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Near the Kazakh-Chinese border, Charyn Canyon's formation is along the banks of the fast flowing Charyn River in a northern flow stretch of about 80 kilometres; the river has a total length of 393 kilometres.
The river rises from the Tian Shan Mountains (meaning: "Heavenly Mountains") that is spread over the arid semi-desert to the east of Almaty (Alma-Ata). In parts, it attains a depth of 150 to 300 metres (490 to 980 ft).
This large semi-desert, steppe region has cold Winters (can reach -25 C) and dry, hot Summers (can reach +50 C on occasion).
The extreme climate and arid terrain allow low grasses and shrubs to grow. Trees only occur near water sources.