Xinjiang
Altay Prefecture
County-level
A Lei Tai City
Prehistoric 12,000-year-old rock paintings at Dundebulake confirm Altay as the Origin of Human Skiing, for powder snow at Mount Jiangjun.
Spatial Framework & Civilizational Geography · Prefecture-level
Altay Prefecture
Altay hides Kanas Lake and Hemu village in the Altai Mountains, along with the Koktokay mine and ancient rock paintings of skiers.
Mural guide
Irtysh Valley
A turquoise river winds through a golden autumn valley, where larch forests follow the banks beneath rugged, snow-dusted Altai mountains.
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Regional story
A place shaped through time
A useful starting point for Altay Prefecture is the documented fact “Altay hides Kanas Lake and Hemu village in the Altai Mountains, along with the Koktokay mine and ancient rock paintings of skiers.” The natural conditions and social experience of Altay Prefecture therefore belong to one connected geographic story. Communities responded to surrounding conditions through residence, exchange, and daily practice, giving the spatial pattern a traceable history. The chain from environmental conditions to social practice gives the regional change of Altay Prefecture a clear real-world expression. Taken together, these clues clarify the position, change, and distinctive contribution of Altay Prefecture within the larger region.
Altay Prefecture
7 counties
Affiliated Regions
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Bu Er Jin County
Turquoise glacial waters at Kanas Lake Moon Bay mirror birch forests in Burqin, near Tuva log cabins in Hemu and colorful rock yardangs at Wucaitan.
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Fu Yun County
World Geopark No. 3 Geological Pit rare metal excavations highlight Fuyun, bordered by the granite bell-dome peak of Mount Shenzhong in Koktokay Canyon.
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Fu Hai County
Expansive freshwater shores at Lake Ulungur sweep across Fuhai, famous for ancient winter ice net fishing galas landing thousands of jumping fish.
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Ha Ba He County
Towering silver birch groves line the banks of the Haba River in Habahe, near the timber Tuva homesteads of the border village of Baihaba.
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Qing He County
Prehistoric bronze-age deer stone megaliths at Sandaohaizi amaze in Qinghe, home to rare river beaver wildlife reserves along the Qinggel River.
Altay Prefecture
County-level
Ji Mu Nai County
Sculpted wind-hollowed granite boulders at Shenshicheng resemble giant castles in Jiminay, near the historic hundred-year-old border post at Mount Sawur.
Altay Prefecture
1 Matrix Entries
Atlas Matrix
Irtysh Valley
The Irtysh is a rare river that flows north toward the Arctic Ocean, cutting a green corridor through the Altai interior.