Ile Alatau (, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

. It is the northernmost

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

of Tian Shan, stretching for about with a maximal elevation of ( Talgar Peak). The term " Alatau" refers to a kind of mountain characterized by interleaving areas of

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...

, scattered rocks and snows. The range is bounded in the north by the Ili Depression of the

Ili River The Ili River (, , ; ; ; zh, 伊犁河, ; , ; , ) is a river in Northwest China and Southeastern Kazakhstan. It flows from the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan. It ...

, hence the name. The former capital of

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, is located at the foot of the range. The Ile-Alatau National Park is a protected area in the Ile Alatau.

Topography

The Zailiisky Alatau Range is one of the northernmost arcs of the Tian Shan mountain system. It is located at 43°N, within 75-78°E, partly in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The range begins in the west within the Chu River and extends 280 km eastward to the Chilik River. To the north of the axial ridge slopes gently down to the Chu-Ili Range and the Balkhash-Alakol Basin with the lower Ili River, in the south the ridge is separated from the Kungei Alatau by longitudinal intermountain valleys of two rivers - Chilik and Chonkemin. In the area of their sources, the ranges are connected through the Chilico-Kemin mountain junction. The prevailing altitudes - 4000–4600 m, the highest point - Talgar peak (4973–4979 m). On the northern slope is the Gorodetsky Glacier. The highest part of the Trans-Ili Alatau in the vicinity of Talgar Peak between the sources of the Talgar River, the upper Chilik River and the Chiliko-Kemin mountain junction is called the Talgar massif. Piktalgar

Fauna

In the nature conservation part of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, which is part of the Almaty nature reserve, there are: lynx, maral, roe deer, badger, hare and stone marten. The mountainous area is inhabited by black grouse, golden eagles, bearded vultures, mountain and bearded partridges, Himalayan snowcocks, juniper dubonos, blue birds, woodpeckers and nutcrackers.

Climate

Trans-Ili Alatau has the features of a high-altitude,

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

. The position of the ridge in the center of

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

and relatively close range to the equator has contributed to an increase in heat, decrease in moisture and creation of its own

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

in Trans-Ili Alatau.

Glaciation

In total, as of 2008, there are 441 glaciers with a total area of 171 km² and a volume of 6.9 km³. There are almost all morphological types of glaciers. The largest is the complex valley Korzhenevsky glacier, its area is 38 km². The glaciers are quite severely frozen. One of the reference glaciers of the World Glacier Monitoring Service - Central Tuyuksu (Tuyuksu) - is located in Zailiisky Alatau. The Tuyuksu glacier (3.3 km²) has the longest mass-balance line in the territory of the former USSR. The thermal balance of the glacier and its velocities (20-50, up to 90 m/year) are also monitored. Glaciation of the ridge, following the trend of the entire northern hemisphere, has been decreasing since the end of the Fernau stage (mid XIX century) to the present. Degradation rates have increased since the late 1950s, with glaciation decreasing by 41% over the past 60 years.

Peak Robeson

A mountain summit in the western Tian Shan and Ile Ala-Tau mountains is named after the late African-American entertainer and activist,

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

who advocated the U.S.-Soviet friendship.Paul Robeson: "The Great Forerunner -Editors of Freedomways", Freedomways Press, page 99

Footnotes

External links

Ile and Kungey Alatau
* Peaks of Trans-Ili Alatau {{Authority control Mountain ranges of Kazakhstan Mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan Mountain ranges of the Tian Shan