Natural Conditions

Abstract

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is situated in the north-east of Siberia. Its territory lies within 77° and 55° 30′ northern latitude and 105° 00′ to 165° eastern longitude. The area of Yakutia is 3 103 200 km². Geomorphologically the territory of Yakutia consists of two large areas: the platform and the folded areas. The latter, represented by mountains and high tablelands, covers two thirds of the territory and is largely centered in the north-east, east and south-east of the republic. The platform area, consisting of tablelands and plateaus, is located in western Yakutia, while the northern and central regions are characterized by vast depressions. In most of the territory of Yakutia, except for its coastline and highland region in the South, the climate is ultra-continental with very low winter (down to –71°C) and very high summer temperatures (up to 38°C) and is characterized by severe aridity. The annual precipitation amounts for the most of the territory to 200–250 mm, and 350–500 mm in the South and South-West. The whole territory of Yakutia lies in the zone of perennially frozen soils that greatly influence the distribution and functioning of ecosystems, and vegetation in particular. Various natural processes as well as human activity induce permafrost thawing that leads to land surface destruction resulting in formation of unique landscapes: earth mounds, pingo, alas, icings, etc. Due to the huge area of Yakutia and the greatly different conditions of soil formation, the soil cover is very diverse and comprises a wide range of zonal, azonal, and intrazonal soil types.