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Mongolian Plateau

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Mongolian Plateau is a vast area in East Asia. It is also called the Altai Plateau. This land is part of the Mongol heartland. It covers all of Mongolia. It also covers parts of China and Russia.

Fall Nature in Mongolia
Fall Nature in Mongolia

The plateau is a very large space. It sits high above the rest of the world.

Many mountains form borders around this land. The Altai Mountains sit to the west. To the north are the Sayan and Khentii mountains. The Yin Mountains are in the south. The Greater Hinggan Mountains are in the east.

Fall Nature in Mongolia
Fall Nature in Mongolia

The land is very high up. Most of it is 1,500 meters above sea level. The highest point is Tavan Bogd at 4,090 meters. The lowest point is in Hulunbuir.

Many different animals live on the plateau. You might see yaks or Przewalski's horses. Domesticated sheep also live here. Other animals include saiga antelope and Siberian ibex. Argali are also common.

Fall Nature in Mongolia
Fall Nature in Mongolia

Some animals hunt others in this land. Snow leopards and Eurasian lynx are predators. You might also see Corsac foxes. Large birds like vultures fly above. Marmots are very common in the region.

Many groups of people lived here in the past. They moved through and ruled the plateau. The Xiongnu lived here first. Later, the Xianbei and Göktürks arrived. The Tang and Liao dynasties also ruled. The Mongol Empire and Yuan dynasty were important too.

Fall Nature in Mongolia
Fall Nature in Mongolia

The Northern Yuan and Qing dynasty also lived on this land. These groups shaped the history of the plateau.

The environment is changing in important ways. The land has dry steppe and the Gobi Desert. Between 1980 and 2010, the air got warmer. People also use lake water for mining and farms.

Fall Nature in Mongolia
Fall Nature in Mongolia

This has caused many lakes to shrink. Qagaan Nurr and XinKai Lake lost two-thirds of their size. Some lakes like Huangqihai dried up. Overall, lake areas have shrunk by 30%. The land also faces desertification.

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