Sakha, previously called Yakutia, is located in the extreme North of the Asian Continent. The Sakha Republic is part of the Russian Federation and is located in the Far Eastern Federal District. The landscape is extreme and varied and stretches out for thousands of kilometers. In fact, the land mass of Sakha is so vast that is has three time zones. Culturally, the Sakha district is very diverse as it has many varied influences - from Central Asia to Greenland. The region is a vast, white winter wonderland.

The Sakha Republic has many raw materials which are drawn on regularly and the export of which form a major percentage of the economy. There are large reserves of gas, coal, oil, diamonds, gold and silver. The diamond, tin ore and gold mining industries are the most important industries in Sakha. 99% of all diamonds emanating from Russia are mined in Sakha.

The territory of Sakha includes not only the mainland but several islands located in the Arctic Ocean. Over 40% of the Sakha territory is situated within the Arctic Circle. This means that Sakha has many climate extremes. The climate is known as being severe continental and often the temperatures changes between summer and winter can exceed 100?C. The Verkhoyansk Range is the coldest in the Northern Hemisphere. A record -71.2?C was recorded here at Oymyakon in 1926.

Geographically speaking, Sakha is strikingly beautiful. The main rivers here are the Lena river, the Vilyuy river and the Aldan river. Much of the land is shaped by mountains and plateaus. Though the region is a permafrost area, there is still some growth in areas. It can easily be said that the cold of Sakha is forgotten when the soft snow begins to fall and the snowflakes dance delicately as they paint a picture in front of your eyes.