a desert plateau in Middle Asia, situated mainly on the Krasnovodsk Peninsula, on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, between the Kara-Bogaz-Gol and Krasnovodsk gulfs, in Turkmen SSR. It has elevations up to 306 m (in the south) and is primarily composed of limestone and marl with gypsum. Flat highlands alternate with broad low-lands; outliers are also typical (with relative heights up to 40 m). In the south the plateau ends in a sharp ledge (Kiurianynkiure) and is complicated by the Kuvadag elevation. An argillaceous and stony desert predominates. The vegetation, with a predominance of wormwoods and halophytes, is used as pasture. In the northern part is a sandy area with various types of shrubs, including Salsola Richteri and Haboxylon aphyllum. In the northeast are salt depressions.