Oymyakon: The Coldest Village on Earth!

Imagine yourself living in a place where the eyelashes can freeze if you stay outside for more than 5 minutes!

A place where boiling water, when tossed in the air, can turn into ice crystals even before it touches the ground.

Sounds scary and exciting at the same time.

Well, such a place exists in the world and is inhabited by humans. 

It is the remote village of Oymyakon in Russia.

Want to know more about it.

Keep reading!

What was the Lowest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth? Read Now!

Oymyakon Overview

Oymyakon Meaning

The name Oymyakon is based on the Oymyakon River. The term Oymyakon is derived from the Even word kheium, which means unfrozen water or a place where fish spend the winter.

It is a stark contrast to the actual place, where the land remains frozen all year round. The frozen land is called permafrost.

Coldest Village on Earth

Oymyakon is a remote village situated in the Oymyakonsky district of the Sakha Republic in the Siberian region of Russia. It is the coldest permanently inhabited human settlement on earth.

Temperatures here can reach up to -55 °C, in normal times, while the lowest official temperature ever recorded was -67.7 °C or −89.9 °F, recorded in the year 1933, at the Oymyakon weather station.

Unofficial records suggest that the lowest temperature hit −71.2 °C or −96.2 °F in the year 1924.

Let’s understand why Oymyakon is so cold and what the inhabitants do to survive the extreme cold.

Why is Oymyakon so cold?

Oymyakon is trapped between two valleys, which traps the winds at the ground level, making the temperatures significantly lower than at higher altitudes. This phenomenon is the main reason why Oymyakon experiences such freezing cold most of the year. 

How do people live in Oymyakon?

Oymyakon is an example of human resilience, marked by remarkable adaptation in lifestyle, such as wearing insulated clothes which can be upto 20 layers or more of clothing.

Breathing the air in Oymyakon feels like glass is pricking the inside of the nose; it happens due to the freezing of the moisture. If someone remains inactive for 5 minutes in the cold outdoors, they can develop frostbite.

Houses in Oymyakon are insulated with a 7-layer design that prevents residents from getting frozen in extreme cold.

There is a central heating system in the village that supplies heat through insulated pipes throughout the village. This heating system serves as the lifeline of the village in these extreme weather conditions.

Living in such harsh weather requires more than just clothing and heating. To survive, the body must produce heat, and for that, the diet of the inhabitants of Oymyakon is high-fat and protein-rich, composed of reindeer meat, horse meat, and thin slices of arctic fish known as stroganina.

Is Oymyakon colder than Yakutsk?

Yes, Oymyakon is colder than Yakutsk; in fact, Oymyakon is one of the coldest places on earth, and the coldest village on earth with permanent human settlement. Although Yakstuk is known for its harsh cold, which can reach -36.9°C ( -34.4°F), while in Oymyakon the temperatures can easily reach -60.5°C in winter. Oymyakon recorded the lowest temperature ever recorded at -67.7 °C (−89.9 °F) in 1933, making it one of the coldest places on Earth.

This was all about the coldest inhabited place on earth, Omyakon. Keep reading for more such informative articles.

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