tons), Dzhebariki-Khaya coal deposits < 100 (million tons), Zyryansk coal deposits.
Specialized areas of oil and gas occurrence cover almost the entire southwestern part of the republic, where large gas, gas condensate and oil and gas fields are concentrated. Currently, the balance reserves of oil amount to 330 million tons, natural gas – 2.4 trillion cubic meters, despite the fact that no more than 10% of the territory of the four Yakut oil and gas provinces has been geologically studied.
The largest fields of Yakutia: oil and gas fields – Talakanskoye (oil), Chayandinskoye, Taas-Yuryakhskoye, Verkhnechonskoye, Vakunaiskoye, Srednebotuobinskoye oil and gas condensate (NGK), Verkhnevilyuchanskoye gas condensate (GC), Sobolokh-Nedzhimenskoye, Srednetyungskoye, Srednevilyuyskoye, Tolonskoye (GC), gold ore – Nezhdaninskoye (477 tons), Kyuchus (136 tons), Kuranakh (110 tons), uranium – Elkon uranium district, iron ore – South Aldan region – Taezhnoe, Desovskoye deposits (1660 million tons), rare earth metals – Tomtorskoye rare metal deposit, antimony – Sarylakhskoye, Sentachanskoye deposit (210 thousand tons), tin – Deputatskiy, Tirekhtyakh, Odinokiy, Churpunya, silver – Forecast, Verkhne-Menkeche.
According to the 2010 All-Russian Census, the total population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was 958.5 thousand. Human. The share of the urban population is 64.1%, rural – 35.9%.
Representatives of more than 120 nationalities live in the republic, incl. The share of Yakuts in the national composition of the population is 49.9%, Russians – 37.8%, Ukrainians – 2.2%, Evenks – 2.2%, Evens – 1.6%, Tatars – 0.9%. Despite its vast area, the territory of Yakutia has been characterized by sparse population throughout the last century: both at the beginning and at the end, the average population density here is tens of times lower than in the European regions of Russia. The demographic situation is characterized by a stable annual excess of birth rates over deaths.
One of the features of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the historically large share of the rural population in the total number of residents (35.9%, compared with the average in other northern regions of Russia – 8%).
Moreover, the rural areas are inhabited mainly by the indigenous population – the Yakuts, Russian old-timers and indigenous peoples of the North leading a traditional way of life. Therefore, in Yakutia, not only the sub-sectors of agricultural production characteristic of the North are developed – reindeer husbandry, hunting and fur trade, fishing, but also the most northern in the world agriculture and breeding of dairy and beef cattle. Understanding the importance of the unique conduct of northern agriculture, cattle breeding, contribution to world culture, in order to preserve it for future generations, 2013 was declared the Year of the Village, which, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) dated August 16, 2013 “On additional measures for the sustainable development of the village in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)”, declared a five-year plan for the village. The agricultural sector as a whole has a significant share in the formation of GRP and the number of employees in the republic.
The nature of settlement is significantly influenced by natural, climatic and economic factors. The uluses with relatively favorable conditions for agricultural production are distinguished by the highest population density: Megino-Kangalassky, Namsky, Churapchinsky, Khangalassky and Ust-Aldansky, as well as the cities of Yakutsk and Neryungri with developed industry and transport scheme (1.2-2.8 people per 1 sq. km). The lowest population density is found in the uluses with extreme natural and climatic conditions unfavorable for life and economic activity: Oleneksky, Allaikhovsky, Zhigansky, Bulunsky, Momsky, Eveno-Bytantaysky, Anabarsky, Abyysky and Srednekolymsky (0.01-0.08 people per 1 sq. km). In the remaining uluses of the republic, the number of inhabitants per 1 sq. km ranges from 0.1 to 0.9 people.
The capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – Yakutsk – is the largest city in the world located in the permafrost zone. The city’s population is 311.9 thousand people.
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has everything necessary to build a prosperous life – rich natural resources, long-term strategic development plans, a stable social situation, positive dynamics of natural growth, a high educational level of the population and a relatively young economically active labor force.
