Who has the most black soil in the world?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 25, 2026
The soil, rich in organic matter presenting a black color, was first identified by Russian geologist Vasily Dokuchaev in 1883 in the tallgrass steppe or prairie of European Russia. Chernozem cover about 230 million hectares of land. There are two "chernozem belts" in the world.