The Karatau or Qaratau ( kk, Қаратау жотасы, Qarataw jotasy) is a mountain range located in southern

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. The name Karatau means ''Black Mountain'' in the

Kazakh language The Kazakh or simply Qazaq (Latin: or , Cyrillic: or , Arabic Script: or , , ) is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia by Kazakhs. It is closely related to Nogai, Kyrgyz and Karakalpak. It is the official lan ...

. The mountains have deposits of

phosphorite Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a non-detrital sedimentary rock that contains high amounts of phosphate minerals. The phosphate content of phosphorite (or grade of phosphate rock) varies greatly, from 4% to 20% phosphorus pentoxi ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

Geography

The range extends for about in a roughly NW/SE direction just north of the Syrdaria River. The

Muyunkum Desert The Muyunkum Desert ( kk, Мойынқұм, ''Moiynqūm''), is a desert in the Jambyl Region of southern Kazakhstan. Common plant types in the desert include the saksaul, milkvetch, mugwort and sedge. Geography It extends from the Chu River in ...

lies to the north of the range. The Karatau is the westernmost prolongation of the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

. The summits of the mountains are smooth and the slopes are cut by snow-fed rivers. The Shabakty,

Ushbas The Ushbas ( kk, Үшбас) is a river in southern Kazakhstan. It has a length of and a drainage basin of .Google Earth The river flows across Sarysu district of the Zhambyl Region and Sozak District of the Turkistan Region. It has its mouth ...

Bugun The Buguns (formerly Khowa) are one of the earliest recognized schedule tribe of India, majority of them, inhabiting the Singchung Sub-Division of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. Their total population is approximately 3000. The notab ...

and

Asa ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

, are among the rivers having their sources in the range.

World Heritage Status

There are numerous ancient archaeological sites in the range that display the stages of cultural evolution from the early

Paleolithic Age The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tool ...

(1 million BP) to the

Neolithic Age The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

(6500 BP).Paleolithic sites and geomorphology of Karatau mountain range - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List on September 24, 1998 in the Cultural category.

Nature Reserve

The

Karatau Nature Reserve Karatau Nature Reserve ( kk, Қаратау мемлекеттік табиғи қорығы, ''Qaratau memlekettık tabiği qoryğy'') is a wildlife refuge in the mid-part of the Karatau Mountains, near Kyzylkum, Betpak-Dala and Moiynkum deserts ...

is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the range established in 2004.Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan ''"On the establishment of the state institution" Karatau State Nature Reserve "of the Committee for Forestry and Hunting of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan"''; 1 March 2004

References

External links

* {{Authority control Mountain ranges of Kazakhstan World Heritage Tentative List Mountain ranges of the Tian Shan