Magadan-Kolyma (07.2009)

Magadan - Eight times zones northeast of Moscow, this sub-Arctic region is twice the size of Portugal, with only 100,000 inhabitants. Site of Stalin’s' infamous Gulags and inspiration for Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago", it's estimated that perhaps as many as 2,000,000 died or were killed in the Kolyma forced labor camps. Frigid and isolated, the area was known as the, “gateway to hell”. Rich in minerals, today the region is one of Russia's largest gold producers. And, as you will see, the site of some magnificent scenery.