Far Eastern

  The Far Eastern Federal District is the largest federal district in Russia and covers 36% of the total territory of the country.  However despite it being bigger than Western Europe its population is just over 6.2 million which is about half of the population of Moscow.  Yakutsk is known as the world’s coldest city where temperatures often drop to -40 and the ultimate record was -67.8 degrees Celsius. However even Yakutsk can experience temperatures of over +30 in its short summer.  The district consists of  nine federal subjects: three regions,  three territories, one republic, one autonomous district and one autonomous region.  The administrative centre is Khabarovsk.

  The most beautiful feature of the Russian Far East is its nature where you will find some of the most wild places in the world where humans rarely set foot and where the natural surroundings have been completely unspoilt.  Most places are so remote they can only be visited with a guide.  There are also risks posed by wild animals such as wolves, lynxes, bears and even the elusive Siberian tiger.  The most famous natural sights are the spectacular volcanoes of Kamchatka, which are protected by UNESCO along with the temperate forests of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range - the habitat of the Siberian tiger.  The island of Sakhalin and the Kuril islands also have much to offer tourists in terms of stunning nature.  The Russian Pacific Fleet is based in the city of Vladivostok.  One peculiar feature of the Far Eastern Federal District is the Jewish Autonomous Region which was set up under Stalin to become a homeland for Soviet Jews, although now only around 1% of the region’s population are Jewish.