Siberia

1. Siberia is extremely rich. 75 per cent of coal deposits in this country, up to 80 per cent of its hydropower resources and 80 per cent of its timber reserves, the biggest deposits of non-ferrous and precious metals, huge resources of iron ore, building materials, etc. are concentrated here. The difficulty is to find easy and cheap ways of extracting coal, ores and other minerals. This can be done by the common effort of big scientific establishments. Oil was first discovered in Western Siberia in 1960. Extraction began in 1964. In 1971, Siberian oil workers obtained approximately 45 million tons, and in 1972, the yield exceeded 60 million tons. A major oil-producing centre has been set up in a short period under very difficult natural and climatic conditions.

2. Siberia, which used to be a place of exile in tsarist times, now has scores of modern cities. There are a lot of educational establishments, research institutes, modern plants and factories there. These modern plants and factories, whether already in operation or still under construction express the gigantic scale of everything in Siberia. All the technology is based firmly on the latest achievements of science.

3. The rivers of Russian Siberia are an impressive symbol of its inexhaustible strength and might. The Angara alone has a greater power-engineering potential than all the power stations in France, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Holland and Spain put together. The Bratsk Hydro-Power Station is one of the biggest in the world.

4. Siberia is not only a highly-industrialized region. It is a major granary. The climate in some regions of Siberia is very warm and humid and never affected by severe drought. Good harvests are usual. Lake Baikal in Siberia is a huge depository of fresh water. Siberia is a major economic area in the country.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-17