Karakoram

This article is about the mountain range. For the ancient city in Mongolia, see Karakorum. For the highway, see Karakoram Highway.

Not to be confused with Karakum.

Karakoram
Baltoro glacier in the central Karakoram with 8000ers, Gasherbrum I & II
Highest point
Peak	K2, Pakistan and China
Elevation	8,611 m (28,251 ft)
Coordinates	35°52′57″N 76°30′48″E / 35.88250°N 76.51333°E / 35.88250; 76.51333
Naming
Native name	سلسلہ کوہ قراقرم  (Urdu) 喀喇崑崙山脈  (Chinese) काराकोरम पर्वतशृंखला  (Hindi)
Geography
Karakoram and other ranges of Central Asia
Countries	List Afghanistan China India Pakistan Tajikistan
States/Provinces	Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh, Xinjiang and Badakhshan
Range coordinates	36°N 76°E / 36°N 76°E / 36; 76Coordinates: 36°N 76°E / 36°N 76°E / 36; 76
Borders on	List Pamir Mountains Hindu Kush Kunlun mountains Himalayas Ladakh Range

The Karakoram or Karakorum is a large mountain range spanning the borders of Pakistan, India, and China, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It begins in the Wakhan Corridor (Afghanistan) in the west and encompasses the majority of Gilgit–Baltistan (Pakistan) and extends into Ladakh (India), and the disputed Aksai Chin region controlled by China. It is the second highest mountain range in the world, and part of the complex of ranges including the Pamir Mountains, the Hindu Kush and the Himalayan Mountains.^[1][2]. The Karakoram has eight summits over 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height, with four of them exceeding 8,000 m (26,000 ft):^[3]K2, the second highest peak in the world at 8,611 m (28,251 ft), Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II.

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 76 kilometres (47 mi) and the Biafo Glacier at 63 kilometres (39 mi) rank as the world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions.^[4]

The Karakoram is bounded on the east by the Aksai Chin plateau, on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the river valleys of the Yarkand and Karakash rivers beyond which lie the Kunlun Mountains. At the northwest corner are 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. These rivers flow northwest before making an abrupt turn southwestward towards the plains of Pakistan. Roughly in the middle of the Karakoram range is the Karakoram Pass, which was part of a historic trade route between Ladakh and Yarkand but now inactive.

The Tashkurghan National Nature Reserve and the Pamir Wetlands National Nature Reserve in the Karalorun and Pamir mountains have been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO in 2010 by the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO and has tentatively been added to the list.^[5]

Contents

• 
  1 Name
  


• 
  2 Exploration
  


• 
  3 Geology and glaciers
  
  
  
  • 
    3.1 The Karakoram during the Ice Age
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  4 Highest peaks
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 K-numbers
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Subranges
  


• 
  6 Passes
  


• 
  7 Cultural references
  


• 
  8 See also
  


• 
  9 Notes
  


• 
  10 References
  


• 
  11 External links
  

Name

"Karakoram" is a Turkic word referencing the mountains' black gravel, as seen near Pakistan's Biafo Glacier.

Karakoram is a Turkic term meaning black gravel. The Central Asian traders originally applied the name to the Karakoram Pass.^[6] 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 (meaning, "Ice Mountain") for the range now known as Karakoram.^[6][7] 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.

In ancient Sanskrit texts (Puranas), the name Krishnagiri (black mountains) was used to describe the range.^[8][9]

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^[10] 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.

The name Karakoram was used in the early 20th century, for example by Kenneth Mason,^[6] 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.

