"conclusion, the book consists of several chapters which are dedicated to particular regions: Tobolsk, the old capital of Russian Siberia; Lake Baikal; Irkutsk, the city on the Angara which the author has long made his made home; Altai; Kyakhta, the 18-19th century entrepôt for China tea trade; and the isolated Arctic community of Russkoye Ustye with its archaic customs and dialect. Later Russian editions had additional chapters added. As usual in Rasputin's writing, his greatest ire is reserved for the masterminds of the river damming and water export schemes, such as the Siberian river reversal project, which was shelved (not"
"Third Capital of Russia"", though a number of other major cities compete for this status, including Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod. The warm subtropical Black Sea coast of Russia is the site for a number of popular sea resorts, like Sochi, the follow-up host of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The mountains of the Northern Caucasus contain popular ski resorts such as Dombay. The most famous natural destination in Russia is Lake Baikal, ""the Blue Eye of Siberia"". This unique lake, the oldest and deepest in the world, has crystal-clear waters and is surrounded by taiga-covered mountains. Other popular natural destinations"
"city is the host of 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics. The mountains of the Northern Caucasus contain many other popular ski resorts, like Dombay in Karachay–Cherkessia. The most famous natural tourist destination in Russia is Lake Baikal, named ""the Blue Eye of Siberia"". This unique lake, oldest and deepest in the world, has crystal-clean waters and is surrounded by taiga-covered mountains. Other popular natural destinations include Kamchatka with its volcanoes and geysers, Karelia with its many lakes and granite rocks, Altai with its snowy mountains and Tyva with its wild steppes. Russian culture Russian culture has a"
"Sea Eye Lake The Mushyl lake (, ""Müšyl Jer""), nicknamed the Sea Eye (, Morskoy Glaz) is a minor karst lake in Shariboksad, Volzhsky District, Mari El, Russia. Located at the foot of the hill its bright green water is extremely deep (38.5 m) compared to the surface area (45x50 m). Müšyl ([], ) means crater in the Mari language. In early documents it was known only by its Mari name, written in the Russian text with Mari diacritics. Later, Russian-speaking tourists were inspired by the sea-like colour of the water to give it the more poetic Russian name. According"
"in Russia"" The warm subtropical Black Sea coast of Russia is the site for a number of popular seaside resorts such as Sochi and Tuapse, known for their shale beaches and wonderful nature. At the same time Sochi can boast a number of major ski resorts, such as Krasnaya Polyana. The city was the host of 2014 Winter Olympics. The mountains of the Northern Caucasus contain many other popular ski resorts, such as Dombay in Karachay–Cherkessia. One of the most famous natural tourist attractions of Russia is Lake Baikal, known as ""the Blue Eye of Siberia"". This unique lake, the"
"Yenisei River The Yenisei (, ""Jeniséj""; , ""Yenisei mörön""; Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ""Gorlog müren""; Tyvan: Улуг-Хем, ""Uluğ-Hem""; Khakas: Ким суг, ""Kim sug"") also Romanised Yenisey, Enisei, Jenisej, is the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. It is the central of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Ob and the Lena). Rising in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course to the Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea, draining a large part of central Siberia, the longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider river system. The maximum depth of the Yenisei is"
"l/s. The immediate area is a Nature Monument and is characterized by oak and sycamore trees. In summer 2004, the source was temporarily dried up. Blue Eye, Albania The Blue Eye () is a water spring and natural phenomenon occurring near Muzinë in Vlorë County, southern Albania. A popular tourist attraction, the clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a depth of more than fifty-metres. Divers have descended to fifty metres, but it is still unclear what the actual depth of the karst hole is. This is the initial water source of Bistricë river , 25 km long,"
"Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (; ; , ""Baigal nuur""; , ""Baigal nuur"", etymologically meaning, in Mongolian, ""the Nature Lake"") is a rift lake in Russia, located in southern Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast. Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22–23% of the world's fresh surface water. With of fresh water, it contains more water than the North American Great Lakes combined. With a maximum depth of , Baikal is the world's deepest lake. It is considered among the world's clearest lakes and is considered"
