MONGOLIA’S UVS NUUR BASIN, A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE FEATURED IN NASA “IMAGE OF THE DAY GALLERY”
(April 30, 2008 — New York, NY) … Mongolia's Uvs Nuur Strictly Protected Area, established in 1994 and one of Mongolia's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, incorporates the Uvs Nuur Lake Basin which was featured on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) web site "Image of the Day Gallery" on April 25, 2008. Uvs Nuur was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its remarkable ecological diversity "“ desert, marsh, dunes, semi-desert, steppe, taiga, tundra, and glaciers "“ in a relatively compact zone untouched by human activities. These ecosystems are the natural habitat of animals ranging from the endangered snow leopard and ibex to the white-tailed sea eagle.
Uvs Nuur at 743 meters above sea level is the lowest point in Western Mongolia. The lake's surface occupies 3,423 square kilometers, making it Mongolia's largest lake. Fed by 200 rivers and streams it is very shallow with an average depth of 12 meters. With no outlet, it is five times more saline than the ocean the Uvs Nuur Basin has an extreme climate with temperatures from "“72 F to 104 F.
Direct Link: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1070.html
For more information visit www.mnto.org
About Mongolia
· Independent, parliamentary republic located in Central Asia between China and Russia
· Home of the legendary Chinggis Khan, nomadic herders, the Gobi desert, and rich folk traditions
· Capital city, Ulaanbaatar, offers five-star accommodations and direct links to international hubs
· Travel highlights: horse trekking, visits with nomads, dinosaur fossils, archeological ruins, festivals, & temples
· Mongolia will enjoy ideal viewing of the August 2008 solar eclipse
About Mongolia National Tourism Organization (MNTO)
MNTO's mission is to globally enhance a unified branding and marketing of Mongolia, its people, and its products, as a unique tourist destination. Marketing itself as "Mongolia "“ The Heart of Asia and Home to Friendly Nomads", the MNTO US-representation will focus on building a tourism profile with the travel industry & travel consumer
