Far East, Russia

The Far East of Russia is a huge and predominantly mountainous territory, accounting for 36% of the entire territory of the country, 6169.3 thousand km². Historically, the Far East includes the territory of river basins flowing into the Pacific Ocean, including the Pacific islands. Also, our legislators (for their own reasons) attributed Yakutia to the Far Eastern Federal District, although the Yakutians themselves do not think so - after all, Yakutia geographically and climatically belongs to Eastern Siberia.

The territory of the Far East is unevenly stretched for 2500-3000 km from west to east and 4500 km from north to south.

The Far East has the largest reserves of mineral resources, in terms of which the region occupies a leading position in Russia, and about a third of all Russian forests (by area).

The Far East has an extremely low population density (the lowest in the country), while the population is distributed very unevenly: the highest density is observed in the Primorsky Territory, half as much in the Jewish Autonomy, and 10 times less in the Khabarovsk Territory. Moreover, if initially people settled along transport routes (Trans-Siberian Railway, other railways and roads), then for the last two decades there has been a process of population concentration in large cities, and a huge number of villages and towns are half-empty or simply abandoned by residents.

The average salaries, pensions and incomes of the population in the Far East are significantly ahead of the average Russian indicators, but you should not rejoice or envy - the cost of living and simply the price for the "minimum food basket" is also ahead of all of Russia, and the price tags in stores in remote and northern regions are for the unprepared tourists can be shocked!

All regions of the Far East are subsidized.

The Russian Far East is bordered by China and North Korea in the south, Japan in the southeast, and the United States in the extreme northeast.

Residents of the Far East often abbreviate the full name of their region "Far East" to "DV" (de-we), while they call the rest of the territory of the Russian Federation simply and specifically - "west". Also, local residents often scold their region (quite deservedly), but at the same time they are sincerely proud that they are from the Far East, and even having gone to "warmer lands", they often nostalgic about life in the Far East.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Southern Kamchatka Nature Park (Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Zakaznik)
Bystrinsky Nature Park
Kluchevskoy Nature Park
Koryaksky Zapovednik
Palana
Paratunka
Yelizovo

Climate

The climate of the Far East differs greatly by region - from arctic and subarctic in the north, sharply continental in the central and western regions, to maritime monsoon in the south and east. At the same time, solar activity here is the highest in the country, and the number of sunny days per year, in most cases, significantly exceeds this indicator in the European territory of the Russian Federation (in Vladivostok - 269, Yakutsk - 228, Sochi - 190, Magadan - 181 (the expression "sunny Magadan" - the true truth), Voronezh - 158, Vologda - 131, Moscow - 114, Murmansk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk - 76 days of sunny days a year). That is, in the Far East there is no concept of "winter dullness", which is so characteristic of the European territory, and in winter there is practically no slush and dirt on the roads - snow is normal or just absolutely clean and dry asphalt.

But it is also true that in the Far East the level of precipitation is high. It’s just that the intensity of the rains is greater, either Rain or Downpour (precisely with a capital letter, because it’s not pouring rain, there is almost no rain of such intensity in Europe) and in a few hours the sky can pour out a huge mass of water. There are many cloudy days on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. It was said that the weather on Sakhalin was exactly the opposite of the weather on the mainland.

Despite the activity of the sun, the climate here is much more contrasting and generally colder, thanks to the cold breath of the vast Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the cold Primorsky current flowing south from it along the coast of the Sea of Japan. In winter, most of the territory of the Far East is dominated by Siberian and Arctic anticyclones, bringing cold air and, in general, a small amount of precipitation. The height of the snow cover ranges from insignificant (almost complete absence of snow) in the southern areas and bordering China, to simply huge (5-6 meters!) On Sakhalin and Kamchatka. In summer, the direction of the wind changes and the climate becomes dependent on the Pacific monsoons. Most of the precipitation occurs in summer.

The climate contrast is characterized by sharp daily and annual temperature fluctuations - in some areas of Yakutia, the annual temperature fluctuation reaches 100-110 degrees Celsius! The "Pole of Cold" is located in Yakutia - in Oymyakon the lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere of the planet is registered: -67.7 °С. Approximately the same climate in the continental regions of the Magadan region: a short warm summer is replaced by a very cold winter!

