Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (
The region is inhabited by a sparse but ethnically diverse population, including
᠊ᠢᠢᠨ
ᠨᠢᠷᠤᠭᠤ
Etymology and modern names
Altai is derived from underlying form *altañ "gold, golden" (compare Old Turkic 𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣 altun "gold, golden") with coda -ñ underlying the -n & -y correspondence among cognates in different Turkic languages & dialects (e.g. qōñ ~ qoy "sheep", Qitan ~ Qitay "Khitans", etc.), as well as in Mongolian.
The mountains are called Altain nuruu (Алтайн нуруу) in
Geography
in the Altai MountainsIn the north of the region is the
This region is studded with large lakes, e.g.
The north western and northern slopes of the Sailughem Mountains are extremely steep and difficult to access. On this side lies the highest summit of the range, the double-headed
Several secondary plateaus of lower elevations are also distinguished by geographers. The Valley of the
The next valley is that of the Charysh, which has the Korgon and Tigeretsk Range on one side and the Talitsk and Baschelaksk Range (Бащелакский хребет) on the other. This, too, is very fertile. The Altai, seen from this valley, presents the most romantic scenes, including the small but deep Kolyvan Lake at an altitude of 360 m (1,180 ft), which is surrounded by fantastic granite domes and towers.[4]
Farther west the valleys of the
The middle and lower parts of the Bukhtarma valley have been colonized since the 18th century by runaway Russian peasants, serfs, and religious
Those of
Farther north the Altai highlands are continued in the Kuznetsk district, which has a slightly different geological aspect, but belongs to the Altai system. But the
The Ek-tagh or Mongolian Altai, which separates the Khovd basin on the north from the Irtysh basin on the south, is a true border-range, in that it rises in a steep and lofty escarpment from the Dzungarian depression (470–900 m (1,540–2,950 ft)), but descends on the north by a relatively short slope to the plateau (1,150–1,680 m (3,770–5,510 ft)) of north-western Mongolia. East of 94° E the range is continued by a double series of mountain chains, all of which exhibit less sharply marked orographical features and are at considerably lower elevations. The slopes of the constituent chains of the system are inhabited principally by nomadic Kyrgyz.[4]
The five highest mountains of the Altai are:
- Belukha Mountain (Russia), 4,506 m (14,783 ft)
- Khüiten Peak (Mongolia), 4,374 m (14,350 ft)
- Mönkhkhairkhan Mountain (Mongolia), 4,204 m (13,793 ft)
- Sutai Mountain (Mongolia), 4,220 m (13,850 ft)
- Tsambagarav Mountain (Mongolia), 4,195 m (13,763 ft)
Fauna
The Altai-Sayan ecoregion is located at the intersection of the Central Asian and Siberian faunal provinces.
The Altai mountains are home to a diverse fauna, because of its different habitats, like steppes, northern
Until the 20th century, the
The
Moor frogs are near bodies of water as high up as 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the Altai mountains.[11]
History
The Altai mountains have retained a remarkably stable climate, changing little since the last ice age.[12] In addition the mix of mammals has remained largely the same, with a few exceptions such as extinct mammoths, making it one of the few places on earth to retain an ice age fauna.[12]
The Altai mountains were home to the
A dog-like canid from 33,000 years ago was found in the Razboinichya Cave.[13][14] DNA analysis published in 2013 affirmed that it was more closely related to modern dogs than to wolves.[15]
The Altai Mountains have been identified as being the point of origin of a cultural enigma termed the
Some historians believe that the Altai mountain region may have been the location where
World Heritage Site
A vast area of 16,178 km2 (6,246 sq mi)2, which incorporates the Altai and Katun Natural Reserves,
Violations of the protection status of Argali sheep and other species have been alleged, together with accusations of corruption, in the
Geology
The Siberian Altai represents the northernmost region affected by the tectonic collision of India into Asia. Extensive fault systems run through the area, including the
Geologist Victor R. Baker "has discovered past cataclysmic floods in the Altai Mountains of Siberia" from "an even larger glacial lake" than Lake Missoula, which was once thought to have been "the largest ice-dammed lake in the world".[23]
Seismic activity
Although
See also
- Altai Republic
- Altai Krai
- Altay Prefecture
- Govi-Altai Province
- Altaic languages
- Altay language
- Altai-Sayan region
- List of Altai mountains
References
- ISBN 9781844076031.
