RUSSIA ~The Western Sayan~

...Fantastic official (RU-1268323) view of unspoiled, crystal-clear looking lake... a natural beauty..
Thanks Asya!!

With great bunch of stamps: The 6 Kremlin stamps are defenitives issued in 2009 and "Weapon of the Victory stamp - Automotive vehicles" (issued 16-03-2012)

Located in southern Siberia and on the northern edge of Mongolia Tuva extends from the coniferous forests of the Taiga in the north to the rolling Steppes in the south. Nowhere else in the world is so far from the sea.

The Sayan Mountains' towering peaks and cool lakes give rise to the tributaries that merge to become one of Siberia's major rivers, the Yenisei River, which flows north over 2000 miles to the Arctic Ocean. This is a protected and isolated area, having been kept closed by the Soviet Union since 1944.