In summer, in Vladivostok, in general, it is almost always colder than in Khabarovsk, despite the fact that Vladivostok is more than 600 kilometers south - the breath of the sea affects.

In Khabarovsk in the summer at noon it can be very hot and stuffy, while in the dead of night in a T-shirt and shorts you will be very, very bored. Even on the seashore, in Sovetskaya Gavan, in mid-August at 2 pm it can be +32 degrees, while at 5 am it’s only +14, and you can’t do without a jacket (on almost the entire coast there are no warm nights in principle, except for the south of Primorye ).

The coastal regions of the Far East (Kuriles, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories) are regularly visited by typhoons (Pacific tropical cyclones) in the summer, which periodically causes river floods, flooding and disruption of infrastructure, and sometimes leads to emergencies.

Also, almost the entire coast, from Kamchatka to Vladivostok, is often covered in summer with fogs coming from the sea. It seems like good weather is planned according to the forecast, but a gray wall came up, everything was covered with milk and there was white silence for days, cold and wet ... Moreover, the fogs are not at all the same as the inhabitants of European Russia are used to - thin and surface. Sea fogs resemble thunderclouds descended from the sky - dense and dark, 200-300 meters thick, and the sun does not shine through at all. This fog covers only the coastal areas, since the hills do not allow it to spread further. Of course, fog seeps through the ravines into the interior of the territory, but to a limited extent and not very far.

A significant territory of the Far East is seismically dangerous and prone to earthquakes, and the Kuriles and Kamchatka are located directly on the Pacific seismic belt - up to 80% of all earthquakes on the planet occur here. The zone of increased seismicity in the territory of the Far East includes, in addition to the Kuril archipelago and the Kamchatka peninsula, Sakhalin, Chukotka and the Sikhote-Alin mountain system.

Every year, numerous forest fires occur in the Far East, during a dry summer (two or three weeks without rain is quite enough), simply vast territories burned out (comparable in area to Finland or Sweden).

In many areas in the Far East, the water is very soft and pleasant to the taste.

History

For a long time, tribes of Daurs, Evenks, Nivkhs, Udeges, Ulchis, Orochs, Nanais, Lamuts lived in the Far Eastern territories. These people led a nomadic life and were mainly engaged in hunting and fishing. In the 17th century, the first subjects of the Russian Empire appeared here, who studied and mastered the vast expanses. In some cases, this led to clashes with the local population and armed confrontation. As a result of the conflict between Russia and the Qing Empire, the Nerchinsk Treaty was concluded - this was the first Russian-Chinese treaty on the delimitation of territory and the establishment of trade relations. In the 18th century, two expeditions were successively sent to explore Kamchatka, and the Peter and Paul Post was founded. And only in the 19th century did the active study and development of the Far East by Russians begin.

At that time, the Qing Empire was waging a difficult war with allied England and France, which Russia did not fail to take advantage of by organizing several expeditions in the Amur region. The captain of the first rank Nevelskoy G.N., contrary to the order, reached the mouth of the Amur with his expedition and founded the Nikolaevsky post there (now Nikolaevsk-on-Amur), raising the Russian flag and declaring Russia's sovereignty over these lands (though, for this arbitrariness, he almost paid with shoulder straps). In 1848, on the initiative of Count Muravyov, the construction of a fortress began in Kamchatka. During the Crimean War, an Anglo-French landing was landed on the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was utterly defeated.

On May 16, 1858, the governor of Eastern Siberia, Count N. N. Muravyov, concluded the Aigun Treaty with China on the delimitation of the territory along the Amur channel, and at the same time the construction of the military post of Khabarovka (now Khabarovsk) began. In 1860, Count Ignatiev signed the Beijing Treaty, according to which Russia received the Ussuri Territory, an assault was landed in the Golden Horn Bay and the construction of a military post in Vladivostok began.

