Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

General information

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is located in the north of Eastern Siberia and borders on two seas – the East Siberian and Laptev.

The republic accounts for approximately one-third of Russia’s Arctic zone.

The Arctic zone includes 13 districts (uluses) of the republic: Abyisky, Allaikhovsky, Anabarsky, Bulunsky, Verkhnekolymsky, Verkhoyansky, Zhigansky, Momsky, Nizhnekolymsky, Olenyoksky, Srednekolymsky, Ust-Yansky, and Eveno-Bytantaysky.

Administrative centre: Yakutsk.

Population of the republic: approximately 990,000, including roughly 68,000 in the Arctic zone.

Area of the republic: 3,103,200 km².

Area of the Arctic territories: 1,608,800 km².

Three time zones: UTC +9, +10, and +11. Yakutsk is six hours ahead of Moscow.

Cities

Yakutsk

Founded in 1632

Population: approximately 330,000

The world’s largest city in the permafrost zone.

Srednekolymsk

Founded in 1644

Population: approximately 3,500

Village of Tiksi

Founded in 1933

Population: more than 4,500

The northernmost port in Russia.

Economy

Mineral extraction

Home to 2,959 deposits of diamonds, coal, oil, natural gas, as well as ferrous, non-ferrous, and rare metals for a total of 59 types of raw materials. Some of the deposits are located in the republic’s Arctic territories.

Nearly

3,000
mineral deposits

Diamond mining

Mining of 99% of all diamonds in Russia. In 2021, diamond production amounted to 32.4 million carats.

99%
of all diamonds in Russia

Reindeer herding

The republic ranks third in Russia in terms of the number of deer (approximately 162,000). More than 1,200 reindeer herders work at 106 farms, which cover an area of 37 million hectares.

Approximately

162,000
deer

Sightseeing attractions

Pole of Cold

The village of Oymyakon is the famous pole of cold. It is considered the coldest point in the Northern Hemisphere and the coldest inhabited area on Earth. It is one of the most popular destinations for tourists. The officially recognized lowest all-time temperature was recorded by the Oymyakon meteorological station in February 1933 at -67.7°C.

Pleistocene Park

A scientific experiment is underway to combat climate change and restore pastures to the way they were 10,000 years ago. The park is a habitat for wild deer, horses, musk oxen, as well as European and American bison.

Moma Natural Park

The park’s natural sites include extinct volcanoes, the largest ice field in Russia, unique topography following ancient glaciations, and outcrops of rare marble. Climbing and water routes with varying degrees of difficulty have been established in the park.