| Mongolian Plateau | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1903 topographic map of theQing dynasty depicting the Mongolian Plateau | |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 蒙古高原 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 蒙古高原 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Mongolian name | |||||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Монголын тэгш өндөрлөг | ||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠲᠡᠭᠰᠢ ᠥᠨᠳᠥᠷᠯᠢᠭ | ||||||||
TheMongolian Plateau orAltai Plateau is an inlandplateau inEast Asia covering approximately 3,200,000 square kilometers (1,200,000 sq mi).[citation needed] It is bounded by theGreater Hinggan Mountains in the east, theYin Mountains to the south, theAltai Mountains to the west, and theSayan andKhentii mountains to the north.[1] The plateau includes theGobi Desert as well as dry steppe regions. It has an elevation of roughly 1,000 to 1,500 meters (3,300 to 4,900 ft), with the lowest point inHulunbuir and the highest point in the Altai.[1]
Politically, the plateau spans all ofMongolia, along with parts ofChina andRussia.Inner Mongolia and parts of theDzungarian Basin inXinjiang encompass the Chinese portion of the plateau. In Russia, the plateau formsTransbaikal, part ofBuryatia, and the southernIrkutsk Oblast. The Mongolian Plateau comprises the majority of the area known as theMongol heartland.
The average elevation of the Mongolian Plateau ranges from 915 to 1,525 meters (3,002 to 5,003 ft) abovesea level.[2] The highest point in the plateau is found inTavan Bogd at 4,374 meters (14,350 ft) above sea level.[3]
The ecology of Mongolia is complex, having varying regions ofhighland and lowland areas. Grazing species such asyaks,Przewalski's horses, domesticatedsheep,saiga antelope,Siberian ibex andArgali are common.Predator species include theEurasian lynx,snow leopards,Corsac foxs as well ascarnivorous birds such as thebearded vulture,saker falcon, and thecinereous vulture.Marmots are common throughout the region including theTarbagan marmot with large parts of its range located in the Mongolian plateau.[4]
The plateau was inhabited and conquered by various groups, including (chronologically) theXiongnu,Xianbei,Göktürks,Tang dynasty,Liao dynasty,Mongol Empire,Yuan dynasty,Northern Yuan dynasty, andQing dynasty.
Between 1980 and 2010, rising global temperatures and direct human activity (particularly the use of lake water for mining and agriculture) have contributed to a significant loss of lake surface area across the Plateau.Qagaan Nurr andXinKai Lake have shrunk by two-thirds of their surface area during that time, while others (includingHuangqihai Lake andNaiman Xihu) have dried up entirely. Some exceptions, such asEast Juyan Lake andHad Paozi, have grown, but overall the average total surface area of lakes in the region has shrunk by 30%.[5][6] The region also suffers from a high rate ofdesertification.[7]