At the end of the 19th century, in connection with the completion of the construction of the Ussuri branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Chinese Eastern Railway, the intensive development of the Amur and Primorye began.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia's relations with Japan escalated, which, like Russia, was promoting its influence in the Far Eastern territories. The result of the confrontation was the first war in the history of mankind with the massive use of high-tech weapons: repeating rifles with a unitary cartridge, long-range breech-loading guns, radio communications (and the world's first targeted production of electronic interference). However, for a number of reasons, Russia failed in this war and ended with the Peace of Portsmouth, signed on August 23 (September 5), 1905. As a result, Russia lost southern Sakhalin, the Kuriles, and its lease rights to the Liaodong Peninsula and the South Manchurian Railway.

Then Russia entered the World War, there was a revolution and the "Time of Troubles" came. On July 6, 1918, the Entente declared Vladivostok an "international zone" and American and Japanese troops landed in the city. In February-May 1920, under the pretext of a clash with the Red partisans, the zone of Japanese occupation was expanded to include the cities of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk, and Verkhneudinsk. On April 6, 1920, the Far Eastern Republic was founded - a buffer state, not recognized by anyone in the world, but which played its role: the people's army of the Far Eastern Republic gradually ousted the White Guards from the Far Eastern land: at the beginning of 1922, Khabarovsk was taken, and by autumn - Vladivostok. After that, the FER was liquidated, and the territory was annexed to the RSFSR as the Far Eastern Region. The last skirmishes in the Civil War took place precisely in the Far East - in 1923 near Okhotsk and Ayan, where the White Guards driven out of Yakutsk settled. The result of the peace treaty between the USSR and Japan was the complete demilitarization of the city of Vladivostok.

However, already in 1931, a decision was made to strengthen the defense of the Far Eastern territories. Within 10 years, a huge number of people and equipment were transferred to the east, enterprises and factories, ports and an airfield network were built. In particular, along the entire coast from Anadyr to the border with Korea (and this is about 9 thousand km), a defensive belt was built from a chain of concrete pillboxes, important objects were protected by coastal artillery batteries. Militarization has benefited the region as a whole, as it has given a powerful impetus to the development of these remote territories. It should be noted that some of the objects of a different nature were built by the hands of prisoners, this was especially widely practiced on the territory of the present Magadan region, where a network of camps was created.

After a short but bloody campaign of the USSR against Japan, South Sakhalin and the Kuriles returned to the USSR. Shock construction meanwhile continued. Beginning in 1953, correctional institutions began to be disbanded, a significant number of prisoners were released, who were gradually replaced by military construction battalions. In the period 1955-60, there was a significant reduction in military units and the dismissal of people in uniform - N.S. Khrushchev reduced the army by more than half, which also had a noticeable effect on the demographics of the Far East. But until 1991, the population grew steadily and amounted to just over 8 million people.

With the collapse of the USSR and until the end of the 20th century, all the negative phenomena that took place in the country took place in full in the Far East, only in an even more severe form due to isolation from the center, difficult climatic conditions and a number of other factors . The population has been steadily declining to the present due to the outflow of immigrants to the western regions of the country.

How to get there

By plane
In the Far East, there are several large (by local standards) airports where planes fly from Moscow: these are Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Magadan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In Yakutia, long-distance flights are at least to Yakutsk, Neryungri and Mirny. In Chukotka - to Anadyr and Pevek. True, the smaller the airport and the airline that operates flights to it, the more likely it is that the aircraft is intended for shift workers and flies almost a day with several intermediate landings.

International flights (mainly from the countries of the Pacific region) are to Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Flights from Moscow to the Far East are operated, as a rule, "at night". The plane flies towards the sun and arrive in the morning. Flights in the opposite direction go "in pursuit" of daylight hours, and departing at 9.00 from Khabarovsk, you arrive in Moscow also at 9.00 (but already in Moscow). The main problem for the traveler is the rather long duration of the flight - you will fully appreciate the inconvenience of the seats, and by the end of the flight all the little passengers will run around the plane together.

Don't forget about changing time zones. The flight of a resident of European Russia to the Far East is not at all a trip to Samara or Chelyabinsk. In the Far East, you will be banally flattened for several days until adaptation to the time shift has passed. But do not worry, this is normal - residents of the Far East experience this magical state on a regular basis, flying on vacation "to the west" (if there are funds - annually).

