Ustyurt Plateau, Kazakhstan
Ustyurt is a plateau in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, located between the Mangyshlak and the Gulf of Kara-Bogaz-Gol in the west, the Aral Sea and Amu Darya delta in the east. The Ustyurt Plateau is a clay and stony desert with the total area of about 200 000 km². Also, there are areas of sandy desert.
Very often Ustyurt is called the boundary separating Europe from Asia. The Ustyurt Plateau occupies a huge area between the Aral and Caspian Seas, and has a characteristic feature: the escarpment, a steep inaccessible slope with the height of about 150 m. According to scientists, Ustyurt is the bottom of a dried-up sea, which existed here in the early and middle Cenozoic Era.
Epic Kazakhstan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound