Geographical location. Mangystau region includes the territory of the Mangyshlak peninsula, the majority of the Usturt plateau, and the southern part of the Caspian depression - the Buzachi peninsula. That amounts to more than 16 million hectares of natural deserts and semi-deserts. There are several different landscape zones here: the shore of the Caspian Sea, with a large number of canyons and ravines, mountain massif of Karatau, chalky and limestone cliffs, sand dunes, the clay and salty surfaces of dry lake beds, and vast valleys. The most significant necropolises of Mangyshlak are Beket-Ata, Shopan-Ata, Shakpak-Ata, Seisem-Ata, Masat-Ata, Karaman-Ata, Koshkar-Ata, Sultan-Epe, Khanga-Baba, Ushtam, Akshora and others....