By train
Two railways lead from the west to the Far East - the Trans-Siberian Railway and the BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline). The main flow of passenger trains, 5-6 pairs a day, goes along the Trans-Siberian Railway through Birobidzhan and Khabarovsk. The eastern part of BAM is practically uninhabited; only one train per day reaches Komsomolsk-on-Amur from Tynda.

The main train of the country is the fast branded passenger train No. 002M / 001M "Rossiya", plying along the route Vladivostok - Moscow - Vladivostok. This is the longest railway route in the world (9259 km). The train runs every other day, the duration of the trip is about 6 days (143 hours). Living conditions on this train are more than decent, and the schedule is very stable. True, the cost of a trip in a compartment is close to the cost of an economy class flight, but you need to eat something on the train for another 6 days ...

The border with China is crossed by the Pogranichny-Suifenhe railway in Primorsky Krai, but passenger traffic on it has stopped. If you want to get to the Far East from China, then in addition to the already mentioned Suifenhe (from where buses go to Russia), you can use the high-speed line to Hunchun and go to Vladivostok by bus or go to Heihe and take the ferry to Blagoveshchensk.

In the direction of North Korea, a Moscow-Pyongyang trailer regularly goes, but outsiders are not allowed there in any case.

By car
From Eastern Europe to the south of the Far East, a transcontinental route E30-AN6-AN30 was laid (Moscow - Samara - Chelyabinsk - Novosibirsk - Irkutsk - Chita - Khabarovsk - southern Primorye (border with China); with a turn to the north in the Skovorodino area along A-360 to Yakutsk, and further from Yakutsk along the R-504 to Magadan; in the area of Svobodny otvoroto south along the R-468 to Blagoveshchensk and further to the border with China; in Khabarovsk, a fork - south along the A-370 to Ussuriysk and further to Vladivostok, and to the north - R-454 to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, with an opening to Vanino and then by ferry to Sakhalin Island (from Kholmsk along R-495); through De-Kastri.

If ten years ago it was akin to a feat to travel the country in a passenger car from end to end, now it is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, but it is absolutely certain that it is very interesting and informative. Of course, it is necessary to prepare for such a journey, but most likely, you will not need anything from the emergency emergency reserve in real life, and it is very possible that you will not even puncture a single wheel anywhere along the way ...

Carefully develop a route, maps of cities, deviations from the main route (visiting friends, relatives, just seeing interesting places, etc.), decide on food (roadside cafes or cook yourself), accommodation (in motels or in nature). Almost all the information of interest to the autotraveller can be found on the Internet.

The farther east, the greater the distance, more nature and fewer settlements. The most interesting section passes through the territory of Transbaikalia (beyond Chita) - a daily drive through mountainous and deserted areas, where there is practically no traffic, no cellular communications and traffic police inspectors, and prices for gasoline of dubious quality at ugly gas stations are the highest from Moscow to Vladivostok!

About fuel. If possible, refuel at branded gas stations. In the eastern half of the country (for information: the Urals are not the middle of the Russian Federation at all, the middle of the country falls approximately on Western Siberia) always keep a supply in the tank and do not pull until the emergency light comes on - you can easily stay with an empty tank without reaching the nearest refueling a couple of hundred kilometers.

If you do not have a great need, then you should not travel across the country by car in the winter (this is especially true for residents of the western regions of the Russian Federation, and even more so for foreigners). Do not forget that in Siberia it can be very cold in winter! To operate a car in conditions of decently low temperatures, a certain preparation of the car, relevant knowledge and practical experience are required.

On the ship
Getting from the western regions of Russia to the Far East by sea has always been a difficult task. In the 18th and 19th centuries, an alternative to a two-year trip by horse-drawn transport was a round-the-world trip by ship of the same duration. The ship with passengers left St. Petersburg, went around Cape Horn, crossed the Pacific Ocean, calling on the way to the ports of Russian America (Fort Ross, Novo-Arkhangelsk, etc.), and only then reached the Far East, to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Okhotsk and Ayan. In the second half of the 19th century, in connection with the accession of the Amur and Primorye to the Russian Empire, passenger traffic to the Far East increased significantly. There was a regular steamship line Odessa - Vladivostok, through Suez and Singapore, through which the first settlers arrived in Primorye. After the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1906, sea passenger transportation to the Far East ceased to be carried out and has not been resumed for the second hundred years.

