00:00Have you ever wondered what it's like to live in a place so cold that breathing hurts?
00:04Today, we're journeying to the most frigid corners of our planet,
00:08places where human survival is a daily battle against nature's raw power.
00:12These aren't just cold spots.
00:14They're realms of ice where temperatures plunge below minus 50 degrees Celsius,
00:19pushing the limits of human endurance.
00:21Welcome to the world's deep freeze.
00:24Our first stop is a place that holds the title of the coldest permanently inhabited village on Earth,
00:29Oymukon, Siberia.
00:30They call it the world's freezer, and for good reason.
00:34The average winter temperature hovers around a bone-chilling minus 50 degrees Celsius.
00:39But that's just the average.
00:41The lowest temperature ever recorded here was an almost unimaginable minus 71 degrees Celsius.
00:47In Oymukon, the ground is permanently frozen solid, a condition known as permafrost.
00:53This eternal ice presents challenges you might never even think of.
00:57Imagine daily life here.
00:59If you own a car, you can't just turn it off when you get home.
01:02Why?
01:03Because the engine would freeze solid.
01:05The batteries, the engine oil, everything would turn into a useless block of ice almost instantly.
01:10So, what do people do?
01:12They keep their cars running, sometimes for days or even weeks on end, day and night,
01:17just to ensure they can start again.
01:19Stepping outside is a serious undertaking.
01:21Every single inch of your body must be covered.
01:25Exposed skin can get frostbite in minutes.
01:28Even your eyelashes aren't safe.
01:29They can freeze together, making it difficult to blink.
01:32Your trusty mobile phone?
01:34Forget about it.
01:35The battery would die almost immediately in the extreme cold, rendering it useless.
01:40Life's basic necessities are a constant struggle.
01:43You can't grow crops in frozen soil, so the local diet is almost entirely meat-based.
01:47Rain beer, horse meat, and fish are staples.
01:51Fishermen have a unique advantage.
01:53When they pull a fish from the water, it freezes solid within seconds.
01:56No need for a freezer.
01:58But this frozen landscape also makes one of life's final rituals incredibly difficult.
02:03Digging a grave in permafrost is nearly impossible.
02:07To bury their loved ones, locals must light large bonfires on the ground for several days,
02:12slowly thawing the soil just enough to dig.
02:14Despite these immense hardships, the people of Oymyakon have a deep, unwavering love for
02:19their homeland, a testament to their incredible resilience.
02:23Leaving Oymyakon, we travel to another extremely cold region in Russia, Vrkoyensk.
02:28This town has a grim history.
02:30Due to its brutal climate, it was once used as a place of exile by both Russian Tsars and
02:35Soviet rulers.
02:36It's not hard to see why.
02:38Temperatures here regularly plummet to minus 60 degrees Celsius, but Vrkoyensk is also a land
02:43of extremes.
02:45While its winters are unimaginably cold, its summers can be surprisingly warm, sometimes
02:50reaching up to 30 degrees Celsius.
02:52This creates one of the most dramatic seasonal temperature swings on the planet.
02:57To survive, the residents have adapted over generations.
03:01Many work in traditional industries like fur trading and reindeer herding, skills pass down
03:05through families.
03:06Their homes are built to withstand the punishing cold.
03:09These are often wooden houses that require vast amounts of fuel, typically wood or coal,
03:14just to maintain a livable temperature inside.
03:17To further insulate their homes, thick blankets and animal skins are hung over doors and windows,
03:22creating a cozy fortress against the biting wind and relentless cold outside.
03:27However, the challenges aren't just physical.
03:30The long, dark winters, where sunlight is scarce, can take a heavy toll on mental health.
03:35The isolation and constant battle against the elements can be incredibly taxing.
03:40Yet, despite all this, the people of Vrkoyensk are known for their warmth, hospitality, and
03:45welcoming nature.
03:47Visitors are often surprised by the strong sense of community and the kindness of the
03:51residents, who have learned that relying on each other is key to survival.
03:55Our next destination is Yakutsk, the capital city of the Saka Republic in Siberia.
04:01Yakutsk holds the distinction of being the coldest major city in the world.
04:05Imagine a bustling city where winter temperatures are colder than your freezer at home.
04:09Life here combines modern urban living with the raw challenges of an arctic environment.
04:14One of the most striking sights in Yakutsk is its outdoor markets.
04:18In winter, there's no need for refrigeration.
04:21Fish, meat, and other goods are simply piled high on tables, frozen solid by the ambient air.
04:28It's a surreal-looking marketplace where nature provides the deep freeze for free.
04:32The entire city is built on permafrost, meaning buildings have to be constructed on deep concrete
04:37piles to prevent them from sinking as the ground thaws and refreezes.
04:42Finally, we cross the globe to North America, to a place called Snag in the Yukon Territory
04:47of Canada.
04:48While not a bustling city or a permanent village, Snag is a stark reminder of nature's power over
04:53humanity. In 1947, this small, isolated outpost recorded the coldest temperature ever in North
05:00America, a staggering minus 63 degrees Celsius. At that temperature, sound travels differently,
05:07and people reported being able to hear conversations from several kilometers away.
05:11It's a place that shows us that even in the most developed parts of the world,
05:15there are pockets where nature reigns supreme and humans are merely visitors.
05:18From the resilient communities of Siberia to the remote outposts of Canada, these frozen
05:24lands challenge our understanding of what it means to live. The people who call these places
05:29home are a powerful example of human adaptability, strength, and the enduring power of community.
05:35They don't just survive. They build lives, raise families, and find joy in a world of ice.
05:40Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to the coldest places on Earth.
05:45If you found this fascinating, do and forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel
05:49for more explorations into the extremes of our world. See you next time.
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