"and Onega, two of the largest lakes in Europe. The largest and most prominent of the union's bodies of fresh water is Lake Baikal, the world's deepest, purest, oldest and most capacious fresh water lake. The Baikal lake alone contains over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. Russia is second only to Brazil in volume of the total renewable water resources. Of the union's numerous rivers, the Volga is the most famous, not only because it is the longest in Europe, but also because of its major role in history. In Siberia the Ob, Yenisey, Lena and Amur are"
"and looking across the Baikal, he waved his hand, exclaiming 'Beyond this there is nothing.'"" Thus they account for the sterility of Daouria, where it is said ""no corn will grow."" Lake Baikal has been celebrated in several Russian folk songs. Two of these songs are well known in Russia and its neighboring countries, such as Japan. The latter song was a secondary theme song for the Soviet Union's second color film, ""Ballad of Siberia"" (1947; in ). Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (; ; , ""Baigal nuur""; , ""Baigal nuur"", etymologically meaning, in Mongolian, ""the Nature Lake"") is a rift"
"Ob River The Ob River (), also Ob', is a major river in western Siberia, Russia, and is the world's seventh-longest river. It forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun Rivers which have their origins in the Altay Mountains. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Yenisei River and the Lena River). The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary. The internationally known name of the river is based on the Russian name ""Обь"" (""Obʹ""). Possibly from Proto-Indo-Iranian ""*Hā́p-"", ""river, water"" (compare Vedic"
"Siberia, which flows northward to the Arctic Ocean. The source of the black Biya River is Lake Teletskoye, the region's largest lake located in an isolated area far south in the mountains. The emerald-colored Katun River has its source at the Gebler glacier, which is situated on the Republic's highest point, Mount Belukha. The Katun River, in particular, holds a religious significance for native Altaians, as well as for many Russians who live in the area, as Mount Belukha is known in Altai folklore to be the gateway to the mystical kingdom of Shambhala. The hydrographic network of the Republic"
"to Mari legend, a wedding procession fell into the Sea Eye and died when it suddenly appeared in an eruption. The lake has become popular with tourists. Sea Eye Lake The Mushyl lake (, ""Müšyl Jer""), nicknamed the Sea Eye (, Morskoy Glaz) is a minor karst lake in Shariboksad, Volzhsky District, Mari El, Russia. Located at the foot of the hill its bright green water is extremely deep (38.5 m) compared to the surface area (45x50 m). Müšyl ([], ) means crater in the Mari language. In early documents it was known only by its Mari name, written in"
"Blue Eye, Albania The Blue Eye () is a water spring and natural phenomenon occurring near Muzinë in Vlorë County, southern Albania. A popular tourist attraction, the clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a depth of more than fifty-metres. Divers have descended to fifty metres, but it is still unclear what the actual depth of the karst hole is. This is the initial water source of Bistricë river , 25 km long, which ends in the Ionian Sea south of Sarandë. The source stands at an altitude of 152 m and has a discharge rate of 18400"
"Siberia Siberia (; ) is an extensive geographical region spanning much of Eurasia and North Asia. Siberia has historically been a part of modern Russia since the 16th and 17th centuries. The territory of Siberia extends eastwards from the Ural Mountains to the watershed between the Pacific and Arctic drainage basins. The Yenisei River conditionally divides Siberia into two parts, Western and Eastern. Siberia stretches southwards from the Arctic Ocean to the hills of north-central Kazakhstan and to the national borders of Mongolia and China. With an area of , Siberia accounts for 77% of Russia's land area, but it"
"another option. Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an Endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The Caspian Sea is home to a wide range of species and may be best known for"
"Volga–Baltic Waterway The Volga–Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea via the Neva River. Volga–Baltic Waterway connects the biggest lake on Earth, the Caspian Sea to the World Ocean. Its overall length between Cherepovets and Lake Onega is . Originally constructed in the early 19th century, the system was rebuilt for larger vessels in the 1960s, becoming a part of the Unified Deep Water System of European Russia. The original name ""Mariinsky"" is the credit to"
