Karakoram
Encyclopedia
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan
, India
and China
, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan
), Ladakh
(India
), and Xinjiang
region, (China
). It is one of the Greater Ranges
of Asia
, a part of the greater Himalaya
while north of the actual Himalaya Range
.
The Karakoram is home to the highest concentration of peaks over eight kilometres (five miles) in height to be found anywhere on earth, including K2
, the second highest peak of the world (8611 m (28,251 ft)). K2 is just 237 m (778 ft) lower than the 8848 m (29,029 ft) tall Mount Everest
.
The range is about 500 km (311 mi) in length, and is the most heavily glaciated
part of the world outside the polar regions. The Siachen Glacier
at 70 km and the Biafo Glacier
at 63 km rank as the world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau
, and on the north by the Pamir Mountains
. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed, west to east, by the Gilgit
, Indus
, and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the northwestern end of the Himalaya range proper as these rivers converge southwestward towards the plains of Pakistan
.
The Muztagh Pass was crossed in 1887 by the expedition of Colonel Francis Younghusband
and the valleys above the Hunza River
were explored by General Sir George K. Cockerill
in 1892. Explorations in the 1910s and 1920s established most of the geography of the region.
term meaning black gravel. The name was first applied by local traders to the Karakoram Pass
. Early European travellers, including William Moorcroft
and George Hayward
, started using the term for the range of mountains west of the pass, although they also used the term Muztagh for the range now known as Karakoram. Later terminology was influenced by the Survey of India, whose surveyor Thomas Montgomerie in the 1850s gave the labels K1 to K6 (K for Karakoram) to six high mountains visible from his station at Mount Haramukh in Kashmir
.
The name Karakoram was used in the early 20th century, for example by Kenneth Mason, for the range now known as the Baltoro Muztagh
. The term is now used to refer to the entire range from the Batura Muztagh
above Hunza
in the west to the Saser Muztagh
in the bend of the Shyok River
in the east.
s. Therefore, they are important in the study of plate tectonics
.
A significant part, 28-50% of the Karakoram Range is glaciated, compared to the Himalaya (8-12%) and European Alps (2.2%). Mountain glacier
s may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. A study by the Universities of California and Potsdam found that the Karakoram glaciers are mostly stagnating, because, unlike in the Himalayas, many Karakoram glaciers are covered in a layer of rubble which has insulated the ice from the warmth of the sun. Where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high.
The notable peaks of the Karakoram are:
The majority of the highest peaks are in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6100 metres (20,013.1 ft) height from sea level.
The naming and division of the various subranges of the Karakoram is not universally agreed upon. However, the following is a list of the most important subranges, following Jerzy Wala. The ranges are listed roughly west to east.
The Khunjerab Pass is the only motorable pass across the range. The Shimshal Pass (which does not cross an international border) is the only other pass still in regular use.
Rudyard Kipling
refers to the Karakorum mountain range in his novel Kim
, which was first published in 1900.
Marcel Ichac
made a film titled Karakoram, chronicling a French expedition to the range in 1936. The film won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival
of 1937.
Greg Mortenson
details the Karakoram, and specifically K2 and the Balti
, extensively in his book Three Cups of Tea
, about his quest to build schools for girls in the region.
In the Gatchaman TV series, the Karakoram range houses Galactor's headquarters.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
), Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
(India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), and Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
region, (China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
). It is one of the Greater Ranges
Greater Ranges
The Greater Ranges comprise the high mountain ranges of Asia:*the Himalayas,*the Karakoram,*the Hindu Kush and Hindu Raj,*the Pamir Mountains,*the Tien Shan,*the Kunlun Shan,...
of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, a part of the greater Himalaya
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
while north of the actual Himalaya Range
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
.
The Karakoram is home to the highest concentration of peaks over eight kilometres (five miles) in height to be found anywhere on earth, including K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, the second highest peak of the world (8611 m (28,251 ft)). K2 is just 237 m (778 ft) lower than the 8848 m (29,029 ft) tall Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
.
