The Republic of Karelia is located in the north-western part of Russia, bordering Finland. The region is of great interest in the first place from a tourist point of view. Active, cultural and green forms of tourism are the most popular.

Karelia attracts tourists for its environmentally friendly nature, low population density and relatively low prices. A large part of the region is above the Arctic Circle and at night in the sky you can see fascinating pictures of Aurora Borealis like the following ones taken near the village of Rabocheostrovsk (Google Maps location of the place). Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

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Tags: Karelia Republic

These photos were taken near Mutnovsky volcano, Kamchatka krai, in 2012. Last winter was not snowy, and the summer was hot. Therefore huge snow piles that never melt reduced in size greatly. As a result, a passage in the snow was opened leading to the cave underneath.

At the entrance to the cave the ceiling is not thick and sunlight breaking through it gives unique beautiful views. As you go further away from the entrance, the arch of the cave becomes thicker, and less sunlight comes through it, but you can still see various bizarre images, both in form and color.

Photo © Denis Budkov

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, the deepest lake in the world, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water (23615.39 cubic km which is about 19% of the world’s fresh water reserves in lakes). Local residents usually call it the Baikal Sea.

Lake Baikal is located in the center of the Asian continent on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake stretches from north-east to south-west by 620 km in the form of a giant crescent. Baikal width ranges from 24 to 79 km.

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Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast

February 15, it was a frosty morning in Chelyabinsk (about -17 degrees Celsius), windless and cloudless. The previous day was very warm (the temperature was near zero), and so the next morning all the trees were covered with frost.

Photographer Marat Ahmetvaleev (marateaman) decided to take some landscape pictures on his favorite point near his home. Around 9:00 am he was at the place and made the first shots.

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Tags: Chelyabinsk city

Today, at approximately 09:20 local time, there was a powerful explosion in the sky over Chelyabinsk city. According to the officials, it was the result of a meteor rain.

About 1200 people sought medical attention. Most of them were injured by fragments of broken glass. According to NASA, the power of explosion was about 300 kilotons. This is 20 times more than the power of A-bomb that exploded over Hiroshima, Japan during the Second World War.

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Tags: Chelyabinsk city

Russia is a country with large reserves of various natural resources. The deposits of these resources are located mainly in underdeveloped regions of the country stretching from Siberia to the Far East.

Search for natural resources (mainly oil and natural gas) is made by special seismic prospecting crews. In these photos, taken in several regions of Russia, you can see scenes of life of these people and working conditions. Photos by donskoylis from yaplakal.com

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The Valley of Geysers is one of the largest geyser field in the world and the only in Eurasia. The valley is located in Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve in Kamchatka.

The territory of the geyser field is about 2 square km. There are around 20 large geysers and a lot of small ones that periodically emit fountains of almost boiling water (95° C) or hot steam.

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

November 27, 2012 in Kamchatka, after a 36-year interval, volcano Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik began to erupt. Volcanoes Plosky Tolbachik (altitude 3140 meters) and Ostry (Sharp) Tolbachik (3682 meters) are the parts of one single large volcanic massif (volcanoes location on Google Maps).

Tolbachik is located in the south-western part of the Klyuchevskaya volcano group, 63 kilometers from Kluchi village and 343 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Previous eruption began in July 1975 and continued until October 1976. Magnificent views! Photos by Sergey Gorshkov

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

Earlier this place, located in the north of the Moscow region, was Olkhovskoye swamp. In 1936, the swamp was drained, and peat extraction began in 1955.

In 2010, one of the sites began to fill with water because of its depletion. A lot of different machines for peat extraction were left creating a very beautiful post-apocalyptic landscape now. Photos by rotweller

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Tags: Abandoned · Moskovskaya oblast

The nature of Astrakhan region is unique for Russia. Nowhere else in the country will you be able to find a territory composed of semi-deserts and deserts, where camels live, and the most famous Russian river Volga carries its waters.

Astrakhan oblast is located in the south-east of the East European Plain. The region is situated in the Caspian lowland where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. The region stretches over 400 km in the form of a narrow stripe. Photos by GeoSerzh

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Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes