Charyn National Park
Charyn National Park (, "Şaryn ūlttyq tabiği parkı") officially, "Charyn Canyon National Nature Park" is a national park in Kazakhstan, stretching along the Charyn River, including Charyn Canyon. The Canyon, with its thinly stratified red sedimentary rock, is said to resemble the Grand Canyon in the US; it is however smaller - 50 km from end to end. About in size, the park occupies portions of Enbekshikazakh District, Raiymbek District, and Uygur District of Almaty Region. It is about 200 km east of the city of Almaty. The park was established in 2004 to protect the geological attractions of  the canyon, the ecological fragility of the river and desert system (including relic Sogdian Ash groves), and surrounding archaeological sites; portions are also set aside for recreation. Topography. The park is long and thin, protecting both banks of the Charyn River for 50 km, but only to a width of 3 km. The Charyn River at this point runs southwest to northeast through arid foothills of the Tian Shan Mountains 30 km to the south. The canyon reaches 370 meters in depth, and its base is approximately 1,100 meters above sea level. The park protects four main sites: Four levels  of protection are provided for different sub-areas of the park: Reserve Status Area (9,427.5 hectares), Zone of Environmental Stabilization (13,147.3 hectares), Tourism and Recreation Area (77,739 hectares), and a Zone of Limited Economic Activity (26,736.2 hectares). Climate. The climate is "Cold Semi-Arid Climate" (Koeppen Classification BSk: warm, dry summers with cold winters. 312 mm of precipitation per year (maximum in summer). Average temperature ranges from in January to in July. Plants and animals. Within the park is the Charyn Ash Grove, a remnant stand of what was once a long forest belt of Sogdian Ash trees (Fraxinus sogdiana ) that spread across the northern slopes of the Tian Shan mountains as early as the Paleogene Period. The ash groves in the park, which cover only about , can withstand wide swings in salinity and dryness in the floodplain soils. Above the flooplain is a unique community in which the dominant plants include Saxaul (Haloxylon), Eurotia, and Ephedra). Scientists in the park have recorded 32 species of mammals, 18 of reptiles, 4 of amphibians, 100 of birds, and over 1,000 plants, 50 of which are rare or endemic. Tourism. There are three tourist routes in the park: Charyn National Park Charyn