Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage Site

Official name

Golden Mountains of Altai | UNESCO

Country

Russia | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

450 km southwest of Novosibirsk, in the Altai Republic
50.4666° Lat, 86.0000° Lon | Map

Code

768

Time Zone

Europe/Moscow (MSK, +0300)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 1998. The Altai mountains in southern Siberia form the major mountain range in the western Siberia biogeographic region and provide the source of its greatest rivers – the Ob and the Irtysh. Three separate areas are inscribed: Altaisky Zapovednik and a buffer zone around Lake Teletskoye; Katunsky Zapovednik and a buffer zone around Mount Belukha; and the Ukok Quiet Zone on the Ukok plateau. The total area covers 1,611,457 ha. The region represents the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia, from steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, subalpine vegetation to alpine vegetation. The site is also an important habitat for endangered animal species such as the snow leopard.