The Altai-Sayan region is an area of
Inner Asia
Inner Asia refers to the northern and landlocked regions spanning North, Central and East Asia. It includes parts of western and northeast China, as well as southern Siberia. The area overlaps with some definitions of 'Central Asia', mostly t ...
proximate to the
Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters. The massif merges with the ...
and the
Sayan Mountains, near to where
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
,
China,
Mongolia and
Kazakhstan come together. This region is one of the world centers of
temperate plant diversity. Its biological, landscape, historical, cultural and religious diversity is unique. 3,726 species of
vascular plants
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They a ...
are registered in the region including 700 threatened or rare species, 317 of which are
endemic; fauna consists of 680 species, 6% of which are endemic. Its ecosystem is comparatively unchanged since the last ice age, and it is the host of endangered species that include the
saiga
The saiga antelope (, ''Saiga tatarica''), or saiga, is a critically endangered antelope which during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe spanning the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the northwest and Caucasus in ...
,
nerpa, and
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...
. It is the focus of ongoing international and regional environmental conservation initiatives.
The area is also culturally diverse, with four language groups (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
* Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
,
Mongolian,
Sinitic
The Sinitic languages (漢語族/汉语族), often synonymous with "Chinese languages", are a group of East Asian analytic languages that constitute the major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is frequently proposed that there is ...
and
Turkic, formerly
Samoyedic and
Yeniseian
The Yeniseian languages (sometimes known as Yeniseic or Yenisei-Ostyak;" Ostyak" is a concept of areal rather than genetic linguistics. In addition to the Yeniseian languages it also includes the Uralic languages Khanty and Selkup. occasionall ...
as well) and more than 20 indigenous ethnic groups practicing traditional land use systems. There are also a variety of religions including
Christianity,
Islam,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
,
Tengrism
Tengrism (also known as Tengriism, Tengerism, or Tengrianism) is an ethnic and old state Turko- Mongolic religion originating in the Eurasian steppes, based on folk shamanism, animism and generally centered around the titular sky god Tengri. T ...
and
Shamanism. The region covers more than one million square kilometers, and has a population of between 5 and 6 million inhabitants.
Geography
The Altai-Sayan
ecoregions
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
contain and share a name with the
Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters. The massif merges with the ...
and the
Sayan Mountains.
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
,
China,
Mongolia and
Kazakhstan come together, and are where the rivers
Irtysh and
Ob have their headwaters.
The Sayan Mountains lie between northwestern
Mongolia and southern
Siberia.
The Altai-Sayan has a total area of 1,065,000 square kilometers. Its area belongs to the territory of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
(62%),
Mongolia (29%),
Kazakhstan (5%) and
China (4%).
Part or all of the Russian
Oblasts
An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom ...
of
Kemerovo,
Novosibirsk, and
Irkutsk; the
Krais of
Altai and
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Ye ...
; and the
Autonomous Republics
An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Ma ...
of
Altai,
Khakassia,
Tuva
Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...
, and
Buryatia
Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia (russian: Республика Бурятия, r=Respublika Buryatiya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə; bua, Буряад Улас, Buryaad Ulas, , mn, Буриад Улс, Buriad Uls), is ...
lie within the Altai-Sayan, as do parts of the
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of China's
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
,
East Kazakhstan
East Kazakhstan Region ( kk, Шығыс Қазақстан облысы, translit=Şyğys Qazaqstan oblysy; russian: Восточно-Казахстанская область, Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. It occupi ...
province of Kazakhstan, and the Mongolian
Aimags of
Govi-Altai
Govi-Altai ( mn, Говь-Алтай / , ) is an aimag (province) in western Mongolia.
Transportation
The Altai Airport (LTI/ZMAT) has one paved runway and is served by regular flights to Arvaikheer, Bayankhongor and Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaata ...
,
Khovd,
Bayan-Ölgii,
Uvs,
Zavkhan, and
Khövsgöl.
At the far north of the Altai-Sayan region, near its boundary, is the Russian city of
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Ye ...
(population above 900,000 in 2010 census).
Other towns in the region include
Kyzyl in Russia (pop. about 110,000 in 2008), as well as
Ulaangom,
Ulgii, and
Khovd, all in Mongolia (each with population under 30,000).
The Russian town of
Gorno-Altaysk
Gorno-Altaysk (russian: Го́рно-Алта́йск, a=Горно-Алтайск.ogg, r=Gorno-Altaysk, p=ˈgornə ɐlˈtajsk; ; historically, pre-1932: Ulala) is the capital town of the Altai Republic, Russia.
