The Vasyugan swamp, one of the largest peatlands in the world, lies in the Tomsk region, between the Irtysh and Ob rivers. It covers 53,000 square kilometers, so a small European country such as Denmark or Switzerland could fit there. Several thousand years ago, when swamps first appeared in the region, there were 19 areas of quagmire. However, the lands around it became swampy as well due to humidity. More than half of the Vasyugan swamp appeared in the last 500 years.
Over a billion tons of peat lie in the swamp, and oil deposits were discovered there in the middle of the previous century. The Vasyugan swamp has about 800 freshwater lakes, and several dozen rivers originate there, providing water for the whole Western Siberia. The Vasyugan swamp is also called the giant filter of the planet: the surface of the bog absorbs carbon, which may cause a greenhouse effect.
Source: www.culture.ru