Population: 24,233 (2021 Census);[7] Severobaikalsk is located on a plateau at the northern end of Lake Baikal at the mouth of the Tyya River.

It was founded in 1974 as a work settlement for workers constructing the BAM, serving as a logistics center and a central starting point for the railway project.

At this time the only settlement in the area was the village Nizhneangarsk, located at the edge of a swampy plain at the northern tip of the lake.

[4] As a Siberian town, Severobaikalsk experiences a subarctic climate (Dfc), characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons.

Like most Soviet-planned cities, the town center is dominated by five to six floor high rise buildings made of prefabricated concrete panels.

The main street of Severobaikalsk is Leningradsky Avenue, which starts at the railway station and runs through the central area of the town.

By air Severobaikalsk is connected with Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude via Nizhneangarsk Airport located 23 kilometers (14 mi) north of the town.