The range is about 500 km (311 mi) in length, and is the most heavily glaciated
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
part of the world outside the polar regions. The Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
at 70 km and the Biafo Glacier
Biafo Glacier
The Biafo Glacier is a long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains of the Northern Areas, Pakistan which meets the long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of at Hispar La to create the world's longest glacial system outside the polar regions. This highway of ice connects two ancient mountain kingdoms,...
at 63 km rank as the world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
, and on the north by the Pamir Mountains
Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable...
. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed, west to east, by the Gilgit
Gilgit River
Gilgit River is a tributary of the Indus River, and flows past the town of Gilgit. It is located in the Northern Areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The Gilgit starts from Shandur lake. The Gilgit River is also referred to as the Ghizar River....
, Indus
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
, and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the northwestern end of the Himalaya range proper as these rivers converge southwestward towards the plains of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Exploration
Due to its altitude and ruggedness, the Karakoram is much less inhabited than parts of the Himalayas further east. European explorers first visited early in the 19th century, followed by British surveyors starting in 1856.The Muztagh Pass was crossed in 1887 by the expedition of Colonel Francis Younghusband
Francis Younghusband
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer...
and the valleys above the Hunza River
Hunza River
Hunza River is the principal river of Hunza, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is formed by the confluence of the Kilik and Khunjerab nalas which are fed by glaciers. It is joined by the Gilgit River and the Naltar River before it flows into the Indus River.The river cuts through the...
were explored by General Sir George K. Cockerill
George K. Cockerill
Brigadier General Sir George Kynaston Cockerill CB was a British Army officer and a Conservative Party politician....
in 1892. Explorations in the 1910s and 1920s established most of the geography of the region.
Name
Karakoram is a KyrgyzKyrgyz language
Kyrgyz or Kirgiz, also Kirghiz, Kyrghiz, Qyrghiz is a Turkic language and, together with Russian, an official language of Kyrgyzstan...
term meaning black gravel. The name was first applied by local traders to the Karakoram Pass
Karakoram Pass
The Karakoram Pass is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
. Early European travellers, including William Moorcroft
William Moorcroft (explorer)
William Moorcroft , English explorer, was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, the illegitimate son of Ann Moorcroft, daughter of a local farmer...
and George Hayward
George W. Hayward
George Jonas Whitaker Hayward was a little known 19th century British explorer. Information for all but the final few years of his life is scarce...
, started using the term for the range of mountains west of the pass, although they also used the term Muztagh for the range now known as Karakoram. Later terminology was influenced by the Survey of India, whose surveyor Thomas Montgomerie in the 1850s gave the labels K1 to K6 (K for Karakoram) to six high mountains visible from his station at Mount Haramukh in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
.
The name Karakoram was used in the early 20th century, for example by Kenneth Mason, for the range now known as the Baltoro Muztagh
Baltoro Muztagh
The Baltoro Muztagh is a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Baltistan region of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan; and in Xinjiang, China. The crest of the range forms part of the Pakistan-China border....
. The term is now used to refer to the entire range from the Batura Muztagh
Batura Muztagh
The Batura Muztagh mountains are a sub-range of the Karakoram mountain range. They are located west of the Hunza Valley in the Gilgit District of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan....
above Hunza
Hunza
Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former State of Hunza*Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
in the west to the Saser Muztagh
Saser Muztagh
The Saser Muztagh is the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range, in the Kashmir region of India. It is bounded on the south, east and northeast by the Shyok River, which bends sharply around the southeast corner of the range...
in the bend of the Shyok River
Shyok River
The Shyok River flows through northern Ladakh in India and the Northern Areas of Pakistan , spanning some .The Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus River, originates from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. The river widens at the confluence with the Nubra River...
in the east.
Geological importance
The Karakoram and the Himalaya are important to Earth scientists for several reasons. They are one of the world's most geologically active areas, at the boundary between two colliding continentContinent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s. Therefore, they are important in the study of plate tectonics
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
.
