Yamal is a peninsula located in the very north of Siberia and washed by the Kara Sea. Its length is seven hundred kilometers, and its width is up to two hundred and forty. What is interesting about this piece of sushi?
Geographic information and natural resources
The Yamal Peninsula has a flat relief, its average height is fifty meters.
It is noteworthy that a large number of natural gas fields are concentrated here - about twenty percent of all Russian reserves. Its main part is mined in the largest of them: Kharasaveysky, Bovanenkovo, Kruzenshternovsky, South-Tambeysky and North-Tambeysky. Natural gas located in the Yamal Peninsula is distinguished by its exceptionally high quality.
Climate
The climate of Yamal is rather cold. The main part of the peninsula is located in the subarctic zone, and the northern coast is in the arctic. Average temperatures are -24°С in January and +5°С in July. Precipitation is low - about 400 millimeters per year.
Water resources
The Yamal Peninsula has a large number of shallow lakes, the largest of which is called Yambuto. In mid-October, all reservoirs freeze, and in early June, they open fromice.
Nature of Yamal
This peninsula is located in two natural zones at once - tundra and forest-tundra. The soil here is represented by podburs, gleyzems and peat soils. Most of the territory is bound by permafrost.
Plant and animal life
Mosses and lichens are the most common among plants.
The fauna of the peninsula is quite diverse. In Yamal, you can meet reindeer, lemmings, arctic foxes. And of the birds - a snowy owl, a partridge, a rough-legged buzzard, a sandpiper, a red-throated goose, a long-tailed duck, a snow bunting, a pink gull and others. Pike, whitefish, muksun, burbot, lenok, grayling, sturgeon, perch live in coastal waters.
Population
More than half of the population of the Yamal Peninsula are Russians. The second place is occupied by the Ukrainians, the third - by the Nenets and Tatars. This is due to the fact that the Yamal Peninsula has long been part of the Muscovite kingdom, then the Russian Empire, the USSR, and now it is part of the Russian Federation.
The main occupations of the inhabitants of the peninsula are reindeer herding and fishing. They have no opportunity to cultivate the land due to the fact that the soil here is extremely infertile.
By the way, the name of the peninsula is formed from two words - "I" and "small", which means "end of the world" in the language of the local population.
Attractions
If you decide to visit the Yamal Peninsula, first make sure that winter is on the calendar. Yes,exactly! After all, it is absolutely impossible to be in Yamal in the summer - huge hordes of mosquitoes live there.
Yamal old-timers say that it is much easier to survive the winter here than the summer - after all, you can hide from the cold in warm houses, but there is no escape from mosquitoes.
In the summer, the indigenous people of Yamal take their reindeer herds closer to the sea, because mosquitoes bite not only people, but also animals. But researchers, geologists and oilmen have to stay in their homes.
What interesting sights can be seen on the peninsula? If you get to Salekhard, the center of the Yamalo-Nenets District, you can visit the Ice Palace, the Aviation Museum and look at a life-size mammoth sculpture. But most importantly, you will get a rare opportunity to enjoy the magnificent view of the northern lights - a real hallmark of this city.
