Sayan Mountains

Sayan Mountains
View of Mönkh Saridag, highest peak in the Sayan Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Mönkh Saridag
Elevation	3,492 m (11,457 ft)
Coordinates	51°43′08″N 100°36′53″E / 51.71889°N 100.61472°E / 51.71889; 100.61472
Geography
Sayan Mountains Show map of Russia Sayan Mountains Show map of Mongolia
Parent range	South Siberian Mountains

The Sayan Mountains (Russian: Саяны Sajany; Mongolian: Соёны нуруу, Soyonï nurû; Old Turkic: 𐰚𐰇𐰏𐰢𐰤, romanized: Kögmen)^[1] are a mountain range in southern Siberia spanning southeastern Russia (Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva and Khakassia) and northern Mongolia. Before the rapid expansion of Tsardom of Russia, the mountain range served as the border between Mongolian and Russian cultures and cultural influences.^[2]

The Sayan Mountains' towering peaks and cool lakes southwest of Tuva give rise to the tributaries that merge to become one of Siberia's major rivers, the Yenisei River, which flows north over 3,400 kilometres (2000 mi) to the Arctic Ocean. This is a protected and isolated area, having been kept closed by the Soviet Union since 1944.^[3]