Tarbagatai
Tarbagatai Location in Kazakhstan (on the border with China)
Highest point
Elevation	2,992 m (9,816 ft)
Coordinates	47°11′18″N 82°27′59″E / 47.18833°N 82.46639°E / 47.18833; 82.46639
Naming
Native name	Тарвагатай (Mongolian) 塔尔巴哈台 (Chinese) Тарбағатай (Kazakh)
Geography
Location	China–Kazakhstan border
Countries	Kazakhstan and China

The Tarbagatai Mountains (Mongolian: ᠲᠠᠷᠪᠠᠭᠠᠲᠠᠢ
ᠨᠢᠷᠤᠭᠤ, Тарвагатай нуруу, translit. Tarvagatai nuruu, literally: "range with marmots"; Chinese: 塔尔巴哈台山; pinyin: Tǎ'ěrbāhātái Shān; Kazakh: Тарбағатай жотасы, Tarbağatai jotasy) are a range of mountains located in the north-western parts of Xinjiang, China, and the Abai Region of East Kazakhstan. The name of the mountain derived from Mongolian word: in Traditional Mongolian alphabet: Mongolian: ᠲᠠᠷᠪᠠᠭ᠎ᠠ (тарвага "tarvaga", meaning "marmot") with suffix Mongolian: ᠲᠠᠢ (-тай "-tai"; literally "to have" or "with").

Many Tarbagan marmot live in this mountain range.^[1] Their name does not have a direct translation from the English in Mongolian, as it would mean "marmot's marmot".

An eastern extension of the Tarbagatai is the Saur Range.

Drainage

As it is common for mountain ranges, there is more precipitation in the Tarbagatai mountains than in the adjacent flatlands. The mountains are thus an important watershed. Streams from the northern slopes of the Tarbagatai flow into Lake Zaysan, which eventually drains (via the Irtysh) into the Arctic Ocean. The streams of the southern slope, many of which merge into the Emil River, flow into the Emin Valley, part of the endorheic Balkhash-Alakol Basin; they are an important source of water for several counties of Tacheng (Tarbagatay) Prefecture in China. The Urzhar has its sources in the range.

References