A significant part, 28-50% of the Karakoram Range is glaciated, compared to the Himalaya (8-12%) and European Alps (2.2%). Mountain glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. A study by the Universities of California and Potsdam found that the Karakoram glaciers are mostly stagnating, because, unlike in the Himalayas, many Karakoram glaciers are covered in a layer of rubble which has insulated the ice from the warmth of the sun. Where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high.
Highest peaks
- K2K2K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
(8,611 m) - Gasherbrum IGasherbrum IGasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
(8,068 m) - Broad PeakBroad PeakBroad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :...
(Phalchen Kangri) (8,047 m) - Gasherbrum IIGasherbrum IIGasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...
(8,035 m) - Gasherbrum IIIGasherbrum IIIGasherbrum III is a summit in the Gasherbrum massif of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram on the border between Northern Areas of Pakistan and Xinjiang, China, in the region of Baltistan...
(7,952 m) - Gasherbrum IVGasherbrum IVGasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three...
(7,925 m) - Distaghil SarDistaghil SarDisteghil Sar or Distaghil Sar is the highest mountain in the Hispar Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Gilgit-Baltistan. It is the 19th highest mountain on earth and the 7th highest peak in Pakistan...
(7,885 m) - Kunyang Chhish (7,852 m)
- Masherbrum I (7,821 m)
- Batura I (7,795 m)
- RakaposhiRakaposhiRakaposhi , is a mountain in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. It is situated in the Nagar Valley approximately 100 km north of the city of Gilgit in the Gilgit District of the Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan. Rakaposhi means "Snow Covered" in the local language. Rakaposhi is...
(7,788 m) - Batura II (7,762 m)
- Kanjut SarKanjut SarKanjut Sar is a mountain located in the Hispar Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range. It lies within the Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan...
(7,760 m) - Saltoro KangriSaltoro KangriSaltoro Kangri is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains, better known as the Saltoro Range, which is a minor range of the Karakoram. It is one of the highest mountains on Earth, but it is in a very remote location deep in the Karakoram....
(7,742 m) - Batura III (7,729 m)
- Saser KangriSaser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of five named peaks:...
(7,672 m) - ChogolisaChogolisaChogolisa is a mountain in the Karakoram region of Pakistan. It lies near the Baltoro Glacier in the Concordia region which is home to some of the highest peaks of the world. Chogolisa has several peaks, the highest on the SW face rises to...
(7,665 m) - Haramosh PeakHaramosh PeakHaramosh Peak is a mountain located in the Karakoram range of the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Its height is also often given as 7,409m.-Location:...
(7,397 m) - Momhil SarMomhil SarMomhil Sar, at above sea level, is the 64th highest mountain peak in the world. It is situated in the Hispar Muztagh subrange of the Karakoram range, a few kilometres to the north-west of its parent peak Trivor....
(7,343 m) - Baintha Brakk (7,285 m)
- Muztagh TowerMuztagh TowerMuztagh Tower , is a mountain in the Baltoro Muztagh, part of the Karakoram range on the border of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Uygur region of China...
(7,273 m)
The majority of the highest peaks are in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6100 metres (20,013.1 ft) height from sea level.
K-names
- K1E: Masherbrum EastMasherbrumMasherbrum is located in the Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan. At it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan. It was the first scaled and mapped peak in the Karakoram mountain range, hence its name....
- K1W: Masherbrum WestMasherbrumMasherbrum is located in the Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan. At it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan. It was the first scaled and mapped peak in the Karakoram mountain range, hence its name....
- K2K2K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
- K3: Gasherbrum IVGasherbrum IVGasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three...
- K3a: Gasherbrum IIIGasherbrum IIIGasherbrum III is a summit in the Gasherbrum massif of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram on the border between Northern Areas of Pakistan and Xinjiang, China, in the region of Baltistan...
- K4: Gasherbrum IIGasherbrum IIGasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...
