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YAKUTSK Although Yakutsk's main street may be paved, almost all its other roads are an ever-changing mixture of mud and snow. Insulated water pipes snake their way around the city, crossing above streets and winding around the sides of buildings. Despite the precarious state of its infrastructure, Yakutsk has seen an infusion of capital in recent years. As the capital of the Sakha Republic, which covers an area larger than Western Europe, Yakutsk reaps the economic benefits of the area's gold and diamond mines. Annual revenue from diamond mining in Sakha alone is about $1.4 billion, and much of this wealth remains in the region. Originally built by gulag prisoners, Yakutsk has become a place where fortunes are made and lost. |