Theoretically, the Far East can also be reached along the Northern Sea Route on merchant ships. But the matter is complicated by the fact that the through passage of this Arctic route is extremely rare. Basically, the supply of the western sector of the Arctic (to Taimyr) is carried out from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, and the eastern sector (partly Yakutia, to a greater extent Chukotka) - from Vladivostok and Nakhodka. These ports are not connected by a direct shipping line. Sometimes tankers of the Murmansk Shipping Company unload in Pevek, Chukotka, from where merchant ships of the Far Eastern Shipping Company can move to the south of the Far East. But this option will require a lot of time and luck, so it is difficult to implement.

And yet it is possible to get to the Far East by getting off the ship. To do this, you need to fly to South Korea or Japan and transfer to the ferry. From South Korean Sokcho, the ferry comes to Zarubino or Vladivostok; from Japanese Wakkanai to Korsakov. A more expensive and exotic option is to fly to one of the Asia-Pacific countries and transfer to one of the cruise liners that call at Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Transport

The distances in the Far East are enormous, and there are practically no roads. The main mode of transport is air.

By plane
The main hub airport of the Far East of the Russian Federation is the Khabarovsk-Novy airport. He acts as a so-called. hub. All main flights to the west of the country are carried out through it (mainly to the airports of Moscow, where transfers are also carried out) and to large and not very Far Eastern cities. Also, part of the flights from the West of the Russian Federation to the regional airports of the Far East are operated directly, without landing in Khabarovsk, or airlines operate connecting flights with a transfer in Khabarovsk, the so-called. transfer.

Most of the regional airports in the Far East, large and small, operate regular flights of local air carriers between cities in the Far East. Remote settlements in the Far East that do not have year-round ground communication with civilization, as a rule, have a small airfield or landing site, where small aircraft also fly regularly (if possible).

When preparing for a trip in the Far East, it should be borne in mind that, without exception, all regional Far Eastern aviation (IRA) is highly dependent on the weather: due to weather conditions, flights can be delayed for a day or more or canceled altogether (as a rule, due to dense ground fogs in the summer time or heavy snow loads in winter). Instead of the airport you need, you can land on an alternate one 500 km from the required one, or even a military airfield in the taiga ... It is not uncommon when an airplane, after making a couple of circles over its destination, simply returns back to the departure airfield. Unstable weather conditions create significant difficulties for connecting flights, so if it is possible to get to the "big" airport by ground transport, then it is better to plan this way (locals know this well and do not risk it again).

By train
The Far Eastern Railway (FER) connects the Far Eastern cities - Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Birobidzhan, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Tynda, Sovetskaya Gavan, Kholmsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Suburban trains run in major cities. The rest of the territory of the Far East does not have a railway connection.

The railway to Yakutia has been pulled for many years, and at the moment the passenger traffic on it ends some 12 km from Yakutsk, on the other side of the Lena.

By car
A developed road structure exists only in the south of the region. The rest of the territory of the Far East is mostly entangled in a network of primers, winter roads and logging roads. However, intensive road construction is underway in the main directions.

Since the distances are huge in the Far East, the climate is harsh, and the population density is very low, each stage of the road haul must be carefully planned - frivolity in this matter can easily lead to trouble. It is precisely because of the extreme conditions of movement that in the sparsely populated areas of the Far East it is customary for everyone and always (!) To stop and provide all possible assistance.

On the ship
Despite the vast expanses of water, maritime passenger transport in the Far East is of secondary importance. All major Far Eastern cities are connected by air, the passenger lines Vladivostok - Magadan, Vladivostok - Korsakov - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are a thing of the past. Although, if desired, you can get to these cities by sea on merchant ships, and even carry a car. Of the existing regional maritime passenger lines, the following can be mentioned:

1. Ferry crossing Vanino - Kholmsk. The length is 260 km. The most regular and busiest in the Far East.

2. Line Korsakov - Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The length is 500 km. From Yuzhno-Kurilsk to about. Shikotan can also be reached by sea (approx. 80 km)

3. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Severo-Kurilsk. The length is 370 km.

