Kokshaltau

(or Kokshaal-Tau), a mountain range in the southern Tien-Shan, on the border of the USSR (Kirghiz SSR) and China. Length, about 400 km; elevation, 4,000–6,000 m; maximum elevation, 7,439 m (Pobeda Peak).

In the north the range rises 1,000–1,500 m above the elevated watersheds. The slopes facing the Tarim Basin are bordered with a wide band of foothills. The middle and eastern parts of the crest of the Kokshaltau have much glaciation (total area, 983 sq km). The range is composed of clay shales, sandstones, limestones, and broken granites. The Sarydzhaz, Kokshal, and Uzengegush rivers cross the range in narrow gorges. The southern slope is covered with steppe vegetation; in the crest area there is rocky mountain tundra and the sparse vegetation that is usually found among rocks and talus. The northern slopes are covered with alpine meadows and meadow steppes.