Oymyakon has 500 residents and is the world’s coldest permanently inhabited settlement, with only a single shop.
The outdoor toilet outside the Oymyakon gas station
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Russian village of Oymyakon is the world’s coldest permanently inhabited settlement, with temperatures dropping below minus 71 degrees Celsius, earning it the title of Earth’s “Cold Pole.”
Oymyakon is close to the Arctic Circle and sits at an altitude of about 750 meters, resulting in significant variations in daylight hours throughout the year. In December, there are only three hours of sunlight per day, while in summer, daylight can last up to 21 hours. Despite the extremely cold winters, temperatures here can rise above 30 degrees Celsius during June, July, and August — not an uncommon occurrence.
For many, the extreme cold of Oymyakon is a novel experience. Several Russian travel agencies offer tour packages that take interested visitors to Oymyakon to experience life in the “Cold Pole” where breath turns to ice.
Average of minus 50°C in January, phones unusable
The average temperature in Oymyakon in January is minus 50 degrees Celsius, with the historical low reaching minus 71.2 degrees Celsius. Such frigid conditions cause numerous inconveniences in daily life, such as frozen pen ink, cracked glass lenses, and rapidly draining batteries. The British newspaper Daily Mail reported on the 22nd, citing locals, that car engines must remain running continuously, as they may fail to restart after even a brief shutdown. Although there is mobile phone network coverage, phones are essentially unusable in the extreme cold.
Another challenge posed by the frozen ground is burying the deceased. Villagers must light a coal fire and let it burn for several hours to thaw the soil, then move the hot coals aside and begin digging. After digging just over ten centimeters, they must light the fire again to thaw the ground further, repeating this process multiple times. Digging a grave deep enough to bury a coffin can take up to three days.
Generations of villagers have lived in these icy conditions and are accustomed to temperatures as low as minus 40 or 50 degrees. The village’s only school closes only when temperatures drop below minus 52 degrees Celsius.
A primitive way of life
Eating reindeer and horse meat
Eating reindeer and horse meat
Currently, the village has around 500 residents who mainly make a living through reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing. Since crops do not grow well here, the villagers primarily consume reindeer and horse meat. Strangely, malnutrition is not common among locals. Doctors say the secret lies in the consumption of animal milk, which contains various trace elements.
The village has almost no modern facilities. Most villagers need to go outside their homes to use the toilet, and most households still rely on coal or wood for heating. Electricity is generated by burning coal, and if the coal supply is interrupted, the village power station switches to burning wood. If the power goes out, the entire village can become paralyzed within five hours, with water pipes freezing and cracking.
The village has a small shop that sells essential daily necessities.