❄️ Cold Winter Deserts of Turan
Altyn-Emel Central, Kazakhstan
📋 Fast Facts
- Transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, inscribed in 2023
- Located in southeastern Kazakhstan within Altyn-Emel National Park, between the Ili River and Dzhungarian Alatau mountains
- One of the largest and most intact cold desert ecosystems in the world, with temperatures ranging from –20°C in winter to +40°C in summer
- Home to critically endangered saiga antelope, goitered gazelle, Asiatic wild ass, and predators including snow leopards and wolves
Altyn-Emel Central is part of the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, a transnational protected area representing one of ...