Altun Shan National Nature Reserve

Altun Shan
National Nature Reserve
(also: Aerjinshan)
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Borders of Altun Shan Reserve (in Red)
Map showing the location of Altun Shan National Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Altun Shan National Nature Reserve
Location, in Xinjiang Autonomous Region
LocationXinjiang Autonomous Region, China
Nearest cityRuoqiang Town, Ruoqiang County
Coordinates38°35′53″N 88°59′49″E / 38.598°N 88.997°E / 38.598; 88.997[1]
Area1,512,500 ha (15,125 km2; 5,840 sq mi)
Established1983

Altun Shan National Nature Reserve (simplified Chinese: 阿尔金山; traditional Chinese: 阿爾金山; pinyin: Ā'ěr jīnshān) (literally, "O You Golden Mountain") is a large, arid area in the southeast of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, on the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau and the southern edge of the Tarim Basin in northwest China. It surrounds the Kumkol Basin, an endorheic basin (no outlets to the sea) in the western third of the Altyn-Tagh mountains ("Altun Shan").[2] The reserve is sometimes referred to as the "Arjin Mountains Nature Reserve", or "Aerjinshan".[3] The reserve covers the southern portions of Qiemo County and Ruoqiang County (including Qimantag Township (祁曼塔格)) of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang.

  1. ^ Er Jin Shan Nature Reserve protectedplanet.net
  2. ^ Mianping Zheng (1997). An Introduction to Saline Lakes on the Qinghai—Tibet Plateau. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-7923-4098-0.
  3. ^ "A Er Jin Shan". GlobalSpecies.org. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.