These mountains are located in the border area of the Altai Republic, Siberian Federal District, near the Republic of Khakassia and the Tyva Republic. The park has a core protection area of 16,114 km2. The Altai Mountains, which are the main mountains in the biogeographic region of Western Siberia, are the sources of such large rivers as the Ob River and Irtysh River. The three independent zones inscribed on the World Heritage List are the buffer zones near the Altaisky Nature Reserve and Lake Teletskoye, the buffer zones surrounding Khara Thun Nature Reserve and Mount Belukha, and the Ukok quiescent area on the Ukok Plateau. The site has the widest vertical vegetation zone in Siberia, including savannah, sylvosteppe, mixed forests, subalpine vegetation and alpine vegetation belts. It is also an important habitat for endangered animals, such as snow leopards.
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(2020). Golden Mountains of Altai, Russia. In: Chen, A., Ng, Y., Zhang, E., Tian, M. (eds) Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_942
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