The Republic of Sakha, as well known as Yakutsk, still remains mystical place even to locals. Its undiscovered and unexplored lands are really impressive, picturesque, and beautiful. Here are the main things you should know about this fascinating place.
Yakut winter lasts from October to May
Yes, this is true! And you should be prepared for the coldest winter you have ever experienced, as the temperatures have been known to drop as far as -52°C (-61°F).
The one and only Mammoth Museum in the world is located in Yakutsk
Museum
Sakha Republic is the largest federal territory in the whole world
Exactly! And if The Republic of Sakha was a separate state, it would be way bigger than Indonesia and Mexico.
Yakutsk and its capital are the least touristic spots in the Russian Federation
Too bad! This place is very beautiful, but it’s not easy to arrive to and it takes time to move from one place to another. Sometimes it may even take a week because the highways are simply absent in some parts of the republic. Consider the fact that the territory of Yakutsk is enormous and we can only compare it to France or the United Kingdom.
Lena Pillars Nature Park in Yakutsk is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre
This park is located near the River Lena, which is just a bit smaller than the Amazon. It’s huge and picturesque, and is formed due to the area’s extreme temperatures, which spans from 40°C (104°F) in the summer to -60°C (-76°F) in the winter – a range of a massive 100°C or 180°F.
The population of Yakutsk is very small
Mystery? Maybe not! This area is very remote and the whole city itself counts around 294,000 official residents of Yakut descent.
Locals prefer to be called ‘Sakha’
One more interesting fact about Yakuts. In their native language ‘Sakha’ means ‘yakut’, but they don’t like the sound and prefer to revert to their native tongue.
The world biggest river system is situated in Yakutsk
The area features around 700,ooo rivers and 800,ooo lakes, the largest network of waterways of any region in the world.
You can try ‘Stroganina’ only in Yakutsk
‘Stroganina’ is a particular kind of frozen fish typical only in this area of Russia. When winter arrives and the ground has frozen making farming impossible, people turn to the icy Arctic rivers for much of their fresh food stocks.
http://instagram.com/p/BA5K3ofys1_/?tagged=stroganina
You can buy ‘Unty’ shoes only in Yakutia
This local souvenir beats all other winter shoes because they are the warmest. They are essential for anyone willing to brave the extreme cold in the region’s winters and are made out of reindeer hide.
About the author
Yulia was born and raised in Moscow, Russia but it didn't take long for her to move to Milan, Italy back in 2011 because of her passion for arts, culture, fashion & travel. Yulia is a travel expert, photographer, observer and all time traveler, she speaks fluently 3 languages and passionate about everything she does for living.
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