It’s the winters, and the chill might be getting too much for you to bear. Just think of those who inhabit certain places on the planet with temperatures plunging well below 0 degrees. For instance, have you ever wondered how they deal with -40 degrees Celsius? Well, the very thought of it will give you shivers. There are plenty of cold facts to share about these spots. If you are eager to visit some of the coldest inhabited places on earth, you have to get some good knowledge about them in the first place. So, without further ado, jump into the list below.
Oymyakon – Sakha Republic, Russia
The lowest temperature in Oymyakon to date is -71.2 degrees Celsius. That was back in the year 1926. The temperature in recent times is around -45 degrees Celsius. Oymyakon happens to be Northern Hemisphere’s coldest inhabited place. To give you an idea of how cold the place is, birds can freeze to death in mid-flight. Yes, that’s true.
Winter runs for about nine months here. So, that makes up for three-fourths of a year. The town gets its name from a hot spring. Isn’t that an irony? The school in the village closes its doors only when the temperature falls below -52 degrees Celsius. From electronics to garbage bags, almost everything freezes.
Yakutsk – Siberia, Russia
If the local lore is to go by, Yakutsk is a place with almost all the elements you see on the periodic table. Now, that’s the fact that maximum people don’t know. It’s so damn cold here that visitors should not go out with their glasses on. That is because they might have a tough time removing them later.
Though the temperatures revolve around -40 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature recorded to date is -64.4 degrees. Locals have the habit of leaving their engines on if they have half for an hour or so. Some leave them running for the entire day. As far as food is concerned, horses in Yakutsk are a delicacy. They consume everything under the bark of fir, spruce, and larch too.
Verkhoyansk – Russia
You have to drive for eight continuous days to reach Verkhoyansk from Yakutsk. Due to the lack of land roads, you can drive only when the lakes are completely frozen. There is no shortage of natural resources in Verkhoyansk. But how would you start mining if you can’t even go out? Residents here put on fur coats and hats and prefer staying in their homes when temperatures fall too drastically low levels.
The mean temperature is somewhat around -49 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature was -69.8 degrees Celsius. Oymyakon, Yakutsk, and Verkhoyansk were jointly called the Death Ring during Stalin’s regime. This was one of the popular places for sending people into political exiles during that period.
Ulaanbaatar – Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar is popular for being the world’s coldest national capital. With temperatures around -26.5 degrees Celsius, you should stay indoors and not face the winter wind because if you do, you will end up freezing your nostrils.
Ulaanbaatar is a city of museums, and you can get relief from the chill at the Museum of Political Persecution and the Camel Museum. One more amusing thing is that you can escape the cold by receiving the heat emanating from the bodies of 500 monks at the largest monastery in Mongolia, Gandantegchinlen Khiid.
Dras – India
-22 degrees Celsius is the mean temperature here. The place is popular for its harsh winter, and that’s why it has got the name, Dras. In the local language, Dras means hell. It happened to be the gateway to Dras and came under the limelight when Pakistan infiltrated before the famous Kargil War.
Though it’s a sleepy town, the place witnessed a lot of action during the Kargil War. They fought the Tiger Hill battle nearby at Sando Top. Therefore, Dras is of historical importance too.
These were some of the coldest places on the face of the planet. One common thing which you will hear at all these places is that you should not wear spectacles when you are going out. It would also help if you talked in a very low tone as you can be heard from miles away. Isn’t that quite interesting? So, which of these places do you plan on traveling to? Tell us in the comments section!