taiga

American  

[tahy-guh, tahy-gah] / ˈtaɪ gə, taɪˈgɑ /

noun

1. the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

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taiga British  

/ ˈtaɪɡə /

noun

1. the coniferous forests extending across much of subarctic North America and Eurasia, bordered by tundra to the north and steppe to the south

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taiga Scientific  

/ tī′gə /

1. A forest located in the Earth's far northern regions, consisting mainly of cone-bearing evergreens, such as firs, pines, and spruces, and some deciduous trees, such as larches, birches, and aspens. The taiga is found just south of the tundra.

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Etymology

Origin of taiga

First recorded in 1885–90; from Russian taĭgá, from one or more Turkic languages of the Altai Mountain region; compare Altai, Shor tayγa “forest-covered mountain”

Compare meaning

How does taiga compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taiga vs. tundra

Example Sentences

Using a drone, Alexey Kharitonov captures the rapid transition from summer to winter across taiga forests and Arctic tundra.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

The boreal region, also known as the taiga, serves as an immense global carbon reservoir.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024

Its boreal - or "taiga" - forests of mainly birch, pine, spruce and fir are the world's largest forest region, covering an area about four times the size of India.

From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2023

The birds may have found their new, hospitable breeding ground by drifting off course or by following another species, the taiga bean goose, which already go there.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 1, 2023

By mid-May the sun was circling high in the heavens, flooding the taiga with light.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer