The Emin Valley () is located on the China–Kazakhstan border, in

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. It has an area of about . Its main waterway is the

Emil River The Emil (, ''Emıl''; ''Emel'') or Emin (), also spelled Emel, Imil, etc., is a river in China and Kazakhstan. It flows through Tacheng (Tarbagatay) Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and the East Kazakhstan Province of K ...

. Administratively, the Emin Valley occupies areas of

Tacheng Prefecture Tacheng Prefecture ( zh, s=塔城地区, p=Tǎchéng dìqū) is located in northern Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It has an area of and a population of 992,444 (2020). It is a part of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. The prefecture leve ...

in the

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

Region of north-western China and East Kazakhstan Province of eastern Kazakhstan.

Ecology

The Emin Valley has a

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

ecosystem of mostly

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

s, with two saline lakes, Alakol and Sasykkol, and mountains with temperate climates. The Emin Valley Steppe is a

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in the

Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are terrestrial biomes defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in these biomes consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from Semi-arid clima ...

Biome A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Tansley added the ...

. It lies within the vast and larger

Eurasian Steppe The Eurasian Steppe, also called the Great Steppe or The Steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Manchuria, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Europea ...

Hydrology

Orographically, the Emil Valley is an endorrheic basin. In the north, the Tarbagatai Mountains separate it from the Lake Zaysan basin, which is part of the basin of the

Irtysh The Irtysh is a river in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. It is the chief tributary of the Ob (river), Ob and is also the longest tributary in the world. The river's source lies in the Altai Mountains, Mongolian Altai in Dzungaria (the northern p ...

River, eventually draining into the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

. In the southeast, another series of mountain ranges separate it from the

Dzungaria Dzungaria (; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand'), also known as Northern Xinjiang or Beijiang, is a geographical subregion in Northwest China that corresponds to the northern half of Xinjiang. Bound by the Altai Mountains to the n ...

n Basin ( Gurbantünggüt Desert). The Emin Valley's main watercourse is the Emin (Emil) River, which flows in the general western direction, receiving numerous streams flowing from the Tarbagatai Mountains and carrying their water to Lake Alakol.

Lake Alakol Alakol Lake (, , from Turkic "motley lake") is a lake located in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, part of the Abai Region, Abai and Jetisu Region, Jetisu regions, in east-central Kazakhstan. Its elevation is above sea level. The lake is the northwe ...

and Lake Sasykkol, situated in the western (Kazakhstan) part of the valley, are the homes of the rare

Dalmatian pelican The Dalmatian pelican (''Pelecanus crispus''), also known as the curly-headed pelican, is the largest member of the pelican family and among the heaviest flying birds in the world. With a wingspan typically ranging between 2.7 and 3.2 meters (8.9� ...

and relict gull.

References

External links

* * China–Kazakhstan border Valleys of Xinjiang Valleys of Kazakhstan Eurasian Steppe Ecoregions of China Ecoregions of Kazakhstan Ecoregions of Asia Grasslands of China Grasslands of Kazakhstan Palearctic ecoregions Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands {{EastKazakhstanRegion-geo-stub

Ecology

Hydrology

See also

References

External links