RUSSIAN WINTER IS COMING

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2 RUSSIAN WINTER IS COMING Russia Beyond the Headlines is proud to present an interactive photo album dedicated to what Russians are proud of and impatiently wait for every year, no matter what they may say the Russian winter. Always unexpected yet welcome, winter has become an integral part of Russian identity and a magnet that attracts travellers from around the world. We have arranged the 12 chapters of the album from the coldest winter temperature to the warmest, so that after shivering through the Arctic snows it is possible to warm up under the bright winter sun of the cities of the Golden Ring. And you can also send an e- card to your loved ones from any picturesque corner you like. In the pages of this album, RBTH will show and tell what a real Russian winter looks like: harsh and magical, warm and breathtakingly beautiful. You will have the opportunity to travel to the crystal blue ice of the inimitable Lake Baikal, fall in love with the beautiful lights of the aurora borealis in the White Sea region, ski on the peaks of Kamchatka and plow through fluffy snow drifts in a sled guided by reindeer. You can watch with your own eyes as winter gradually comes to Russia beginning in the Far East and Yakutia, before entering Siberia and the Ural Mountains and extending further to the north and south. Treat yourself and your friends to an incredible journey through the Russian winter!

3 Russia Beyond The Headlines 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system.

4 HOW TO USE OPEN THIS FILE IN ADOBE READER TO USE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS I Additional info about the place and its inhabitants C Average winter temperature Download a picturesque e-card Interactive element: tap to get more details Check info on how to get there

5 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION HOW TO USE Texts edited by Yulia Shandurenko Macro shots of snowflakes by Alexey Kljatov YAKUTIA ( 43 C) Photo by Alexandr Cheban, Ivan Dementievskiy Text by Ivan Dementievskiy, Darya Gonzalez RUSSIAN ARCTIC ( 25 C) Photo by Sergey Anisimov, Alexey Bezrukov Text by Sergey Anisimov, Darya Gonzalez ADDITIONAL CONTENT IN FULL VERSION YUGRA ( 20 C) SHEREGESH ( 20 C) ALTAI ( 18 C) KAZAN ( 15 C) WHITE SEA ( 13 C) GOLDEN RING ( 11 C) KAMCHATKA ( 25 C) YAMAL ( 24 C) 20 LAKE BAIKAL ( 21 C) Photo by Andrey Bezlepkin, Jim Denevan, Alexandr Cheban, Olga Kamenskaya Text by Alexandr Cheban, Darya Gonzalez THE URALS ( 22 C) GET FULL VERSION

6 YAKUTIA Photo by Alexandr Cheban, Ivan Dementievskiy Text by Ivan Dementievskiy, Darya Gonzalez

7 Yakutia has all the makings of a major tourist destination: hellish cold, warm vodka with frozen hors d oeuvres, baked horse meat and plenty of exotic character. -50 C -30 C -15 C -10 C 0 C +10 C -43 C

8 YAKUTIA For some parts of Russia, - 40 C is a normal winter temperature. That is where the cold pole is situated the perfect place to test your endurance. This is the most severe place on Earth with a permanent population. MAMMOTH A giant shagged symbol of the Sakha republic is mammoth. Yakutia, the land of permafrost, accounts for about 80% of all finds of remains of mammoths in the world. Shandrinsky, Yukagir, Berezovsky mammoths, which have been found in Yakutia during XIX-XX centruies, set the whole world of science in turmoil. The scientists also appreciate baby mammoths they found in the depths of permafrost, giving them tender names such as Yuka or Dima. There are two airports in Yakutia s capital. Tuimaada International Airport offers regular direct flights from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and a few other major cities in Russia. There are also direct flights by Yakutia Airlines once a week from Harbin, China and from Beijing by S7 airlines.

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12 RUSSIAN ARCTIC Photo by Sergey Anisimov, Alexey Bezrukov Text by Sergey Anisimov, Darya Gonzalez

13 The Barents Euro-Arctic Region, Europe s largest region for interregional cooperation, includes the northernmost parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Northwest Russia. -50 C -30 C -15 C -10 C 0 C +10 C -25 C

14 RUSSIAN ARCTIC The nature of the Barents Region is unique and the environment vulnerable, with wide tundra areas in the north and extensive boreal forests zones in the south. The wealth and diversity of natural resources. WHITE BEARS The polar bears are surprisingly cheerful and friendly when amongst their own kind. Polar bears are very curious creatures; they take an interest in anything new or unusual, but they are not at all aggressive. It is as though life in this icy wilderness has taught these creatures to respect each other, and means that if they feel that they are in danger, they prefer to walk away from potential problems, using flight as a means of survival - in the extreme conditions of the Arctic, even a small injury could be fatal. To get to the Russia Arctic you can from the city of Murmansk. Planes to Murmansk fly from Moscow, St.Petersburg and Tromso (Norway). For details choose

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20 LAKE BAIKAL Photo by Andrey Bezlepkin, Jim Denevan, Alexandr Cheban, Olga Kamenskaya Text by Alexandr Cheban, Darya Gonzalez

21 Lake Baikal s surface area is as large as Belgium it would take around 4 months, at normal walking speed, to walk all the way around it. -50 C -30 C -15 C -10 C 0 C +10 C -21 C

22 LAKE BAIKAL Lake Baikal is at the very heart of Asia, on roughly the same latitude as Moscow and London. Its surface area is as large as Belgium it would take around four months, at normal walking speed, to walk all the way around it. NERPA The living symbol of Lake Baikal is the Baikal seal, or nerpa. Baikal seals are the world s only exclusively freshwater seal. It is still a great mystery how these seals appeared in the center of the Asian continent, considering that its relatives live in northern arctic regions. Some scientists think that it was pushed southward from the Arctic Ocean by advancing polar ice during the Ice Age when oceanic waters carved out the Yenisey valley up to the mouth of the Tunguska River. There are two main means of transport to get to Lake Baikal: by plane or train. If you are traveling from a nearby city such as Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, you can also get to Lake Baikal by bus or by car.

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25 SIBERIAN LAKE THAT INSPIRED JAMES CAMERON The lake can be unpredictable and the weather can change when you least expect it, but even so the Baikal region is only second to California in the league table of sunshine hours per year. The location is also a UNESCO-listed Heritage Site. Even Hollywood director James Cameron was won over by the charm of the region - did you know that he ventured more than once to the bottom of Lake Baikal in exploratory missions whilst preparing to film his movies Titanic and Avatar?

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