Mountains of Central Asia

South of the northern low lands is a great belt of mountains and plateaus. The Pamir plateau in central Asia forms mountainous chains running out in different directions. The mountain chains of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Kunlun run towards the east. The plateau of Tibet, enclosed by the Himalayas and Kunlun, is the largest and highest plateau of the world. Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest peak in the world. The vast cool desert of Gobi is in this region.

The Mountains of Central Asia is a biodiversity hot spot designated by Conservation International which covers several montane and alpine ecoregions of Central Asia, including those of the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, and extending across portions of Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The hotspot encompasses several habitat types, including montane grasslands and shrublands, temperate coniferous forests, and alpine tundra. The ecoregions in the hotspot include:


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