- K5: Gasherbrum IGasherbrum IGasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
- K6K6 (Mountain)K6, or Baltistan Peak, is a notable peak of the Masherbrum Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range. Despite being much lower than its sister mountains, the Eight-thousanders and high 7000m peaks such as Masherbrum, it has huge, steep faces, and great relief above the nearby valleys,...
: Chogolisa I - K7: 6,934 m peak near Charakusa Valley
- K9: approx. 7,000 m peak near Trango TowersTrango TowersThe Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of the Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan . They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and...
- K10: Saltoro KangriSaltoro KangriSaltoro Kangri is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains, better known as the Saltoro Range, which is a minor range of the Karakoram. It is one of the highest mountains on Earth, but it is in a very remote location deep in the Karakoram....
- K11: Saltoro Kangri II
- K12K12K12 is the second highest peak in the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Siachen region of Pakistan, near the indian-occupied part of kashmir. It lies near the Line of Control...
: subsidiary peak of Saltoro KangriSaltoro KangriSaltoro Kangri is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains, better known as the Saltoro Range, which is a minor range of the Karakoram. It is one of the highest mountains on Earth, but it is in a very remote location deep in the Karakoram.... - K22: Saser KangriSaser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of five named peaks:...
Subranges
- Batura MuztaghBatura MuztaghThe Batura Muztagh mountains are a sub-range of the Karakoram mountain range. They are located west of the Hunza Valley in the Gilgit District of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan....
- Rakaposhi-Haramosh MountainsRakaposhi-Haramosh MountainsThe Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram range. They are located in the Gilgit District, in the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan...
- Spantik-Sosbun MountainsSpantik-Sosbun MountainsThe Spantik-Sosbun Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The highest peak is Spantik, 7,027 m .The other namesake peak is Sosbun Brakk, 6,413 m ....
- Hispar MuztaghHispar MuztaghHispar Muztagh is a sub-range of the Karakoram mountain range. It is located in the Gojal region of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, north of Hispar Glacier, south of Shimshal Valley, and east of the Hunza Valley. It is the second highest sub-range of the Karakoram, the highest being the Baltoro...
- South Ghujerab MountainsSouth Ghujerab MountainsThe South Ghujerab Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The highest peak in the range is Karun Koh, 7,164 m . This is the only 7,000 metre peak in the range On the south, the range is separated from the Hispar Muztagh by the valley of the Shimshal River...
- Panmah MuztaghPanmah MuztaghThe Panmah Muztagh is a subrange of the Karakoram range, in Baltistan, a district of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Its highest peaks are not particularly high by Karakoram standards, but they are exceedingly steep rock spires, unlike many of the peaks in the surrounding subranges...
- Wesm Mountains
- Masherbrum MountainsMasherbrum MountainsThe Masherbrum Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Baltistan region of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan.-Geography:The Masherbrum Mountains are located on the south side of the Baltoro Glacier...
- Baltoro MuztaghBaltoro MuztaghThe Baltoro Muztagh is a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Baltistan region of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan; and in Xinjiang, China. The crest of the range forms part of the Pakistan-China border....
- Saltoro MountainsSaltoro MountainsThe Saltoro Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram Range. They are located in the heart of the Karakoram, on the southwest side of the Siachen Glacier, one of the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions.They are claimed as part of Jammu and Kashmir by India and as part of Gilgit-Baltistan...
- Siachen MuztaghSiachen MuztaghThe Siachen Muztagh is a remote subrange of the eastern Karakoram Range. Close to 60% is in area controlled by China, 40% in area controlled by India. Pakistan claims the Indian-controlled portion as part of the Siachen Conflict. India claims the Chinese-controlled portion. India administers its...
- Rimo MuztaghRimo MuztaghThe Rimo Muztagh is one of the most remote subranges of the Karakoram range. The southern part of Rimo Muztagh is in the Kashmir portion of far northwestern India, also claimed by Pakistan. The northern half, including the Rimo massif, is in the Siachen area The Rimo Muztagh is one of the most...
