Oymyakon, the Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth
Oymyakon is a small village located in the north-eastern
Russian Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It is commonly considered the
coldest populated place on Earth. Situated in the heart of Siberia an
area nicknamed "Stalin's Death Ring" (a former destination for political
exiles), Oymyakon boasts an average winter temperature of -45C, with a
one-time world record low of -71.2C. Ironically, Oymyakon means
"non-freezing water", situated as it is to a nearby hot spring.
Before
the 1920s and 30s, Oymyakon was a seasonal stop for reindeer herders.
But the Soviet government, in its efforts to settle nomadic populations,
claiming they were difficult to control and technologically and
culturally backward, made the site a permanent settlement. Today, the
village is home to some 500 people, and until recently had a single
hotel with no hot water and outside toilet. While a flurry of snow in
Western Europe can cause schools there to close for days, Oymyakon's
solitary school shuts only when temperatures fall below –52C.
Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences. There is no mobile coverage in Oymyakon and even if did, it would be unusable as most electronics stop working in freezing temperatures.
Fur is considered a luxury in the West but it is
the only thing that keeps you warm. Nothing grows here so all people eat
is reindeer and horsemeat. There is a short summer season during which
people can grow things, but for the most part people don't eat fruit or
vegetables. Medics say the reason they don't suffer from malnutrition is
that there must be lots of micronutrients in their animals' milk. A
single shop provides the town's provisions and with jobs in short supply
most locals resort to reindeer-breeding, hunting and ice-fishing for
their livelihoods.
Life in Oymyakon is tough.
Pen ink freezes. Batteries lose power faster. Metal sticks to skin.
Cars cannot be started without lighting a bonfire beneath the fuel tank.
Axle grease also freezes and is warmed with a blowtorch. The local
power station burns coal to keep hot water flowing to the homes. When
coal deliveries are irregular the power station starts burning wood. If
the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes
freeze and crack.
Another problem posed by frigid temperature
is burying of dead bodies. It takes two or three days to dig a grave in
frozen ground. To dig a grave, a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours,
which allows the ground to thaw a little. The hot coals are then pushed
to the side and a hole couple of inches deep is dug. The process is
repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the
coffin.
There is not much to do in Oymyakon, but that doesn’t
stop travel companies from offering tours to the village in the middle
of winter. Tourists make the journey simply to experience what it’s like
to be in a place that cold. In addition, they are often taken on tours
of local farms and museums and get to experience ice fishing. And
there’s always an opportunity to take a dip in Oymyakon’s hot spring
when the air temperature is in the minus-fifties Celsius.
-55 degree centigrade
Boiling water freezes when throw into the air.
