The major settled areas were in the rain-fed regions of the east and southeast in the foothills of the mountains, and along the Syrdarya River, the former being settled by Slavs and other groups from within the Russian empire and the latter being geographically similar to Central Asia. In the South Kazakhstan oblast, there is a large Uzbek population. The northern regions are geographically similar to Siberia, with relatively good soils and a variable climate.