The Siberian city of Novosibirsk ranks third. By historical standards, it is very young – a trifle over 100 years. Just imagine: for just one century it has grown from a small town to a city with a million-plus population. And this is despite a severe Siberian climate! Today Novosibirsk with its population of over 1.5 million people, due to its well-developed infrastructure and advantageous geographical position is often called the capital of Siberia. Indeed, it is a trade, transport, business, industrial and scientific center of this largest region of Russia.