High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Ryn Desert or Ryn-Peski Desert (Russian: - ; Kazakh: - ), is a desert in western Kazakhstan and southeastern Russian republic of Kalmykia, north of the Caspian Sea and southeast of the Volga Upland. The borders of the desert are very loosely defined. Some maps show the desert almost entirely within the Caspian Depression, stretching almost to the coast of the Caspian Sea, while others show it north of the depression. It lies west of the Ural River between 46° and 49° North latitude, and 47° to 52° East longitude. Temperatures can reach extreme highs of 45°C to 48°C during summer and in winter it can drop to a low of -28°C to -36°C . Many small towns are scattered throughout the Ryn Desert, and population density is between 1 and 15 people per square mile. The Ryn lies in a semi-arid climate zone, and receives very little rainfall.