Oymyakon
Oymyakon (alternate spellings Oimekon, Oimyakon) is a village located along the Indigirka River in the north-east of the Sakha Republic in Eastern Siberia, Russia, at 63°15′ N 143°9′ E. It has about 800 inhabitants.
Oymyakon is known as one of the candidates for the Northern Pole of Cold, because on January 26, 1926, a temperature of -71.2°C (-96 °F) was recorded there (however, this fact is arguable, the temperature was not directly measured but obtained by extrapolation). This is the lowest temperature ever recorded in any locality on Earth that has permanent, year-round human habitation. It is also the lowest temperature recorded for the Northern Hemisphere. Lower temperatures have been recorded in Antarctica.
Its name is Yakut language for "non-freezing water", due to the presence of a natural warm spring nearby. The ground there is permanently frozen: see Permafrost.
Oxford geographer Nick Middleton's book on people who live in extreme climates discusses his visit to this village, and describes ways in which inhabitants cope with the extreme cold.
On National Geographic's Extremes, Oymyakon was the final stop in Siberia. The documentary showed how Oymyakon lies between two mountain ranges, trapping cold air in between the entire year.
Further reading
- Middleton, Nick Going to Extremes: Mud, Sweat and Frozen Tears.
- Channel 4 books, 2001, hardcover, ISBN 0752220160
- Pan Books - Macmillan UK, 2003, paperback, ISBN 0330493841.