Mongolia - Highlands of Mongol Altai

1. Altai Tavan Bogd National Park 48 54 52.60N 88 4 33.06E 2. Siilkhem mountain National Park, Part "A" 49 25 59.89N 88 33 28.53E 3. Siilkhem mountain National Park, Part "B" 49 49 21.42N 89 44 56.84E The Mongolian Altai Mountains constitute a major and central part of the Altai mountain range located at the junction of Central Asia and Siberia. The Mongol Altai has many summits around or even exceeding 4000 meters above sea level (m.a.sl.) and stretches for some 900 kilometres from the north-western part of the country to the south, through the territories of Bayan-Ulgii and Khovd provinces. Over 20 peaks are capped with eternal snow in the Mongol Altai Mountain Range. These include Altai Tavan Bogd, the highest peak of Mongolia at 4,374 m.a..s.l., Munkh Khairkhan (4,204 m.a.s.l), Sutai Khairkhan (4,226 m.a.s.l) and Tsambagarav khairkhan (4,195 m.a.s.l.). Towards the southeast, the Mongol Altai Mountain Range gets smaller and transitions into the Govi-Altai mountain range. In the Chinese and Kazakh parts of the Altai, the slopes in the montane and sub-alpine belts are covered in forests, whereas the Mongolian Altai has a much drier climate. The high ridges of the Altai descend to large basins and dry steppes, that extend eastward across vast areas dominated by great inland seas in ancient times.