Northern Asia or North Asia is generally considered to be the land east of Russia. The Caucasus, are often, though not always, part of this definition. Much of Northern Asia was influenced by Russia through colonialism.
If Russia is included in Northern Asia - it is often not - then Moscow is the largest city. If Russia is excluded, then Novosibirsk City is the largest.
Northern Asia is home to a few major language families. Russian, spread by colonialism, is the most widespread language. Besides (Slavic) Indo-European Russian, Finno-Ugric and Turkic are well-represented up north. Caucasian languages are spoken in the Caucasus. Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages are in the Pacific seaboard. Altaic languages are in Altai. Tungusic languages are spoken near (and in) Mongolia and in Evenkia. Several tiny families and language isolates like the "Yeniseian" languages also exist.
In the west, centering on Russia, atheism and Orthodox Christianity are the two major schools of thought. In Tatarstan and the Caucasus, there is a relatively large minority of Muslims. In the north, from Dolgan east to the Pacific, various forms of shamanism predominate. Closer to Mongolia and China, Buddhism, Daoism, and other eastern religions hold the most sway.
Climate and Nature
Northern Asia encompasses a huge area, so climatic differences abound...varying according to the region. However, besides the Caucasus, it can generally be said that Northern Asia becomes severely cold in the winter. Much of the far north is arctic tundra, and very few people live there. Further south, taiga predominates. Only in the very southernmost parts (especially the southwest) does it become a temperate environment. The animals that can survive in Northern Asia are hardy. Because of low population densities, North Asian ecosystems are in very little danger. However, as hunter-gatherers make up a larger percentage of the population there, individual animals might be subject to more danger than in places with no hunter-gatherer populations.
- Mari EL
Note: Countries in parentheses are only sometimes counted as part of Northern Asia.