Relief of Central Asia and climate factors

The relief of Central Asia has two parts: plains in the central, western and northern parts, and mountains in the east and south. Most of the plain is taken by the Turan Plain, which holds the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts. In the deserts weathering and wind shape the relief, so barkhans, sand hills and sand ridges are common. In the west the Ustyurt Plateau lies between the Aral and Caspian seas, surrounded by steep cliffs called chinks. The plains at the foot of mountains and between mountains — the Fergana Valley, Mirzachul, and the Zarafshan, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya valleys — formed from deposits carried by rivers and are the most fertile oases. In the east rise the Tien Shan (highest peak Pobeda Peak, 7439 m) and in the south the Pamir (Ismoil Somoni Peak, 7495 m); the Fedchenko Glacier in the Pamir is the longest glacier of the region.