Traditionally Chukchi people lived only in few intermontane areas, such as the Amguema valley that cuts across the vast mountain zone.

They rise west and east of the isthmus area of the Chukchi Peninsula, in the central Chukotka region, bounded by the Anadyr Highlands in the southwest.

The ranges of the northern area consist of sandstone and shale with granite intrusions, while those of the southern part are made up of volcanic rocks.

The largest lakes in the mountain area are Ekityki, Ervynaygytgyn, Yanranaygytgyn, Ioni, Pychgynmygytgyn, Medvezhye, Achchyon and Koolen.

[9] The lower slopes of the mountains have tundra vegetation, often marshy in the intermontane basins, while the higher altitudes are Arctic desert.