"Mendeleev Ridge The Mendeleev Ridge (or Mendeleev Rise, ) is a broad ridge in the Arctic Ocean from the East Siberian Sea area of the Siberian Shelf to the central areas of the ocean. It is attached to the Alpha Ridge of the Amerasian Basin. It is named after Dmitri Mendeleyev.The Ridge was discovered in 1948 by Soviet high latitude expeditions. The name was approved by the Sub-Committee on Geographical Names and Nomenclature of Ocean Bottom Features (SCGN, now SCUFN) in April 1987. The Mendeleev Ridge is instrumental in the Russian claim to the North pole. The territory claimed by"
"Blue Lake (Alaska) Blue Lake (Tlingit: Gajook Héen Yik.áayi) is a long reservoir located east of the town of Sitka, on the west side of Baranof Island, in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska. The local descriptive name was reported in 1910 by Knopf (1912, fig 4), in United States Geological Survey. Blue Lake, as its name suggests, possesses a deep blue hue to its water. Blue Lake's water sources are partially from snowpack and small glaciers from the glacially carved, U-shaped, Blue Lake valley in which it lies. Blue lake was first dammed in 1913 by Sitka Wharf and"
"Lake Khaiyr Lake Khaiyr is a remote volcanic lake situated in the Yakutia region of eastern Siberia. Its surface area is approximately and it has few fish. Its depth is yet unknown. It is called ""Khaiyr"" (meaning ""to love"" in modern Mongolian) due to the Mongol influence in the region. The lake has been the centre of a controversy since 1964 when a group of scientists from Moscow University, claim to have encountered an animal with prehistoric biology whilst on an expedition surveying mineral deposits. An article written in Komsomolskaya Pravda by G. Rokosuev explains that the ""monster"" was initially"
"of the Lena River and the area between the Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea. ] The term ""Siberia"" has a long history. Its meaning has gradually changed during ages. Historically, Siberia was defined as the whole part of Russia to the east of Ural Mountains, including the Russian Far East. According to this definition, Siberia extended eastward from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific coast, and southward from the Arctic Ocean to the border of Russian Central Asia and the national borders of both Mongolia and China. Soviet-era sources (""Great Soviet Encyclopedia"" and others) and modern Russian ones usually"
"the northernmost city of mainland Russia. The present name was assigned to the sea on 27 June 1935 by Decree of the Soviet Government. Before that, the sea had no distinct name was intermixedly called in Russia as ""Indigirskoe"", ""Kolymskoe"", ""Severnoe"" (Northern), ""Sibirskoe"" or ""Ledovitoe"". The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the East Siberian Sea as follows: ""On the West."" The Eastern limit of Laptev Sea [From the Northern extremity of Kotelni Island – through Kotelni Island to Cape Madvejyi. Then through Malyi Island, to Cape Vaguin on Great Liakhov Island. Thence to Cape Sviaroy Noss on the"
"river was known by its other Turkic name ""Sarı-su"" ""yellow water"", but the Oirats also used their own name, ""Ijil mörön"" or ""adaptation river"". Presently the Mari, another Uralic group, call the river ""Jul"" (), meaning ""way"" in Tatar. Formerly, they called the river ""Volgydo"", a borrowing from Old East Slavic. The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It belongs to the closed basin of the Caspian Sea, being the longest river to flow into a closed basin. Rising in the Valdai Hills above sea level northwest of Moscow and about southeast of Saint Petersburg, the Volga heads east"
"Siberian sturgeon The Siberian sturgeon (""Acipenser baerii"") is a species of sturgeon in the Acipenseridae family. It is most present in all of the major Siberian river basins that drain northward into the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas, including the Ob, Yenisei (which drains Lake Baikal via the Angara River) Lena, and Kolyma Rivers. It is also found in Kazakhstan and China in the Irtysh River, a major tributary of the Ob. The species epithet honors the German Russian biologist Karl Ernst von Baer. Siberian sturgeon is typically divided into two subspecies. However, recent studies suggest they may be"
