Novosibirsk

The major city and the seat of government for both Russia's Siberian Federal District and Novosibirsk Oblast is Novosibirsk. With 1,620,162 residents, it was the third-most populous city in Russia and the most populous city in Siberia as of 2021. The city is situated along the banks of the Ob River in southwest Siberia.

On the site of the future Trans-Siberian Railway's Ob River crossing, where the Novosibirsk Rail Bridge was built, Novosibirsk was established in 1893. The city, which was first known as Novonikolayevsk, quickly became into a significant transportation, business, and industrial hub. The Russian Civil War devastated the city, although it rebounded during the early Soviet era and took on its current name in 1926. Novosibirsk rose to prominence as one of Siberia's main industrial hubs under the direction of Joseph Stalin. The city received a large number of factories that were evacuated from the Russian center after the start of World War II.

Numerous Russian businesses, the neo-Byzantine Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the famed Novosibirsk Zoo are all located in Novosibirsk. The busiest airport in Siberia, Tolmachevo Airport, serves it.

Population - 2021: 1,620,162