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    Taiga Biomes Facts

    Tadashi

    Written by Tadashi

    Modified & Updated: 25 Jun 2024

    Sherman Smith

    Reviewed by Sherman Smith

    Expert Verified Editorial Guidelines
    River Flowing Through a Valley in Boreal Forest, Alaska, USA

    Taiga biomes are found across the globe on three separate continents. Many different species make their home in the biome. The taiga also plays various other roles in the Earth’s ecosystem. Learn more about those roles and the threats facing the taiga with these 50 facts about taiga biomes.

    Quick Facts
    Essential Facts
    Interesting Facts
    1. 01The taiga includes an estimated 17 million km² or 11.5% of the Earth’s land area.
    2. 02The taiga’s average daily temperature typically varies between -5 and 5°C.
    3. 03In winter, temperatures in the taiga can drop as low as -50°C.
    4. 04Growing seasons in the taiga only average around 130 days per year.
    5. 05The Finnish and Scandinavian taiga have some of the longer growing seasons, averaging at most 150 days per year.
    1. 01Scientists think that the taiga biome has only recently developed in geological terms, over the last 12,000 years of the Holocene Epoch.
    2. 02The term “taiga” originally referred to the forest regions of Siberia and Northern Russia.
    3. 03It also has similar meanings in the Mongolian and Turkish languages.
    4. 04Most sources have since applied the term to the biome between the tundra and the temperate forest.
    5. 05American and Canadian sources alternatively refer to this biome as the boreal forest or snow forest.
    6. 06Scientists describe it as the world’s largest land biome.
    7. 07In North America, the taiga includes most of Alaska, Canada, and parts of the Northern USA.
    8. 08In Europe, the taiga includes most of Sweden and Finland, along with large parts of Russia, Norway, and Estonia.
    9. 09The European taiga also includes parts of Scotland and even Iceland.
    10. 10In Asia, the taiga includes Northern Kazakhstan, Northern Mongolia, and the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
    1. 01Larches, pines, and spruces make up most of the forests in the Russian taiga.
    2. 02Larches, however, dominate the forests in the East Siberian taiga.
    3. 03Spruces similarly dominate the forests in the North American taiga.
    4. 04Pines and spruces coexist with birches in the Finnish and Scandinavian taiga.
    5. 05The taiga today covers land considered mammoth steppe during the last Ice Age.
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