In Russian, the word–Sibir'–is pure onomatopoeia. A shiver begins with the first letter and concludes with the palatalized r at the end, which, combined with the bi preceding it, amounts to brrr. Only a cosmic Dickens of place-naming would have chosen a name with such a chilly and mysterious sound. And yet Sibir', so resonant in Russian, is not of Russian provenance, but whispers of deepest Asia.

Currently reading Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, the stories of travelers past and Frazier's own experience exploring the vast region (image via).