Moiynkum Мойынқұм | |
|---|---|
 View of the Chu river at the edge of the desert | |
  Moiynkum Location in Kazakhstan | |
| Coordinates:43°53′N71°52′E / 43.883°N 71.867°E /43.883; 71.867 | |
| Location | Kazakhstan /Kyrgyzstan |
| Part of | Turkistan andZhambyl regions |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37,500 km2 (14,500 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 meters (980 ft) to 700 meters (2,300 ft) |
TheMoiynkum Desert (Kazakh:Мойынқұм,Moiynqūm), is adesert in theTurkistan andZhambyl regions of southernKazakhstan.
Common plant types in the desert includesaksaul,milkvetch,mugwort andsedge. TheAndasay State Nature Reserve is a 1,000,000 hectares (2,500,000 acres)protected area that was established in 1966.[1]
The Moiynkum Desert is limited by theChu River to the north and east and theKaratau andKyrgyz Ala-Too mountain ranges to the south and southeast. Its elevation ranges from 300 meters (980 ft) in the northern sector to 700 meters (2,300 ft) in the southeast. RiverChu flows at the northern edge of the desert, with lakesKokuydynkol andZhalanash close to the left side of its channel. In wet years the Chu may reach theendorheic salt lakeAkzhaykyn in theAshchykol Depression, at the western end of the desert. TheAkzhar lake group is located in the southern area.[2][3][4]
The climate of the desert is continental. Temperatures drop as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) in January and rise to around 50 °C (120 °F) in July.[5]
The desert is known to harbor deposits ofuranium, with theSouth Inkai mine ofUranium One, the tenth largest uranium producing mine in the world, and theInkai Uranium Project ofCameco. The uranium mines atTortkuduk andMoiynkum are operated by theFranco-Kazakh firmKATCO.[6]
Media related toMoiynkum at Wikimedia Commons
