Charyn Canyon
Encyclopedia
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
on the Charyn River
Charyn River
The Charyn River is a river in the Almaty Province of Kazakhstan. It flows into the Ili River, which is considered to be the largest artery of Lake Balkhash. The Charyn River is 427 km long. It runs through the territory of Kegen and Uigur regions, forming up the Charyn Canyon.The Moinak Hydro...
, 200 km east of Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, close to the Chinese border. It is part of the Charyn National Park, which is established 23 February 2004 and located within the territory of the Uyghur and Kegen Districts of the Almaty Province
Almaty Province
Almaty is a province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Taldykorgan, which has a population of 118,400. The province itself has 1,603,700 people.-Geography:...
.
It stretches 154 kilometres (95.7 mi) along the Charyn River
Charyn River
The Charyn River is a river in the Almaty Province of Kazakhstan. It flows into the Ili River, which is considered to be the largest artery of Lake Balkhash. The Charyn River is 427 km long. It runs through the territory of Kegen and Uigur regions, forming up the Charyn Canyon.The Moinak Hydro...
in the northern Tien Shan mountain range. In parts, it attains a depth of 150 to 300 m (492.1 to 984.3 ft).
One part of it is known as Valley of Castles for its unusual rock formations. The width of it ranges from 20 to 80 m (65.6 to 262.5 ft) and the length is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).