Putorana Plateau World Heritage Site

Description

The Putorana Plateau (Russian: плато Путорана) or the Putorana Mountains is a high-lying basalt plateau, a mountainous area at the northwestern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau, to the south from Taymyr Peninsula. The highest mountain in the range is Mount Kamen which stands 1,700 m above sea level.

The plateau is composed of Siberian Traps. The nearest large settlement is the closed city of Norilsk. The area contains some of the largest known nickel deposits. The geographical center of Russia, Lake Vivi, is situated on Putorana Plateau.

The Putorana Nature Reserve (ru), established in 1988 and administered from Norilsk, covers some 1 773 300 ha. It was set up to protect the world's largest herd of reindeer as well as Bighorn Sheep.

In July 2010, the Putorana Reserve was inscribed on the World Heritage List as "a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as untouched cold-water lake and river systems".

Protection Fund.

Western Caucasus

Kazan Kremlin

Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent