Altai Mountains, Russian Altay, Mongolian Altayn Nuruu, Chinese (Pinyin) Altai Shan, complex mountain system of Central Asia extending approximately 1,200 miles (2,000 km) in a southeast-northwest direction from the Gobi (Desert) to the West Siberian Plain, through China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The jagged mountain ridges derive their name from the Turkic-Mongolian altan, meaning “golden.” The system has three main subdivisions: the Altai proper (formerly called the Soviet Altai) and the Mongolian and Gobi Altai. A peak in the Altai proper, Belukha at an elevation of 14,783 feet (4,506 metres) is the range’s highest point. In the past these mountains were remote
A fire tore through an area near a UNESCO World Heritage Site where hundreds of the sacred stone figures known as moai are located. "The damage caused by the fire can't be undone," said the mayor of Easter Island.