Salekhard, Russia

Capital City

With just 51,188 residents, Salekhard is a frozen outpost in Russia's Arctic, a place of exile and struggle for survival. Temperatures can reach 95°F in the summer, thawing anthrax-infected corpses from the Soviet era and infecting reindeer herds. For 9-10 months a year, the Ob River is frozen, effectively isolating the city and forcing locals to stock up on supplies. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, as evidenced by the failed Salekhard-Igarka Railway project that claimed thousands of Gulag prisoners' lives. This is no place for the faint of heart - Salekhard is for the hardy few who can withstand its brutal climate and isolation.