![]() Historians compare the Russian colonization of Siberia with the opening up of the North American frontier by British, French, and Spanish colonizers. The Russian push to the east was motivated by the search for furs and is associated with the legendary Cossack leader Yermak. ![]() At that time, the Siberian khanate kept up trade relations with Central Asia and China. In the Middle Ages, Siberia was a part of Genghis Khan's Mongol empire. There are three great ethnic groups: Finno-Ugrians, Turco-Tatars, and Tungus and Paleo-Asiatics. Russian colonization since the late 16th century resulted in a decline of the indigenous nationalities that counted more than 200 tribes before the Russian arrival. According to the census of 1989, 85 percent of the population are Russians. Although Siberia is inhabited by nearly 45 different ethnic groups, Russians represent the majority. ![]() Therefore, the famous Trans-Siberian Railroad, built between 18, touches the southern belt of Siberia. These great differences in temperature present a challenge for human colonization and exploitation of the rich natural resources (wood, coal, oil, gas, gold). Permafrost has a decisive impact on soil formation with the consequence that infrastructure is expensive to build. In summer, temperatures can reach 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). The northeastern part shows the coldest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere with – 90 degrees F (-68 degrees C) at Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk in Yakutia. Siberia's size is not advantageous as the climate is usually very harsh with a marked continental climate. In the very unlikely case that Siberia would separate from the Russian Federation, it would become a large state by its territorial size, but with a sparse population. ![]() It has borders with KAZAKHSTAN, MONGOLIA, and CHINA. Siberia stretches from the URALS in the west over 3,000 mi (5,000 km) to the PACIFIC OCEAN in the east. SIBERIA, INCLUDING the Russian Far East, covers 4.9 million square mi (12.8 million square km), an area that is three-fourths of the Russian Federation or onethird larger than the UNITED STATES and one-fourth larger than CANADA.
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