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What geographic features make up the Kazakh Uplands?
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The Kazakh Uplands, also known as Saryarqa, are a hilly peneplain in central and eastern Kazakhstan characterized by the following geographic features:
- Undulating Terrain: The region is primarily an undulating plain, the result of a Paleozoic foundation worn down over millions of years.1
- Low Hills and Depressions: Low hills are common throughout the area, interspersed with extensive depressions that contain saline lakes, such as Lake Tengiz.12
- Mountain Massifs: Isolated mountain massifs rise above the plain due to more recent tectonic activity. Notable examples include the Ulutau Mountains in the west, the centrally located Karkaraly Mountains, and the Chingiz-Tau Range in the east.12
- Vegetation: The landscape is covered by sun-scorched steppe vegetation, primarily fescue and feather-grass, with pine forests found on some mountain slopes.1