Altai Mountains

The Altai Mountains ( ahl-TY) are a mountain range in Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters. The highest summit of the range is Belukha, whose summit reaches 4,506 m (14,783 ft) above sea level. The massif merges with the Sayan Mountains in the northeast, and gradually becomes lower in the southeast, where it merges into the high plateau of the Gobi Desert. In the southwest, it is separated from the higher Tian Shan range by the Junggar Basin. It spans from about 45° to 52° N and from about 84° to 99° E. The region is inhabited by a sparse but ethnically diverse population, including Turkic peoples, Mongols, and Volga Germans, though predominantly represented by indigenous ethnic minorities of semi-nomadic people. The local economy is based on bovine, sheep, horse husbandry, hunting, agriculture, forestry, and mining. The now discredited Altaic language family takes its name from this mountain range.