"exceeding the depth of other regional seas, such as the Persian Gulf. The Middle and Southern Caspian account for 33% and 66% of the total water volume, respectively. The northern portion of the Caspian Sea typically freezes in the winter, and in the coldest winters ice forms in the south as well. Over 130 rivers provide inflow to the Caspian, with the Volga River being the largest. A second affluent, the Ural River, flows in from the north, and the Kura River flows into the sea from the west. In the past, the Amu Darya (Oxus) of Central Asia in"
"Lena Sea () in the 17th century, as the Siberian Sea () in the 18th century and as the Icy Sea () in the 19th century. It acquired its name as Nordenskjold Sea () in 1893. On 27 June 1935, the sea finally received its current name after the cousins Dmitry Laptev and Khariton Laptev who first mapped its shores in 1735–1740. Both flora and fauna are scarce owing to the harsh climate. Vegetation of the sea is mostly represented by diatoms, with more than 100 species. In comparison, the number of green algae, blue-green algae and flagellate species is"
"and the Northern Dvina in Europe and the Kolyma and the Indigirka in Siberia. Approximately 10 percent of Russian territory is classified as swampland. A number of other rivers drain Siberia from eastern mountain ranges into the Pacific Ocean. The Amur River and its main tributary, the Ussuri, form a long stretch of the winding boundary between Russia and China. The Amur system drains most of southeastern Siberia. Three basins drain European Russia. The Dnieper, which flows mainly through Belarus and Ukraine, has its headwaters in the hills west of Moscow. The 1,860-kilometer |Don originates in the Central Russian Upland"
"of , it has an estimated volume of . making it the 6th largest lake by volume. The lake is divided into two deep basins by a ridge. The liquid water depth over the ridge is about , compared to roughly deep in the northern basin and deep in the southern. The lake is named after Vostok Station, which in turn is named after the ""Vostok"" (Восток), a sloop-of-war ship, which means ""East"" in Russian. The existence of a subglacial lake in the Vostok region was first suggested by Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa based on seismic soundings made during the"
"the waters of Lake Svetloyar. Some people say that the most pious individuals may actually see the lights of religious processions (called ""крестный ход"") and even buildings on the bottom of the lake. For this reason Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the ""Russian Atlantis"". Kitezh Kitezh () is a legendary city beneath the waters of Lake Svetloyar in the Voskresensky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in central Russia. Reference to Kitezh appears for the first time in ""Kitezh Chronicle"", an anonymous book from the late 18th century, believed to have originated among the Old Believers. Legend has it that"
"basin of Siberia’s largest rivers of - the Yenissey and the Lena. The basin of Baikal Lake also includes the largest river of Buryatia, the Selenga and such peculiar rivers as the Barguzin, the Upper Angara, the Snezhnaya (Snowy), the Turka, the Chikoy, the Khilok and others. Buryatia is located on the borderline of two different regions: East-Siberian mountainous taiga (4/5 of the territory) and Central-Asian steppe. This is the reason for a great diversity and peculiar character of trees and plants on its territory. Northern slopes of mountain ranges are covered with deciduous forests and thick moss, with cedars"
"Rybinsk Reservoir Rybinsk Reservoir (), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir on the Volga River and its tributaries Sheksna and Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, located in the Tver, Vologda, and Yaroslavl Oblasts. At the time of its construction, it was the largest man-made body of water on Earth. It is the northernmost point of the Volga. The Volga-Baltic Waterway starts from there. The principal ports are Cherepovets in Vologda Oblast and Vesyegonsk in Tver Oblast. The construction of the dam in Rybinsk started in 1935. The filling of the reservoir started on April 14,"
"Russia's bodies of fresh water is Lake Baikal, the world's deepest, purest, oldest and most capacious fresh water lake. Baikal alone contains over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. Other major lakes include Ladoga and Onega, two of the largest lakes in Europe. Russia is second only to Brazil in volume of the total renewable water resources. Of the country's 100,000 rivers, the Volga is the most famous, not only because it is the longest river in Europe, but also because of its major role in Russian history. The Siberian rivers Ob, Yenisey, Lena and Amur are among the"
"Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an Endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The Caspian Sea is home to a wide range of species and may be best known for its caviar"