The population stands at around ...
(pop. about 60,000 in 2010) lies within the region near its western boundary, and the Russian city of
Irkutsk lies just outside the region to its east.
The Altai-Sayan region's total population is estimated as about 5.5 million.
Contained within this ecoregion is the
Great Lakes Hollow, a large
semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
depression, bounded by the
Altai in the West,
Khangai in the East and
Tannu-Ola Mountains in the North.
["Great Lakes Depression"](_blank)
'' Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' This contains six major lakes: the
saline lakes
Saline may refer to:
* Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body
* Saline water, non-medicinal salt water
* Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern
Places
* Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...
Uvs Nuur
Uvs Lake ( mn, Увс нуур, Uws nuur, ; russian: Озеро Убсу-Нур, Ozero Ubsu-Nur; zh, 乌布苏湖, wū bù sū hú, pinyin: ''Wū Bù Sū hú'') is a highly saline lake in an endorheic basin— Uvs Nuur Basin in Mongolia with a ...
,
Khyargas Nuur and
Dörgön Nuur; and
freshwater lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
Khar-Us Nuur
Khar-Us Lake ( mn, Хар-Ус нуур, Har-Us nuur; "Black-Aqua Lake", zh, 哈尔乌斯湖, 黑水湖) is a lake in western Mongolia in the Great Lakes Depression. It is the upper one in a system of the interconnected lakes: Khar-Us, Khar, D� ...
,
Khar Nuur and
Airag Nuur. These are remnants of the
West Siberian Glacial Lake
The West Siberian Glacial Lake, also known as West Siberian Lake (russian: Западно-Сибирское море) or Mansiyskoe Lake (russian: Мансийское озеро), was a periglacial lake formed when the Arctic Ocean outlets for ...
, a
periglacial lake formed when the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
outlets for each of the
Ob and
Yenisei
The Yenisey (russian: Енисе́й, ''Yeniséy''; mn, Горлог мөрөн, ''Gorlog mörön''; Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ''Gorlog müren''; Tuvan: Улуг-Хем, ''Uluğ-Hem''; Khakas: Ким суғ, ''Kim suğ''; Ket: Ӄук ...
rivers were blocked by the
Barents-Kara Ice Sheet during the
Weichselian Glaciation, approximately 80,000 years ago.
Cultural history
According to Anatoliy Mandych, a geographer at the
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across ...
(see also
WWF[World Wildlife Fund, webpage describing th]
Altai-Sayan Montane Forests
(accessed 25 January 2014)),
Anthropology
Altai-Sayan is home to the
Denisova cave
Denisova Cave (russian: Денисова пещера, lit= the cave of Denis, translit= Denísova peshchéra; alt, Аю-Таш, lit= Bear Rock, translit= Ayu Tash) is a cave in the Bashelaksky Range of the Altai mountains, Siberia, Russia. Th ...
, famous for the 2010 discovery of 50,000-year-old fossils of a new kind of human, the
Denisovan
The Denisovans or Denisova hominins ) are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. Denisovans are known from few physical remains and consequently, most of what is known ...
s. Since then,
Neanderthal bones, and tools crafted by
Homo sapiens have been found in the cave. This makes it the only place where all three
hominins have been known to live. Conditions in the Altai-Sayan are stable, so ancient humans may have taken
refuge there during glacial interchanges and lived off the diverse game species.
Malaya Syya in
Khakassia, another ancient archeological site in the region, has been dated to 35,000
BCE
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the o ...
.
Recent genetic studies have shown that the some
indigenous peoples of the Americas are partially derived from southern Altaians.
Ecology and preservation
According to the ''
New Scientist'', the mix of mammals in the Altai-Sayan region has been among the least changed since the last
ice age, in comparison to the mammalian population of any other region on earth. Its stability over time suggests that it may have acted as a
refugium for
Mammoth Steppe
During the Last Glacial Maximum, the mammoth steppe, also known as steppe-tundra, was the Earth's most extensive biome. It spanned from Spain eastward across Eurasia to Canada and from the arctic islands southward to China. The mammoth step ...
fauna both during and between ice ages.
