❄️ Cold Winter Deserts of Turan
Barsakelmes Island and transboundary desert ecosystem
📋 Fast Facts
- Inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023 (serial property across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenium)
- One of the largest temperate deserts on Earth, characterized by extreme cold winters and hot summers
- Barsakelmes Island lies in the dried-up Aral Sea bed; once a true island, now part of desert landscape
- Supports critically endangered saiga antelope, goitered gazelles, corsac foxes, and migratory birds
The Cold Winter Deserts of Turan span Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, forming one of Earth's largest temperate desert ...