The Great Lakes Basin, together with the Altai Mountains and Lake Hövsgöl, make up the Altai Sayan region, one of WWF’s global 200 Ecoregions, fso designated ofr their extraordinary value as biodiversity hot spots.

The Great Lakes Basin forms part of the Central Asian enclosed basin into which rivers such as Hovd and Zavhan drains. The landscape is quite similar to the highland region of Changtang in Tibet, with the addition of numerous big lakes. In the distance there are the snow-capped mountains of Harhiraa and Turgen in Uvs province, Tsambagarav Uul and Höh Serhiin Nuruu straddling the Hovd and Bayan-Ölgii provinces. Jargalant Hairhan Uul is a standalone ridge in the middle of Khar Us Nuur National Park.

There are many Mongol ethnic groups in Hovd province, but they can’t be easily distinguished from each other. There are also some ethnic Kazakhs.

                                   Uvs Lake Basin                                                                 Khar Us Nuur National Park