Altai - download georeferenced map set

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The Altai Mountains are a complex string of the highest mountain ranges in Siberia, separated by low river valleys and vast intermountain basins. The origin of their name Altai is traced down to the Turkic and Mongolian word altyn, which means gold or golden.

Mountains. Altai is the highest mountainous area in Siberia. Many mountain ranges reach in height over 3,000-4,000 m above the sea level, their tops are covered in snow all the year round and their sides are laced by glaciers. The highest summit of the Altai range is Mount Belukha (4,506 m). Mountains Chyortov Palets, Ikonostas, Bely Kamen' are also popular with tourists.

The Altai tourist area has famous mountain passes, such as Katu-Yaryk, Seminsk, Ulagansk and Chike-Taman.

Lakes. The Altai region is studded with thousands of lakes. The largest lake in the Altai is the lake of Teletskoye, one of the deepest lakes in Russia and in the world (over 325 m deep). There are also other lakes in the Altai region: Aya, Dzhulukul, Taimen, Maashei, Manzherok, Tenginskoye and lake groups, such as the Karakolskiye lakes, the Kucherlinskiye lakes, the Multinskiye lakes, the Foreleviye lakes and the Shavlinskiye lakes.

Rivers. The Altai Krai is covered by a dense net of rivers, rivulets and creeks. The most famous are the Katun and the Biya, which join together to form the Ob, the largest river in Russia in terms of its basin. The Biya River is the second water-richest river in the Altai. The Katun flows out of the Gebler glacier situated at an altitude of about 2,000 m on the southern slope of Altai's Belukha. Other rivers that flow through the Altai region are the Chuya, the Lyebyed, the Chulyshman and the Tretya Rechka.

Glaciers. The Altai uplands have 1,402 glaciers with a total surface of 910 sq km. There are five glaciers in the Aktru mountain glacier basin, which include the Big Aktru glacier with a maximal ice thickness of about 360 m. The Maashei massif is very popular with climbers and tourists.

Waterfalls. Waterfalls are a familiar sight for the Altai, for example, the 70-metre waterfall on the Shinok river, not far from the Denisov cave. However the Chulchinsk waterfall is the Altai's largest stepped waterfall, about 160 m high. Other prominent waterfalls in the Altai Uplands include Korbu on Lake Teletskoye and Kamyshlinsk.

Caves. There are over 430 karst caves in the Altai region. The most often visited caves in the Altai uplands are the Denisov cave, the Tavdyinskiye caves and the Charyshskiye caves.

Climate. A strong moderately continental climate. The average annual temperature in the Altai varies from +1°С to -6.7°С. The temperature range in January is from -9.2°С to -31°С and from +11°С to +19°С in July. The average annual amount of rainfall is from 100 to 1,000 mm.

Tourism. All kinds of tourism are found in the Altai uplands:

• Car rides to the upper Katun through the Ukok plateau along the Chuysk Road;
• Equestrian tourism through the Iolgo range, the Seminsk range and the Katun range to Mount Belukha;
• Sailing and rafting along the mountain rivers, such as the Biya, the Khatun, the Chuya, the Chulymshan and the Argut;
• Mountain climbing -ascension to the top of Mount Belukha and the glaciers Aktru, Maashei, and Iaktu;
• Mountain skiing to the foot of Belukha and to the Multinskiye lakes;
• Various kinds of hiking tours, from simple to complex tours, to Mount Belukha, the Maashei and to the Shavlinskiye and Multinskiye lakes.

Sightseeing. The sights of the Altai include: the Chemalsky Trakt, the Chuysky Trakt, the Chuyskaya and the Kurayskaya steppes, a women's monastery on the Patmos Island, the Chemalskaya water power plant, the ancient burial ground Tsarsky Kurgan, Pazyrykskiye Kurgany burial sites, the Krasnye gate, the holy spring Arzhan-Suu, petroglyphs in the Kalbak-Tash area, a stone bay at Lake Teletskoye, stone stelae within the village of In and Bely Bom.