Kok Zhailau
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Kok Zhailau
Көк Жайлау | |
|---|---|
 Landscape of the plateau | |
  Kok Zhailau Location in Kazakhstan | |
| Coordinates: 43°8′34.231″N 77°0′14.364″E / 43.14284194°N 77.00399000°E | |
| Location | Kazakhstan |
| Part of | Trans-Ili Alatau, Tian Shan |
| Elevation | 1,450 m (4,760 ft) to 1,740 m (5,710 ft) |
Kok Zhailau (Kazakh: Көк Жайлау, romanized: Kök jailau, lit. 'Green Pasture', Russian: Кок Жайляу) is a plateau in the Trans-Ili Alatau. It is located at an altitude of 1,450 m (4,760 ft) to 1,740 m (5,710 ft) between the Small and Big Almaty gorges, 10 km from the city of Almaty (in Kazakhstan).[1][2]
The plateau is part of the Ile-Alatau National Park, a protected area. Almaty, ski resort Shymbulak, Medeu and Big Almaty peak can be seen from the plateau.[3][4]
There is a number of endangered species, insects and plants that inhabit the Kok-Zhailau plateau. These include 145 species of diurnal butterflies (Parnassius apollo, Tien-Shan apollo, Mountain Apollo, Karanasa dublitzkyi carnase, Karins dublitzkyi and others), 252 species of ground beetles, 110 species of bees, 97 species of burrowing wasps and 33 species of ants.
There are also 105 of birds in the area including the black stork, the eagle-dwarf, the golden eagle, the kumai, the shahin, the serpoklyuv, the eagle owl, the peregrine falcon and others.
Animals include the Tien Shan shrew, the red pika, the gray marmot, the Tien Shan mouse, the silver vole, the mountain goat, the roe deer, wild boar, foxes and squirrels.
Endangered animals include the Tien Shan brown bear, the stone marten, the Central Asian river otter, the manul, the Turkestan lynx, the Indian porcupine and the snow leopard.
The area includes tulips of Ostrovsky and Zinaida, Alatava saffron (Crocus alatavicus), as well as medicinal plants and spices (oregano, peppermint and others).
