Russia’s Norilsk is the most northerly city in the world. AFP via Getty Images. The modern story of Norilsk begins in the early 20th century when a geologist discovered rich deposits of nickel ...

The most northerly village you can freely travel to, however, is Syndassko, also in Krasnoyarsk Krai, further west on the Taymyr Peninsula. READ MORE: 10 facts about Russia’s northernmost settlement ...

The population of Dikson, Russia's most northerly port, has dwindled from 5,000 in the Soviet era to some 300 today. The development of shipping routes through the Russian Arctic offers some ...