Pamir River
Encyclopedia
The Pamir is a river in Tajikistan
and Afghanistan
. It is a tributary of the Panj River
, and forms the northern boundary of Wakhan
.
The river has its sources in the Pamir Mountains
in Gorno-Badakhshan province in the far eastern part of Tajikistan. It flows between the Wakhan Range (south) and the Southern Alichur Range(north). It starts from the Lake Zorkul, at a height of 4130 meters, and then flows towards the west, and later southwest. Near the town of Langar
, at 2799 m, it joins the Wakhan River and forms the Panj River
. The Pamir forms the boundary between Tajikistan and Afghanistan along its entire length. Northwest of Langar is the 6726 metres (22,066.9 ft) high Karl Marx Peak
and Engles Peak(6507 meters). A road runs along the river on the Tajik side to Khargush where it turns north to join the Pamir Highway
. A road of lower quality continues east past Zorkul, almost to the Chinese border.
John Wood
was the first known European to try and find the source of the Oxus, or Pamir River. He made a pioneering journey in 1839 and reached Lake Zorkul.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. It is a tributary of the Panj River
Panj River
The Panj River , also known as Pyandzh River or Piandj River , is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 1,125 km long and forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border....
, and forms the northern boundary of Wakhan
Wakhan
Wakhan or "the Wakhan" is a very mountainous and rugged part of the Pamir and Karakoram regions of Afghanistan. Wakhan District is a district in Badakshan Province.-Geography:...
.
The river has its sources in 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...
in Gorno-Badakhshan province in the far eastern part of Tajikistan. It flows between the Wakhan Range (south) and the Southern Alichur Range(north). It starts from the Lake Zorkul, at a height of 4130 meters, and then flows towards the west, and later southwest. Near the town of Langar
Langar, Badakhshan
Langar is a village in the Wakhan District, Badakhshan Province in north-eastern Afghanistan. It lies on the Panj River, opposite the larger village of Langar in Tajikistan....
, at 2799 m, it joins the Wakhan River and forms the Panj River
Panj River
The Panj River , also known as Pyandzh River or Piandj River , is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 1,125 km long and forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border....
. The Pamir forms the boundary between Tajikistan and Afghanistan along its entire length. Northwest of Langar is the 6726 metres (22,066.9 ft) high Karl Marx Peak
Karl Marx Peak
Karl Marx Peak rises to in the Shakhdara Range in Pamir Mountains, in the south-west of Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province , near Panj River on the border with Afghanistan. The highest summit in the Shakhdara Range, it was discovered and named in 1937 by Soviet geologist and...
and Engles Peak(6507 meters). A road runs along the river on the Tajik side to Khargush where it turns north to join the Pamir Highway
Pamir Highway
The M41, known informally and more commonly as the Pamir Highway is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia...
. A road of lower quality continues east past Zorkul, almost to the Chinese border.
John Wood
John Wood (explorer)
John Wood was a Scottish naval officer, surveyor, cartographer and explorer, principally remembered for his exploration of central Asia....
was the first known European to try and find the source of the Oxus, or Pamir River. He made a pioneering journey in 1839 and reached Lake Zorkul.
