This country located 25 percent in Eastern Europe and 75 percent in Northern Asia, is the largest country in the planet. It has a land area of almost 6.6 million square miles with a population of 139,400,000 in the 2010 estimate. And with this vast land that Russia acquires, there are many types of vegetation found here. Arctic tundra, boreal larch forests, boreal spruce forests and subarctic dwarf pine thickets are some of the vegetation that is present in this place. In the west of the Ural Mountains are the broad hills located, and in the Siberian land are the conifers and tundra resides.
The Seven Natural Wonders of Russia have already been declared, but you can affect the man-made wonders by voting in the Seven Wonders of Russia campaign that is underway now. This is not the only European campaign going on, but there is an anticipation that you are interested in Russia since you are on this page.
Lake Baikal
This must probably be the oldest lake, with an estimate of 30 million years; and the deepest lake in the world with the deepest point recorded at 5,400 feet. The freshwater content is almost 20% of the world’s total freshwater sources. Lake Baikal is found in the southern part of Siberia, which is commonly termed as the pearl of Siberia, with a lot of plants and animals living in the area and some 60% of these are endemic in Lake Baikal and its surroundings. Tourists can enjoy the marvelous place that this lake has provided, watching the scenery of nature that is truly a wonder.
Lake Baikal is one of the winners for the Seven Wonders of Russia. If you visit the site referenced above, you will see the other winners.
Valley of Geysers
In Russia, there is a geyser ground that is quite similar to Yellowstone National Park, or in New Zealand. This is found in the Kronotsky Nature Preserve, in the Peninsula of Kamchatka, is the valley of geysers. For about 6 kilometer-long basin it contains more than 90 geysers and hot springs that makes it second to the world’s largest geyser concentration and the lone geyser field in Eurasia. Although the location of this valley is very distant, and one must ride a helicopter to access this dangerous valley, but the spectacular view of the geysers are worth seeing. Just watch out for the hot steam bursting out from the grounds.
Mount Elbrus
Mt. Elbrus is probably the highest point in the European part of Russia with an elevation of 18,510 feet. This is actually a volcano and was very active during the Holocene, about 10-90 A.D., but is now inactive and no records have been made regarding any volcanic activity on Mount Elbrus. The name Elbrus comes from the transposition of the word Alborz that is synonymous to Harā Bərəzaitī, from a Persian mythology. The first word means “watch” or “guard” and the second corresponds to “high”. So it was believed that this mountain possesses a power that protects the people around the area. Activities such as climbing are very popular on this place but you should need some requirements in order for you to have access on this high mountain.
Manpupuner Rock Formations
This rock formation is also known as the columns of erosion, found in the Troitsko-Pecherskiy around the area of the Komi Republic. Little information is made about the formation of this rocks that typically just came of nowhere in the high plateau of this place. The settlers near the rocks refer to them as “the 7 strong men” which is a depiction of their strength to overcome seasons that passes by every year. These rocks are huge, having heights of about 40 meters. The location of the Manpupuner Rock Formations is also isolated so having access to the place is quite difficult but when you get there, you will lose all the exhaustion you got and be refreshed by the cool winds and the magnificent rocks standing tall before you.
Lena’s Stone Forest
In the center of Siberia, one can find the odd forest famously named as Lena’s Stone Forest or Lena’s Stone Pillars. The path to this place is not that easy so it takes time and effort for anyone before planning to visit this magnificent place. This unique-shaped stones having a length of several kilometers along the riverbanks have contained vital information on the creation of our planet because this formation is believed to originate in the Cambrian Era. Fossils are also abundant here so geologists and paleontologists also flock to this place to make research on these interesting fossils.