| Region | |
| Country | |
| Development | Relatively Underdeveloped |
| Population Density | Sparse |
| Economic Activities | Exploration • Settlement • Limited Industrialization |
| Key Characteristics | Presence of Indigenous Cultures • Resistance to Outside Control • Geopolitical Tensions |
Siberia is the extensive geographical region that makes up the northern part of the New Tsardom of Russia, spanning across northern Asia. Unlike in our timeline, Siberia in this alternate reality has remained relatively underdeveloped and sparsely populated, with a greater presence and influence of indigenous Siberian cultures and economies.
Covering over 5 million square miles, Siberia encompasses a vast and diverse landscape, ranging from the frozen Arctic Ocean coastlines in the north to the rugged Altai Mountains in the south. Major geographic features include the Ob River, Lake Baikal, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Verkhoyansk Range.
The climate across Siberia is predominantly subarctic, with long, severely cold winters and short, cool summers. Permafrost covers much of the region, creating unique geological and ecological conditions. Despite the harsh environment, Siberia is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including Siberian tigers, reindeer, and woolly mammoth-like creatures that persist in certain isolated areas.
Siberia has been inhabited for thousands of years by numerous indigenous groups, such as the Yakuts, Buryats, Evenks, Chukchi, and Khanty. These peoples have developed complex, resilient cultures adapted to the challenging Siberian environment, maintaining traditional lifeways centered around nomadic herding, hunting, fishing, and small-scale resource extraction.
In contrast to the heavy-handed colonization and assimilation efforts of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union in our timeline, the indigenous groups of this Siberia have been better able to preserve their languages, belief systems, and ways of life. While facing periodic conflicts and encroachment from the central New Tsardom government, many Siberian peoples have maintained a greater degree of autonomy and self-governance within their traditional territories.
Compared to the extensive Russian exploration and settlement of Siberia in our history, the region in this timeline has seen more limited and sporadic engagement from the New Tsardom. Tsarist-era expeditions to map and claim Siberian lands did occur, but large-scale colonization efforts were hindered by the resistance of indigenous groups, as well as geopolitical rivalries with neighboring powers like China and Japan.
As a result, much of Siberia remains sparsely populated, with only a few major cities and transportation networks. The region continues to be a source of tension, with the New Tsardom government seeking to exert greater control over its vast eastern territories, while indigenous leaders demand greater autonomy and the preservation of their traditional ways of life.
The economy of Siberia in this timeline is predominantly based on subsistence activities such as nomadic herding, hunting, fishing, and small-scale resource extraction. The region lacks the extensive industrial development, resource extraction, and transportation networks that characterize Siberia in our reality.
Indigenous trade routes and waterways remain important for economic activity, connecting distant Siberian communities and linking them to markets in neighboring regions. However, the overall level of infrastructure, communications, and integration with the broader New Tsardom economy remains limited compared to other parts of the country.
Calls for greater investment, resource development, and economic integration with Siberia have been a source of ongoing debate and negotiation between the central New Tsardom government and the region's diverse indigenous populations, who seek to balance economic progress with the preservation of their traditional lifeways and autonomy.
