Emin Valley

The Emin Valley (Chinese: 额敏谷地; pinyin: Émǐn gǔdì) is located on the China-Kazakhstan border with an area of about 65,000 square kilometers. It has an ecosystem of mostly grasslands and steppes, with two saline lakes (Alakol and Sasykkol) and mountains with temperate climates.

The Emin Valley steppe is a Palearctic ecoregion in the Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome. It lies within the vast and larger Eurasian Steppe.

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 River, eventually draining into the Arctic Ocean. In the southeast, another series of mountain ranges separate it from the Dzungarian 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 and Lake Sasykkol, situated in the western (Kazakhstan) part of the valley, are the homes of the rare Dalmatian pelican and Relict Gull.

Administratively, the Emin Valley occupies parts of China's Tacheng Prefecture and the East Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan.

See also

• Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

External links

• "Emin Valley steppe". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. 
• World Wildlife Fund (2001). "Emin Valley steppe". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. 

Coordinates: 47°30′00″N 82°00′00″E / 47.50000°N 82.00000°E / 47.50000; 82.00000