China is preparing to nominate four mountain lakes in the country's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for the World Heritage List, a Chinese researcher confirmed Tuesday.

The lakes would be entered as a single unit on the list.

It will be the Xinjiang region's first entry in the United Nations' list if the nomination is accepted, said Yang Zhaoping of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The lakes are: Kanas Lake in northern Xinjiang; Tianchi Lake to the southeast of Urumqi, the regional capital; and Sayram Lake and Karakuri at the foot of Muztagata, a peak of Mount Kunlun in southern Xinjiang.

"The combination is meant to showcase mixed natural scenery in an arid zone featuring glaciers, snow-capped mountains, rivers and lakes, forests, prairies and wetlands, against a backdrop of a unique nomadic lifestyle," said Yang.

"Xinjiang is China's largest region in terms of land mass, and abounds in natural resources.

"I hope the nomination will serve to promote Xinjiang to the world," said Yang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2009)