- Saser MuztaghSaser MuztaghThe Saser Muztagh is the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range, in the Kashmir region of India. It is bounded on the south, east and northeast by the Shyok River, which bends sharply around the southeast corner of the range...
Passes
From west to east- Kilik PassKilik PassThe Kilik Pass , to the west of Mintaka Pass is a high mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains between Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Xinjiang in the People's Republic of China. The two passes were, in ancient times, the two main access points into the Upper Hunza Valley from the north...
- Mintaka PassMintaka PassThe Mintaka Pass or Mingteke Pass is a mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains, between Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. In ancient times, the Mintaka Pass and the nearby Kilik Pass , to the west, were the two main access points into the Upper Hunza Valley from the north...
- Khunjerab PassKhunjerab PassKhunjerab Pass is a high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region within the disputed region of Kashmir and on the southwest border of the Xinjiang region of China...
(the highest paved international border crossing at 4693 m (15,397 ft)) - ShimshalShimshalShimshal شمشال is a beautiful village located in Gojal, Hunza-Nagar District, in the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan formerly known as Northern Areas of Pakistan. It lies at an altitude of 3,200 m above sea level, and is the highest settlement in Hunza Valley of Pakistan...
Pass - Mustagh PassMustagh PassThe Mustagh Pass or Muztagh Pass is a pass across the Baltoro Muztagh range in the Karakorams which includes K2, the world's second highest mountain. The crest of the Baltoro Muztagh marks the present border between Pakistani and Chinese territory....
- Karakoram PassKarakoram PassThe Karakoram Pass is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
- Sasser PassSasser PassSaser Pass, Saser La, or Sasser Pass is a high mountain pass in Ladakh and India on the ancient summer caravan route from Leh in Ladakh to Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
The Khunjerab Pass is the only motorable pass across the range. The Shimshal Pass (which does not cross an international border) is the only other pass still in regular use.
Cultural references
The Karakoram mountain range has been referred to in a number of novels and movies.Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
refers to the Karakorum mountain range in his novel Kim
Kim (novel)
Kim is a picaresque novel by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published serially in McClure's Magazine from December 1900 to October 1901 as well as in Cassell's Magazine from January to November 1901, and first published in book form by Macmillan & Co. Ltd in October 1901...
, which was first published in 1900.
Marcel Ichac
Marcel Ichac
Marcel Ichac was a French alpinist, explorer, photographer and film director. Born in Rueil, France, Ichac was one of the first people to introduce electronic music in cinema with Ondes Martenot for Karakoram and released the first French movie in CinemaScope, Nouveaux Horizons .- Filmography...
made a film titled Karakoram, chronicling a French expedition to the range in 1936. The film won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
of 1937.
Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson, SPk is an American humanitarian, professional speaker, writer, and former mountaineer. He is the co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Central Asia Institute as well as the founder of the educational charity Pennies for Peace...
details the Karakoram, and specifically K2 and the Balti
Balti people
The Balti are an ethnic group of Tibetan descent with some Dardic admixture located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Ladakh, a region in Jammu & Kashmir, India; as well as scattered in Pakistan's major urban centres of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The Balti language belongs to the...
, extensively in his book Three Cups of Tea
Three Cups of Tea
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time is a book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin published by Penguin in 2006. For four years, the book remained on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller's list...
, about his quest to build schools for girls in the region.
In the Gatchaman TV series, the Karakoram range houses Galactor's headquarters.
See also
- Karakoram HighwayKarakoram HighwayThe Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
- List of mountain ranges of the world
- List of highest mountains (a list of mountains above 7200 m (23,622 ft))
- Mount ImeonMount ImeonMount Imeon is an ancient name for the Central Asian complex of mountain ranges comprising the present Hindu Kush, Pamir and Tian Shan, extending from the Zagros Mountains in the southwest to the Altay Mountains in the northeast, and linked to the Kunlun, Karakoram and Himalayas to the southeast...
External links
- Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir Website
- Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma
- Great Karakorams
- Karakorams.com : Travel and Trekking in the karakorams