Monday, November 17, 2014

RUSSIA ~ Siberia - Golden Mountains of Altai Republic- Lower Shavlinskoe Lake - UNESCO ~

...the sky and the view...breathtaking scenery... Thanks Oleg!!
Photo: Alexandr Ermolitsky
The Altai Republic is a small mountainous republic in Russia, southern Siberia, close to the borders of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China. It is a spectacularly beautiful and unspoiled land of forests, alpine meadows, and mountain peaks reaching heights of more than 4,500m. The name "Altay" (or "Altai") comes from Mongolian "Altan", which means "golden", and in 1998, UNESCO inscribed five separate natural regions, the "Golden Mountains of Altai", as a World Heritage Site.

The mountains have several undisturbed glaciers and provide the source of main rivers like the Ob. Lower Shavlinskoe Lake is located 5 km away from Upper one at a height of 1725 m. The length is 800 m and the width is 500 m.

The mountains are the habitat of several globally endangered mammals, such as the snow leopard and the Altai argali.



Stamp:
Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art
(Issued 01-08-2011)

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