In the past it was a swamped karst chasm, and today it is one of the most polluted bodies of water on the planet known as the “Black Hole.”

The lake is located between Nizhny Novgorod and Dzerzhinsk, on the outskirts of Dzerzhinsk eastern industrial zone (coordinates 56.2635788 43.6624149, Google Maps location). The lake is surrounded by barbed wire with banning-warning labels. Photos by Lana Sator

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Tags: Dzerzhinsk city · Nizhegorodskaya oblast

Polar Lights or Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is a natural phenomenon of glowing (luminescence) of the upper layers of atmosphere of the planet that has magnetosphere, due to their interaction with charged particles of solar wind.

When viewed from the surface of the planet Aurora Borealis appears as a general rapidly changing glow of the sky or moving beams, stripes, etc. Duration of the phenomenon varies from tens of minutes to several days.

Here you can see Polar Lights captured on video in Murmansk oblast of Russia near the town of Apatity-Kirovsk. The author of the video is Valentin Zhiganov.

Tags: Murmansk oblast

Ingushetia Republic is located in the northern part of Big Caucasus range, part of North Caucasus Federal District. The length of the region from north to south is 144 km, from west to east – 72 km.

The northern part of the region has steppe terrain, the southern – the mountainous terrain, which consists of ridges separated by valleys and gorges (the Caucasus Mountains). The highest point of the region is Mount Shan (4500 meters). Ingushetia is known for its tower buildings – historical and architectural monuments. Photos by timag82

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Tags: Ingushetia Republic

Elbrus is a stratovolcano in the Caucasus (on the border of the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia). Elbrus is located north of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and is the highest peak in Russia. Also because the border between Europe and Asia is controversial, Mount Elbrus can also be the highest peak in Europe.

Elbrus is a saddle-shaped volcano with a two peaks. Western peak has an elevation of 5642 meters, Eastern – 5621 meters. The peaks are connected by a saddle (5200 meters), the distance between peaks is about 3 kilometers. By climbing classification Elbrus has rating 2A (snow and ice), climbing to the top of two peaks – 2B. Photos by Oleg Grigoryev.

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Tags: Kabardino-Balkaria Republic · Karachay-Cherkessia Republic

On the bank of the Volga River near the town of Tutaev (Yaroslavl oblast) you can see the remains of a very beautiful building, known as Sorokin’s dacha.

It is believed that the house in the Moorish style was bought by Yaroslavl merchant Sergei Nikolayevich Sorokin at the fair in Nizhny Novgorod. The house was built in 1868. Also there was a park with a pond, fountains and pavilions around the dacha. Photos by vj_jjic

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Tags: Abandoned · Yaroslavl oblast

Russia is rich in deposits of various natural resources, but for the most part, they are located in wild and undeveloped areas of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East.

Driving a car or even a truck in these areas is very dangerous because of the lack of normal roads; drivers have to cross numerous rivers, etc. A lot of people died on these roads, the number of lost vehicles can’t be counted.

Tags: Siberia

The sale of Alaska was a deal between the governments of the Russian Empire and the North American United States. In 1867, Russia for 7.2 million USD (about 108 million USD in 2009), sold its territories in North America (total area 1,518,800 square km or 586,412 square miles).

At the time of the sale the entire population in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands was about 2,500 Russian and approximately 60,000 American Indians and Eskimos. At the beginning of the 19th century Alaska brought income from the fur trade.

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Karelia Republic is a remarkably beautiful land of white nights, boundless forests, and blue lakes. Karelia is located on the border of Western and Eastern Europe, on the border of cultures and religions.

Severe beauty of Karelia Republic nature, the climate, not too favorable in these latitudes, the coexistence and intermingling of various peoples inhabiting this land for centuries, all that conditioned the character of the people living here: very laconic, self-assured, contemplative, and tolerant people.

Tags: Karelia Republic

Chirkeyskaya hydropower plant is located on the river Sulak in Dagestan Republic. It is the largest hydropower plant in the North Caucasus and the highest arch dam in Russia. It is built in a narrow Chirkeyskiy gorge.

The capacity of the station is 1000 MW; average annual output 2.47 billion kilowatt hours. Photos by Stepanov Slava.

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Tags: Dagestan Republic

Dagestan Republic is a federal subject of Russian Federation, part of North Caucasian Federal District, located in the North Caucasus region. The capital city and administrative center is Makhachkala.

The name of the republic is meaning “The country of mountains”. About 30 peaks in Dagestan are above 4,000 m, the highest peak Bazardyuzyu is 4,466 m. Dagestan Republic of Russian Empire was formed in 1860 after the Great Caucasus War.

Tags: Dagestan Republic · landscapes