Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia (Russian: Забайка́лье, romanized: Zabaykal'ye, IPA: [zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ]), or Dauria (Даурия, Dauriya) is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal at the south side of the eastern Siberia and the south-western corner of the Far Eastern Russia.
The steppe and wetland landscapes of Dauria are protected by the Daursky Nature Reserve, which forms part of a World Heritage Site named "Landscapes of Dauria".
The Far Eastern Republic (Russian: Дальневосточная Республика, romanized: Dal'nevostochnaya Respublika, IPA: [dəlʲnʲɪvɐˈstotɕnəjə rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə]; ДВР, DVR), sometimes called the Chita Republic (Читинская Республика, Chitinskaya Respublika, [tɕɪˈtʲɪnskəjə rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə]), was a nominally independent state that existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of the Russian Far East and Transbaikal. Although nominally independent, it largely came under the control of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), which envisaged it as a buffer state between the RSFSR and the territories occupied by Japan during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. The Far Eastern Republic came to an end in November 1922 when it voluntarily merged with the RSFSR, which became one of founding members of the Soviet Union the following month. Its first president was Alexander Krasnoshchyokov.
The Far Eastern Republic occupied the territory of modern Zabaykalsky Krai, Amur Oblast, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, and Primorsky Krai of Russia (the former Transbaikal and Amur oblasts and Primorsky krai). Its capital was established at Verkhneudinsk (now Ulan-Ude), but in October 1920 it moved to Chita.
The Mongolian Plateau or Altai Plateau is an inland plateau in East Asia covering approximately 3,200,000 square kilometers (1,200,000 sq mi). It is bounded by the Greater Hinggan Mountains in the east, the Yin Mountains to the south, the Altai Mountains to the west, and the Sayan and Khentii mountains to the north. The plateau includes the Gobi Desert as well as dry steppe regions. It has an elevation of roughly 1,000 to 1,500 meters (3,300 to 4,900 ft), with the lowest point in Hulunbuir and the highest point in the Altai.
Politically, the plateau spans all of Mongolia, along with parts of China and Russia. Inner Mongolia and parts of the Dzungarian Basin in Xinjiang encompass the Chinese portion of the plateau. In Russia, the plateau forms Transbaikal, part of Buryatia, and the southern Irkutsk Oblast. The Mongolian Plateau comprises the majority of the area known as the Mongol heartland.
The Yablonoi Mountains or Yablonovy Mountains (Russian: Яблоновый хребет, Buryat: Яабланай шэлэ нуруу, Yaablanai shele nuruu; Mongolian: Хэнтий нуруу, Khentii nuruu) are a mountain range, in Transbaikal (mainly in Zabaykalsky Krai, Khentii province), Siberia, Russia, Mongolia. The range is sparsely inhabited with most settlements engaged in mining. The area is especially rich in tin. The city of Chita lies between the Yablonoi Mountains to the west and the Chersky Range to the east.
The Trans-Siberian Railroad passes the mountains at Chita and runs parallel to the range before going through a tunnel to bypass the heights.
The Nivkh, or Gilyak (also Nivkhs or Nivkhi, or Gilyaks; ethnonym: Нивхгу, Nʼivxgu (Amur) or Ниғвңгун, Nʼiɣvŋgun (E. Sakhalin) "the people"), are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the northern half of Sakhalin Island and the lower Amur River and coast on the adjacent Russian mainland. Historically, they may have inhabited parts of Manchuria.
Nivkh were traditionally fishermen, hunters, and dog breeders. They were semi-nomadic, living near the coasts in the summer and wintering inland along streams and rivers to catch salmon. The land the Nivkh inhabit is characterized as taiga forest with cold snow-laden winters and mild summers with sparse tree cover. The Nivkh are believed to be the original inhabitants of the region, and to derive from a proposed Neolithic people that migrated from the Transbaikal region during the Late Pleistocene.
Uriankhai (/ˈʊriənˌxaɪ/ UUR-ee-ən-KHY) is a term of address applied by the Mongols to a group of forest peoples of the North, who include the Turkic-speaking Tuvans and Yakuts, while sometimes it is also applied to the Mongolian-speaking Altai Uriankhai. The Uriankhai included the western forest Uriankhai tribe and the Transbaikal Uriankhai tribe, with the former recorded in Chinese sources as Chinese: 兀良哈; pinyin: Wùliánghā.
The Chersky Range (Russian: Хребет Черского) is a mountain range in the Transbaikal Region (Zabaykalsky Krai) of Siberia, Russia. The range rises east of the city of Chita. It is named after explorer Jan Czerski and was formerly known as "Alentuy Range".