Large numbers of gulls and migratory birds live at Uvs lake in summer. This immense lake (80 km wide and km long) is located 28 kilometers north-east of Ulaangom. Although at a relatively low altitude, it is one of the coldest places in the whole country in winter. The basin of UvsNuur is characterized by remarkable ecological diversity – desert, marsh, dunes, semi-desert, steppe, taiga tundra, and glaciers – in a relatively compact zone. For this reason, it is now among the ten world sites chosen for an international research programme on biospheres.