There are three major
UNESCO World Culture and
Natural Heritage Sites in the ecoregion – the
Golden Mountains of Altai, consisting of the
Altai and
Katun Natural Reserves,
Lake Teletskoye
Lake Teletskoye (russian: Телецкое озеро, lit=the lake of the ; ) is the largest lake in the Altai Mountains and the Altai Republic, Russia, and has depth up to 325 meters.
Situated at a height of above the sea level, the lake is ...
,
Belukha Mountain, and the
Ukok Plateau
Ukok Plateau is a plateau covered by grasslands located in southwestern Siberia, in the Altai Mountains region of Russia near the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The plateau is recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site e ...
;
Lake Baikal, which forms part of the eastern border of the region, and
Uvs Nuur Basin
Uvs Lake Basin (also Uvs Nuur Basin or Ubs Nuur Basin; mn, Увс нуурын хотгор, Uws nuuriin hotgor) is an endorheic basin located on the territorial border of Mongolia and Tuva, a republic of the Russian Federation. The basin is part ...
in the Great Lakes Hollow.
The
Great Lakes Hollow, in addition to its saline lakes, contains some of the most important
wetlands of
Central Asia. The wetlands are based on the system of interconnected shallow lakes with wide
reed
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* R ...
belts within the
steppe. As a key part of the
Central Asian Flyway, the wetlands support a number of rare and
endangered migrating birds:
Eurasian spoonbill (''
Platalea leucorodia
The Eurasian spoonbill (''Platalea leucorodia''), or common spoonbill, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The genus name ''Platalea'' is from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the b ...
''),
black stork
The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...
(''
Ciconia nigra
The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...
''),
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
(''
Pandion haliaetus
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
''),
white-tailed eagle
The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptor ...
(''
Haliaeetus albicilla
The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptor ...
''),
swan goose
The swan goose (''Anser cygnoides'') is a large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, northernmost China, and the Russian Far East. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Vagrant birds are encountere ...
(''
Cygnopsis cygnoides''),
bar-headed goose
The bar-headed goose (''Anser indicus'') is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It ...
(''
Anser indicus
The bar-headed goose (''Anser indicus'') is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It ...
''), and
white pelican ''
Pelecanus onocrotalus
The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lake ...
''.
The
World Wildlife Fund has conducted studies of the region.
It has identified the Altai-Sayan
ecoregion as a
priority region for wildlife conservation.
[World Wildlife Fund]
Altai-Sayan Mountains
(accessed 25 January 2014) According to the World Wildlife Fund, "The Altai-Sayan ecoregion is one of the last remaining untouched areas of the world."
Furthermore:
Threats to the biodiversity of the region, according to the Fund, include
poaching and illegal wildlife trade, industrial development, climate change,
overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...
and competition for pastures, unsustainable forestry, water pollution, and poverty.
Beginning in the late 1990s, several government-level initiatives were begun with the stated purpose that included helping to preserve the Altai-Sayan ecoregion and biodiversity. In 1998, representatives of Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Russia met in
Urumqi to organize a trans-boundary nature reserve and launch joint biodiversity conservation programs.
That same year, several republics in the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
(
Tyva,
Khakassia and
Altai) also signed an environmental protection agreement.
Five years later, in March 2003,
However, as of 2010, the steering organization "Altai, Our Common Home" had played a coordinating role "less in conservation and ecological themes" than in "economic and cultural exchange programmes".
Analysts stated that "while the
cosystem conservationsoil has been prepared for cultivation rather well", after 10 years "there are no tangible results yet".
They expressed concern that
The Altai-Sayan region is the northernmost habitat of the
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...
.
a species listed on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biolog ...
as globally Vulnerable.
Science and scholarship
The Altai-Sayan region, or phenomena associated with it, have been the focus of various types of science and scholarship in diverse fields:
*Geneticists speak of the Altai-Sayan region when referring to certain human populations from that region.
*Geologists describe the Altai-Sayan region as the site of a Paleo-Asian Ocean
*Historians refer to the Altai-Sayan peoples
[Forsyth, James (1994)]
''A History of the Peoples of Siberia: Russia's North Asian Colony 1581-1990''
, (p. 276)
See also
*
South Central Siberia
South Central Siberia is a geographical region north of the point where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together.
Regions of Asia
North Asia
The Four Corners
At approximately , the borders of Russia, China, Mongolia and Kaz ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Map of Altai-Sayan regionat
World Wildlife FundAltai-Sayan ecoregionat
United Nations Environmental Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on t ...
Altai-sayan.com(
United Nations Development Programme)
North Asia
Ecoregions of Asia