Siberia

We live in Siberia. Siberia is a part of Asian territory of Russia. Before 1917 all territories extending from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific were called as Siberia in official documents and scientific literature. Siberian territory was divided into two regions : Siberian Region and Far Eastern Region. Since that time the term “Siberia” has two meanings. In one case it means all territory eastwards the Ural Mountains, in another case it means the territory only of western and eastern Siberia without Far East. Siberia (with Far East) occupies 12 765 900 sq.km. The development of such vast territory set the grand geographical tasks the solution of which belongs to the Russian science. The most important discoveries in this part of the Earth have been recorded on maps in the period from the middle of the 17th century, after the campaign of Semen Dezhnev, to the middle of the 18th century, when the Great Siberian-Pacific expedition has finished. The Northern and Eastern boarders of Asian continent were defined and mapped, the correlation between Asian continent and North America was established, the sea routes from Okhotsk to Kamchatka and from Kamchatka to Japan were laid during that century. The astronomical determination of a number of points in Siberia (considering Siberia and Far East) were made, “Baikal Sea” and the most important Siberian rivers were mapped. Apparently, Russian geographical discoveries and investigations of Siberia and Far East in the 17th and 18th centuries made a significant contribution in the world science.