The Uvs Nuur Basin is the northernmost of the enclosed basins of Central Asia. It takes its name from Uvs Nuur Lake, a large, shallow and very saline lake, important for migrating birds, waterfowl and seabirds. The site is made up of twelve protected areas representing the major biomes of eastern Eurasia. The steppe ecosystem supports a rich diversity of birds and the desert is home to a number of rare gerbil, jerboas and the marbled polecat. The mountains are an important refuge for the globally endangered snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali) and the Asiatic ibex. One of the 12 protected areas is Mongun Taiga, a massif in Mongun-Taiga kozhuun, Russia. The Russian part of the Altay Mountains is considered part of Western Siberia, but Mongun-Taiga in 1932 was transferred (along with the north of Uvs Nuur Basin) from the Mongolian People's Republic of Tuva, and in 1944 became part of Eastern Siberia.
Unesco: Uvs Nuur Basin
Distance: 1,698 km
Travel time: 39 days
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