ROOF OF THE WORLD: KYRGYZSTAN
Nestled at 10,500 feet beneath the mountainous Chinese border, Ak-Shyrak was first established as a geological survey station for Soviet mining interests.
In the upper reaches of the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, beyond fertile valleys dotted with apricot trees and ancient Silk Road settlements, the arid climate isn't particularly friendly.
"Tian" means celestial in Chinese, and the jagged peaks here are among the closest on Earth to the heavens: Jengish Chokusu, on the country's rugged, southeastern border with China, rises above 24,000 feet. The cold, thin air and treeless steppe seems more fit for snow leopards and Siberian ibex than for people, who for centuries have subsisted here by herding their horses and sheep across barren slopes in search of pasture. Even before the climate changed, it was never an easy place to live. (See original story for World Wildlife Fund.)
