The West Siberian Plain

 

Russia's most extensive region, the West Siberian Plain, is the most striking single relief feature of the country and quite possibly of the world. Covering an area well in excess of 1 million square miles (2.6 million square km)—one-seventh of Russia's total area—it stretches about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from the Urals to the Yenisey and 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from the Arctic Ocean to the foothills of the Altai Mountains. Only in the extreme south do elevations exceed 650 feet (200 metres), and more than half the plain lies below 330 feet (100 metres). Vast floodplains and some of the world's largest swamps are characteristic features, particularly of the plain's northern half. Slightly higher and drier territory is located south of latitude 55° N, where the bulk of the region's population is concentrated.