4. Line Anadyr - Provideniya - Lawrence, 700 km long.

In the Primorsky Territory, there are short, but during the summer very busy ferry crossings to Popov Island and Putyatin Island.

The rivers with the largest passenger traffic in the Far East are the Lena and the Amur. You can get to Ust-Kut and Tiksi by motor ships along the Lena from Yakutsk. Along the Amur from Khabarovsk you can get to Blagoveshchensk and Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Suburban river communication is available in Yakutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and Anadyr.

Attractions

From the point of view of a tourist, large cities are interesting - first of all, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. However, in the regional centers, various points may also be of interest, such as historical monuments, local cuisine, nature. By nature: the UNESCO World Heritage List for the Far Eastern Federal District of the Russian Federation includes the volcanoes of Kamchatka, as one of the most interesting volcanic regions in the world, and the Central Sikhote-Alin mountain system - mixed forests, which are recognized as one of the richest and most original in terms of species composition among all forests of the temperate zone of the Earth.

Things to do

Travel, tourism, beach holidays, fishing, extreme sports (diving and surfing).

Unfortunately, in our country, in the Far East and on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, mainly Far Easterners or Siberians travel, but in vain. Rest on the beaches of the Sea of Japan is interesting, although very peculiar. The area here is beautiful, and the water in the sea is relatively warm, very clean and transparent. The underwater world is very interesting and in its diversity can be compared with the Ussuri taiga. You can taste plenty of various exotic seafood dishes and get tanned to black (even through the fog). In addition, on the territory of Russia, only in the Far East, you can admire volcanoes and geysers, spawning salmon, ride high waves (with relatively warm water), and see some of the largest representatives of the flora and fauna of Russia in wildlife.

Alas, remoteness greatly limits tourism to the Far East from the western regions of the country. Also, rather high prices for literally everything can be noted as disadvantages, and the tourist infrastructure still leaves much to be desired. Also a big minus is the monsoonal climate. Due to the long spring, the swimming season opens, at best, by mid-June. In July-August, a cyclone can easily come up, and for two weeks it will continuously pour (just pour!) Warm rain from the sky, and your beach vacation is just covered ... That is, you can’t guess here.

But, on the other hand, these same minuses can turn into pluses, depending on which side you look at them from. For example, the remoteness of the Far East adds to its mystery, the desire to reach the "end of the world", to visit the farthest limit, beyond which there is only the Great Ocean ... The Far East is the goal of many car, motorcycle, bicycle rides. The undeveloped tourist infrastructure just attracts a significant segment of the "savages" who, in principle, prefer to relax on free beaches in their tents and cars. And it's good that the Far East can still provide such an opportunity. Finally, due to the monsoon climate, Primorye has a very long (until December), warm, sunny, real golden autumn, and in September it is quite possible to swim. Residents of the European part of Russia in winter, due to lack of sunlight, are often depressed. At this time of the year, the sunniest region in the country is the south of the Far East. Far Easterners at this time of the year can be recognized by their faces brown from sunburn against the background of the rest of the white parts of the body.

Unfortunately, in our country, in the Far East and on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, mainly Far Easterners or Siberians travel, but in vain. Rest on the beaches of the Sea of Japan is interesting, although very peculiar. The area here is beautiful, and the water in the sea is relatively warm, very clean and transparent. The underwater world is very interesting and in its diversity can be compared with the Ussuri taiga. You can taste plenty of various exotic seafood dishes and get tanned to black (even through the fog). In addition, on the territory of Russia, only in the Far East, you can admire volcanoes and geysers, spawning salmon, ride high waves (with relatively warm water), and see some of the largest representatives of the flora and fauna of Russia in wildlife.

Alas, remoteness greatly limits tourism to the Far East from the western regions of the country. Also, rather high prices for literally everything can be noted as disadvantages, and the tourist infrastructure still leaves much to be desired. Also a big minus is the monsoonal climate. Due to the long spring, the swimming season opens, at best, by mid-June. In July-August, a cyclone can easily come up, and for two weeks it will continuously pour (just pour!) Warm rain from the sky, and your beach vacation is just covered ... That is, you can’t guess here.

