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Chunja hot springs

Kazakhstan

Chunja hot springs (also known as Chunzha, Shonzy, Chundzha hot springs, Chungge, or Charyn-Chundzha hot springs) is a system of 140 thermal springs located at Uygur District, Almaty Region, Republic of Kazakhstan. The Chundzha (also spelled Chunja) is a village in Kazakhstan, the administrative center of the Uygur district of Almaty region. The distance to the regional center Taldıqorğan city is 346 km, to the Almaty city - 243 km. There are a natural monument of national significance- a relic grove of Sogdian ash and hot radon springs near Chunja village. N. Starikov founded the village as a Cossack settlement in 1867. The village intended to protect the caravan routes from Kuldja to the Almaty city (the old name Vernyy). Ashim Arziev is the name of the Central Street of the city. Village Chunja has a population of 17,263 according to the 2019 census. The water is high in radon; according to folklore, bathing in radioactive water can give some people a sense of healing similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).