[Geog3] Aiming for Territorial Expansion by Conquering Siberia [RussianHistory] #406

Most of Russia's territory is Siberia.

Russia boasts the world's largest territory, but surprisingly, 76% of that territory is Siberia. It is so overwhelmingly vast that it feels almost entirely like Siberia, and when you hear that it is about 34 times the area of Japan, the scale becomes very clear.

You will be surprised to learn the meaning behind the expanded word Siberia.

Even though it is called Siberia, the term is used in a broad sense to refer to the cold region spreading to the east of the Ural Mountains. Seen from Russia, which used to center around the Moscow area, the entire vast area lying beyond the eastern mountain range is called Siberia.

There is a unique lifestyle nurtured in the cold land.

Most of Siberia is covered with coniferous forests called taiga, creating a harsh environment where agriculture is impossible. Therefore, various indigenous peoples who engaged in fishing and reindeer herding used to settle and live there.

Full-scale advancement begins from the era of Ivan IV.

In the 16th century, during the era of Ivan IV, full-scale development of Siberia began to move. Triggered by the order to conquer a country called the Sibir Khanate, Russia's historical advancement into Siberia begins, but please be sure to listen to the main episode for the rest.