Which Would You Pick? Sisters' Wildly Different Locations Shock Internet

A video showing the astonishing difference in weather experienced by two sisters living in opposite corners of the world has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was posted by Yulvanna (@yuliavvanne), a TikTok account that compares the life of two sisters, known as Yulia and Nastya, living in New Zealand and Yakutia in northeastern Siberia, often considered the coldest permanently inhabited place in the world. The video has had 6.3 million views since it was shared three days ago.

A message overlaid on the video reads "When I call my sister from New Zealand" as a woman is shown standing against a lush green outdoor landscape under a bright blue sky.

A subsequent note across the video says "My sister in Yakutia" as the footage shows another woman standing in snow, bundled up in a hooded winter coat with only her face exposed to the air. She is shown against a backdrop of snow-covered trees before she's later seen laying on a bed of snow. The video later flashes to a thermostat which appears to show a temperature of around -49 F (-45 C).

While the weather can vary across New Zealand, temperatures are generally mild on the island, certainly compared with Yakutia.

The hottest months in New Zealand are January and February, while July marks its coldest month of the year, according to the official tourism website for New Zealand.

World's Coldest Permanently Inhabited Place

Also known as the Republic of Sakha, Yakutia is the largest republic in Russia. Located largely within the Arctic zone, Yakutia sits at the basins of the rivers flowing to the Arctic Ocean—the Lena, Yana, Indigirka, and Kolyma. The region consists of a mountainous area scattered with broad plateaus and divided by river and coastal lowlands.

Yakutia has an average January temperature of −46 F and an average July temperature of 66 F.

According to Guinness World Records, the lowest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was recorded in Yakutia on February 6, 1933, where the remote village of Oymyakon saw a temperature -90 F.

"This is also the lowest temperature ever recorded outside Antarctica, making Oymyakon the coldest permanently inhabited place in the world," the world records website says.

Users on TikTok were blown away by the stark contrast between the two locations in the latest clip.

MllePatate wrote: "-45°C ?! That's hell on earth."

Jenna 🇦🇺 said: "My brain refuses to understand temperatures under 0 degrees."

Rootzman9 noted: "lol her casually standing next to the top of that tree cause the snow was so high was wild."

Plastida said: "every time I am complaining I am fed up with the UK winter to my relatives and friends in Siberia."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.