Altai, the Ghin-shan or Golden Mountains of the Chinese, is the name given to a wild mountainous region which covers the southern parts of Tomsk, in Siberia, and partly extends into Mongolia. It comprises the mountainous border-region of the great plateau of Central Asia, between the Tian-shan and the Sajan Mountains, and consists of two separate parts - the Altai proper, belonging to the Russian empire; and the Great Altai, in Mongolia. The highest summit, Byelukla, reaches the height of 11,000 feet. The valleys on its outskirts are being rapidly colonised by Russian agriculturists (over 600,000), who find an easy living in the fertile soil and the rich sub-alpine meadows. The gold-washings of the Altai, and its silver, lead, copper, iron, and coal mines, are another source of wealth. Nearly 45,000 Kalmucks, Teleutes, and Kumandintses represent the small remainder of the formerly much denser and more highly civilised population, all of the Ural-Altaic stock. The town of Barnaul (17,180 inhabitants) is the chief centre of administration.