Where is it? The Jewish Autonomous Oblast, or region, is located in the Russian Far East, bordering on Khabarovsk Krai. It is in the same time zone as Vladivostok. You can find the current local time here.

What's the biggest city? Birobidzhan (sometimes written as Birobidjan), population 77,250 as of the 2002 census, out of 190,915 total inhabitants in the region.

Who lives here? Despite the region's name, its inhabitants are now mostly ethnic Russians. The region had attracted explorers, adventurers and dissenters for centuries before Stalin designated it as a Jewish homeland in 1930. The decision was based in complex political calculations, but it was a short-lived experiment: Stalin began to persecute Jews not long after. Today, the region's Jewish population is well under 20%, maybe even below 10%.

What do they do here? Mining (gold, iron, tin and manganese), forestry and fishing. Its autonomous status and geographical location make it a prime spot for trade with China.

Does it have any English-language news sources? Nothing specifically on the region that I have found. Russia Today does have a news feed on the Russian Far East that occasionally has news on Birobidzhan.

How do I see what it looks like? You're going to have to use your imagination on the public photo sharing sites: There are only four pictures of Birobidzhan on Flickr and none on Fotki. Better to check out the photo gallery on the region's official site.

How do I get here? If you've got the time, the famed Trans-Siberian Railroad stops in Birobidzhan. If not, you fly to Khabarovsk and then make a three-hour drive overland.

Which adoption agencies work here? Adoption Source, which has a good backgrounder on Birobidzhan here.

Which Russian adoption bloggers have been here? Jane at "Journey Of My Heart" is waiting for a court date in Birobidzhan. There is also a small Yahoo! group, Birobidzhankids.

Truly trivia: Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College put together an exhibit on the founding of the region several years back. You can view the Web version here.

Need more information? Kommersant has a primer in its Regions of Russia section. There is an English-language Web site for the region. Here's the current weather in Birobidzhan, which is not as cold as you might expect of a place that is north of Manchuria. Well, at least not in summer.

Image Credit: Sterh