Zailiiskii Alatau
Zailiiskii Alatau
a mountain range in the Tien-Shan system in the Kazakh SSR, bordering on the Kirghiz SSR. Length, 350 km; highest point, 4,973 m (Talgar Peak). The range is formed primarily of granite, conglomerate, limestone, and shale. Some peaks are covered by glaciers. Ice covers an area of 484 sq km. Left tributaries of the Hi River flow from the northern slopes. In the foothills there are dry steppes, which are replaced higher up by bushy steppe vegetation, meadows, and forests (apple trees, aspen, and, higher up, the Schrenk spruce). The city of Alma-Ata is located in the northern foothills of the Zailiiskii Alatau.