The "conquest of Siberia": Ermak's expedition of 1581-1585 and its aftermath -- Into the Siberian interior: the crossing and early investigation of terrestrial North Eurasia -- The edges of empire: Russian explorations along coastal North Eurasia from the earliest times to the final conquest of the Northeast passage -- To Alaska -- Warmer climes: Russia heads South -- Russian journeys into Central Asia -- To the ends of the Earth: Russians in the North and South polar regions -- A new frontier: Russians, the USSR, and space.