Ekaterinburg — the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region — is an industrial, metallurgical, mining, transport and cultural center located between Europe and Asia. It is difficult to find another place in the world in which so many precious stones are concentrated. Ural gems are not just minerals, but a miracle of nature, glorified in fairy tales.

This article published in Polar Geography magazine, addresses conferences as the central meeting and cooperation point for the international and interdisciplinary community interested in the Arctic development.

This report presents the Polar Index ratings. Polar Index is a joint project of the Project Office for the Development of the Arctic (PORA) expert center and the Environmental Economics Chair, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The project is aimed at promoting the sustainable development principles in the Russian Arctic.