But, on the other hand, these same minuses can turn into pluses, depending on which side you look at them from. For example, the remoteness of the Far East adds to its mystery, the desire to reach the "end of the world", to visit the farthest limit, beyond which there is only the Great Ocean ... The Far East is the goal of many car, motorcycle, bicycle rides. The undeveloped tourist infrastructure just attracts a significant segment of the "savages" who, in principle, prefer to relax on free beaches in their tents and cars. And it's good that the Far East can still provide such an opportunity. Finally, due to the monsoon climate, Primorye has a very long (until December), warm, sunny, real golden autumn, and in September it is quite possible to swim. Residents of the European part of Russia in winter, due to lack of sunlight, are often depressed. At this time of the year, the sunniest region in the country is the south of the Far East. Far Easterners at this time of the year can be recognized by their faces brown from sunburn against the background of the rest of the white parts of the body.

Routes

In itself, the road through the largest continent to the largest ocean on the planet is one of the goals of visiting the Far East. For many, a long journey fascinates or sets in a philosophical mood. Travelers, moving east day after day, notice how the climate, landscapes, and infrastructure are changing. Some things, on the contrary, remain unchanged, leading travelers either to bewilderment or delight. For Far Easterners traveling by car to the European region of the country, when they leave the relatively habitable coast and find themselves in the wild steppes of Transbaikalia, they may feel like a Western of the Wild West. For residents of the European part and Siberians entering the valleys of the Amur and Primorye in the summer, a comparison with the savannah comes to mind. However, the territory of the Far East itself is so elongated from north to south that even without leaving the region you can see an incredible variety of landscapes.

Unfortunately, convenient and cheap routes covering any significant territory of the region do not yet exist. The transport network in the Far East is underdeveloped. Four Far Eastern regions are cut off from the railway network. From the automobile - two. There are no cruise lines along the Pacific coast. It is problematic even to fly around the region by plane: it is expensive, there are no direct flights between some cities, long transfers, delays and cancellations of flights are possible.

Food

Ordinary Russian cuisine is used daily - ordinary soups, potatoes, salads. Also in season (for a short time) there is a lot of fish and seafood, including very exotic ones. Dishes and preparations from various wild plants are widely practiced. There are Korean dishes, especially spicy salads.

Night life

The Far East is not the European North. Here, unlike St. Petersburg, there are no white nights and northern lights (well, only if you have not been brought to the very north of the Magadan region ...). With the exception of residents of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, residents of the Far East do not shy away at night and do not look for adventures on the fifth point.

At the same time, Primorsky Krai, located in the extreme south of the country, is very attractive for astronomy lovers. From the territory of Primorye, you can see those constellations that are hidden under the horizon in most of Russia. In addition, the weather in autumn and winter, in contrast to the western regions of the country, is very clear, and the illumination from the cities is minimal.

Precautionary measures

Many residents of the Far East have a biased negative attitude towards the inhabitants of European Russia (especially towards the inhabitants of Moscow), which is conscientiously and regularly fueled by the policy of the central authorities, who unceremoniously interfere in the already difficult life of the inhabitants of the region. A resident of the "West" should not even hint at any superiority - you can run into a conflict.

There are also many natural hazards, such as clouds of blood-sucking insects, encephalitis mites, various poisonous reptiles, all biting animals, wild heat with 100% humidity, night fogs with visibility up to the neighboring five-story building; forest fires, when there is nothing to breathe for weeks; heavy snowfalls, when cars are brought under the roof during the night; dog cold with wind, when a person equipped in a bunch of fur clothes starts to shake in 15 minutes - the inhabitants of the Far East are used to these things and are absolutely calm, and often simply do or do not do something that is simply incomprehensible to a resident of the European territory.

Far East, Russia

Amur Oblast

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Magadan Oblast

Kamchatka

Khabarovsk Krai

Republic Sakha (Yakutia)

Primorsky Krai

Sakhalin Oblast