Large cities in South Central Siberia include Novosibirsk on the Ob River, Tomsk north of the Kuznetsk Alatau, Krasnoyarsk north of the Minusinsk Depression on the Yenisei, and Barnaul on the steppe south of Novosibirsk. The Trans-Siberian Railway runs through this region from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk. The area to the west is steppe or forest-steppe. The steppe curves around north of the Kuznetsk Alatau into the Minusinsk Depression. The land to the north and east is Taiga. The Russians first entered the area in about 1620. Seeking furs, they stayed in the forest area to the north. Massive peasant colonization of the steppe area only began after about 1860. See also Altai-Sayan region Barabinsk Steppe Kanas Lake Great Lakes Depression Saylyugemsky National Park Shorsky National Park Denisova Cave Ukok Plateau Pazyryk Culture Lykov family South Siberian Mountains References Further reading Forsyth, James, "A History of the Peoples of Siberia", 1992. Geography of Mongolia Geography of Central Asia