Kuznetsk DepressionKuznetsk Depression (Russian: Кузнецкая котловина, Kuznetskaya kotlovina) is located among mountains of South-Central Siberia, including: Kuznetsk Alatau to the Northeast, Salair Ridge to the Southwest, and Mountainous Shoria to the South. It is within Kemerovo Oblast. GeographyThe depression has elevations up to 500 metres (1,600 ft),. It has an area of 70,000 km, with a length of 400 kilometres (250 mi) and width of 120 kilometres (75 mi).
RussiaRussia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. With a population of over 140 million, Russia is the most populous country in Europe and the ninth-most populous in the world. It is a highly urbanised country, with three-fourths of its population living in urban areas.Abakan RangeAbakan Range (Russian: Абаканский хребет) is a mountain range in Southwestern Siberia, located mainly in Khakassia, Russia: It is mostly covered by taiga, up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft), followed by mountainous tundra. The range also consists sparse areas of granite, gabbro, and diorite. GeographyThe range has a length of 300 km (190 mi) and an elevation of up to 1,984 m (6,509 ft).
Coal in RussiaCoal is an important part of Russia's energy system. From August 2024 to July 2025, fossil fuels (coal and gas) made up about 63.9% of electricity generation. Coal made up about 18% of this, and gas made up about 45%. Earlier estimates put coal's share of the total energy supply at about 16%, but its ongoing use in making electricity shows how important it still is. But the Russian coal industry is in a lot of trouble financially and structurally.
Kuznetsk AlatauKuznetsk Alatau (Russian: Кузнецкий Алатау) is a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia. The range rises in the Altai-Sayan region of the South Siberian Mountains, northwest of Mongolia. The Siberian Railway skirts the northern limit of the range.
SiberiaGeographical region of Russia comprising North AsiaGeographical region in Russia, AsiaSiberia ( ; Russian: Сибирь, romanized: Sibir', IPA:) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west (with the Ural River usually forming the southernmost portion of its western boundary) to the Pacific Ocean in the east.
NovokuznetskNovokuznetsk (Russian: Новокузнецк, IPA: [nəvəkʊzˈnʲɛt͡sk] , lit. 'new smith's'; Shor: Аба-тура, romanized: Aba-tura) is a city in Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass) in southwestern Siberia, Russia. It is the second-largest city in the oblast, after the administrative center Kemerovo. It was previously known as Kuznetsk until 1932 and as Stalinsk until 1961.
Russian languageRussian is an East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is the native language of the Russian people. Russian was the de facto (and de jure in its final years) official language of the former Soviet Union.
TomskTomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom River. Population: 544,566 (2025); 556,478 (2021 census); 524,669 (2010 census); 487,838 (2002 census); 501,963 (1989 Soviet census). Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six universities, with over 100,000 students, including Tomsk State University, the oldest university in Siberia.
Salair RidgeSalair Ridge (pronounced sah-lah-EER; Russian: Салаирский кряж is a plateau-type highland in Altai Krai, Kemerovo Oblast and Novosibirsk Oblast, Russian Federation. There are ski resorts in the mountains. The Salair National Park is a protected area in the western slopes.
Tom (river)The Tom (Russian: Томь, IPA: [tomʲ]; Siberian Tatar: Том; Shor: Том) is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Ob in central Siberia. Its watershed lies within the Republic of Khakassia, Kemerovo Oblast, and Tomsk Oblast. It is 827 kilometres (514 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 62,000 square kilometres (24,000 sq mi). The Tom flows from the Abakan Range (a northern continuation of the Altai Mountains) northward through the Kuznetsk Basin.
Coal miningProcess of getting coal to the surfaceSurface coal mining in Wyoming, U.S.A coal mine mantrip at Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton, PennsylvaniaCoal miners exiting a windercage at a mine near Richlands, Virginia in 1974A coal mine in Frameries, BelgiumCoal mining is the process of extractingcoal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.