The Sayan Mountains ( Sajany;, Soyonï nurû; ) are a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia (Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva Republic and Khakassia) and northern Mongolia. In the past, it served as the border between Mongolia and Russia. The Sayan Mountains' towering peaks and cool lakes southwest of Tuva give rise to the tributaries that merge to become one of Siberia's major rivers, the Yenisei River, which flows north over 3,400 kilometres (2000 mi) to the Arctic Ocean. This is a protected and isolated area, having been kept closed by the Soviet Union since 1944. Geography Western Sayan At 92°E the Western Sayan system is pierced by the Ulug-Khem () or Upper Yenisei River, and at 106°, at its eastern extremity, it terminates above the depression of the Selenga-Orkhon Valley. It stretches almost at a right angle to the Western Sayan for in a roughly northeast/so
Las montañas Sayan ( Sajany; Soyonï nurû; ) son una franja montañosa en el sur de Siberia, Rusia (Buryatia, Oblast Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, República de Tuva y Khakassia) y el norte de Mongolia. En el pasado, sirvió como la frontera entre Mongolia y Rusia. Los picos torrenciales de las montañas Sayan y los lagos fríos al suroeste de Tuva dan lugar a los tributarios que se fusionan para convertirse en uno de los principales ríos de Siberia, el río Yenisei, que fluye al norte por más de 3.400 kilómetros (2000 millas) al Océano Ártico. Esta es una zona protegida y aislada, habiendo sido mantenida cerrada por la Unión Soviética desde 1944.