Russia: Western Siberia

This vast plain—marshy and thinly populated in the north, hilly in the south—is of growing economic importance. At Novosibirsk and Kamen-na-Obi are large hydroelectric stations. Other principal cities include Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk. The Kuznetsk Basin in the southwest is a center of coal mining, oil refining, and the production of iron, steel, machinery, and chemicals. The Ob-Irtysh drainage system crosses this area, which is also served by the Trans-Siberian and South Siberian rail lines. Barnaul is a major rail junction. Agricultural products include wheat, rice, oats, and sugar beets, and livestock is raised.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Russo-Ukrainian War
• Post-Soviet Russia
• War and Revolution
• Reaction, Reform, and RevolutionExpansion
• Empire and European Eminence
• Consolidation of the Russian State
• Early Russia
• History
• Government
• Russian Far East
• Northern and Northeastern Siberia
• Eastern Siberia
• Western Siberia
• Ural Area
• North Caucasus
• Volga
• North and Northwest European Area
• Central European Area
• General
• Religion and Education
• Political Subdivisions and Major Cities
• Population and Ethnic Groups
• Major Geographic Features
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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