The population of the Altai frontier regions is mostly represented by indigenous ethnic minorities of semi nomadic stockbreeders: Kazakhs, Altais (Telenghets), Tuvins, Dyurbets, and Ugyurs.
- ISBN 9780313274978.
The traditional Altai economy revolved around breeding cattle and hunting. They also bred deer and harvested the animals for their antlers, which were exported to China for use in the manufacture of folk medicines.
- ISBN 9780816072293.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kropotkin 1911, p. 758.
- ^ "Altai Republic :: official portal". Eng.altai-republic.ru. June 30, 1999. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ISBN 3-332-00209-0.
- ^ "Altai Mountains". Archived from the original on June 23, 2015.
- ISBN 3-89432-759-6.
- ^ Nowell, K.; Jackson, P. (1996). Wild cats: Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ Sipko, Taras P. (2009). "European bison in Russia – past, present and future". European Bison Conservation Newsletter. Vol. 2. pp. 148–159. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Roček, Zbyněk; Šandera, Martin (August 2008). "Distribution of Rana arvalis in Europe: a historical perspective" (PDF). Zeitschrift für Feldherpetologie: 135–150.
- ^ a b c d Colin Barras (January 23, 2014). "Ice-age animals live on in Eurasian mountain range". New Scientist. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ Pritchard, Hamish (August 3, 2011). "Ancient dog skull unearthed in Siberia". BBC News. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- PMID 21829526.
- PMID 23483925.
- BBC History Magazine. 10 (1): 9.
- ^ "Exploring the origins of skiing in China's Altai Mountains". canadiangeographic.ca. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "On the Trail with the First Skiers". Magazine. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Origin Story: Where did skiing begin? | International Skiing History Association". www.skiinghistory.org. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Chinese or Norwegian: the History of Skiing". The Ultimate History Project. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Diamond, Chaz (March 18, 2014). "The First Skiers: Deep in Time, Deep in the Altai". SnowBrains. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Greater Altai – Altai Krai, Republic of Altai, Tyva (Tuva), and Novosibirsk – Crossroads". Pacific Environment. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ^ John Eliot Allen, Marjorie Burns, and Scott Burns, Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods, revised 2nd edition (Portland, OR: Ooligan Press/Portland State University, 2009), pp. 78, 108.
Sources
- public domain: Kropotkin, Peter; Bealby, John Thomas (1911). "Altai". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 758–759. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Authorities cited:
- P. Semenov and G. N. Potanin, in supplementary vol. of Russian ed. of Ritter's Asien (1877)
- Ledebour, Reise durch das Altaigebirge (1829–1830)
- P. Chikhatchev, Voyage scientifique dans l'Altai oriental (1845)
- Gebler, Übersicht des katunischen Gebirges (1837)
- G. von Helmersen, Reise nach dem Altai (St Petersburg, 1848)
- T. W. Atkinson, Oriental and Western Siberia (1858)
- Cotta, Der Altai (1871)
- Adrianov, "Journey to the Altai", in Zapiski Russ. Geogr. Soc. xi.
- Yadrintsev, "Journey in West Siberia", in Zapiski West Sib. Geogr. Soc. ii.
- Golubev, Altai (1890, Russian)
- Schmurlo, "Passes in S. Altai" (Sailughem), in Izvestia Russ. Geogr. Soc. (1898); xxxiv. 5
- V. Saposhnikov, various articles in same periodical (1897), xxxiii. and (1899) xxxv., and, by the same, Katun i yeya Istoki (Tomsk, 1901)
- S. Turner, Siberia (1905)
- Deniker, on Kozlov's explorations, in La Géographie (1901, pp. 41, &c.)
- P. Ignatov, in Izvestia Russ. Geog. Soc. (1902, No. 2).