Large upland region on the frontiers of east-central Russia and Mongolia.
The mountains form a rough arc stretching from the Altai Mountains to Lake Baikal and connecting with the Khamar-Daban mountain system of the Transbaikalia. The western and eastern ranges, each with a different geologic history, meet in a central knot where elevations exceed 10,000 ft (3,000 m). The range's highest peak is Munku-Sardyk, in Mongolia, which reaches an elevation of 11,453 ft (3,491 m).