Hunza Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan

Floral surveys were carried out in the Shyok River catchment and from Panamik to Turtuk village by Chandra Prakash Kala during 1999 and 2000.^[11][12]

Geology and glaciers

The Karakoram is in one of the world's most geologically active areas, at the plate boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate.^[13]
A significant part, 28-50% of the Karakoram Range is glaciated, compared to the Himalaya (8-12%) and Alps (2.2%).^[14] Mountain glaciers may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. The Karakoram glaciers are slightly retreating,^[15][16][17] unlike the Himalayas where glaciers are losing mass at significantly higher rate, many Karakoram glaciers are covered in a layer of rubble which insulates the ice from the warmth of the sun. Where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high.^[18]

The Karakoram during the Ice Age

In the last ice age, a connected series of glaciers stretched from western Tibet to Nanga Parbat, and from the Tarim basin to the Gilgit District.^[19][20][21] To the south, the Indus glacier was the main valley glacier, which flowed 120 kilometres (75 mi) down from Nanga Parbat massif to 870 metres (2,850 ft) elevation.^[19][22] In the north, the Karakoram glaciers joined those from the Kunlun Mountains and flowed down to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in the Tarim basin.^[21][23]

While the current valley glaciers in the Karakoram reach a maximum length of 76 kilometres (47 mi), several of the ice-age valley glacier branches and main valley glaciers, had lengths up to 700 kilometres (430 mi). During the Ice Age, the glacier snowline was about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) lower than today.^[21][22]

Highest peaks

K2

Highest Karakoram peaks in the Baltoro region as seen from International Space Station

The highest peaks of the Karakoram are:

• 
  K2: 8,611 metres (28,251 ft)


• 
  Gasherbrum I: 8,080 metres (26,510 ft)


• 
  Broad Peak: 8,051 metres (26,414 ft)


• 
  Gasherbrum II: 8,035 metres (26,362 ft)


• 
  Gasherbrum III: 7,952 metres (26,089 ft)


• 
  Gasherbrum IV: 7,925 metres (26,001 ft)


• 
  Distaghil Sar: 7,885 metres (25,869 ft)


• 
  Kunyang Chhish: 7,852 metres (25,761 ft)


• 
  Masherbrum I: 7,821 metres (25,659 ft)


• 
  Batura I: 7,795 metres (25,574 ft)


• 
  Rakaposhi: 7,788 metres (25,551 ft)


• 
  Batura II: 7,762 metres (25,466 ft)


• 
  Kanjut Sar: 7,760 metres (25,460 ft)


• 
  Saltoro Kangri: 7,742 metres (25,400 ft)


• 
  Batura III: 7,729 metres (25,358 ft)


• 
  Saser Kangri: 7,672 metres (25,171 ft)


• 
  Chogolisa: 7,665 metres (25,148 ft)


• 
  Passu Sar: 7,478 metres (24,534 ft)


• 
  Malubiting: 7,458 metres (24,469 ft)


• 
  Sia Kangri: 7,442 metres (24,416 ft)


• 
  K12: 7,428 metres (24,370 ft)


• 
  Skil Brum: 7,410 metres (24,310 ft)


• 
  Haramosh Peak: 7,397 metres (24,268 ft)


• 
  Ultar Peak: 7,388 metres (24,239 ft)


• 
  Momhil Sar: 7,343 metres (24,091 ft)


• 
  Baintha Brakk: 7,285 metres (23,901 ft)


• 
  Baltistan Peak: 7,282 metres (23,891 ft)


• 
  Muztagh Tower: 7,273 metres (23,862 ft)


• 
  Diran: 7,266 metres (23,839 ft)


• 
  Gasherbrum V: 7,147 metres (23,448 ft)

The majority of the highest peaks are in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6,100 metres (20,000 ft) height from sea level.

K-numbers

View from the top of K2

• K1: Masherbrum
  


• K2: an unnamed 8,611m peak at the head of the Godwin-Austen Glacier
  


• K3: Gasherbrum IV
  


• K3a: Gasherbrum III
  


• K4: Gasherbrum II
  


• K5: Gasherbrum I
  


• K6: Baltistan Peak
  


• K7: an unnamed 6,934m peak at the head of the Charakusa Valley
  


• K8: an unnamed 7,422m peak on the western flank of the Siachen Glacier
  


• K9: an unnamed 7,000m (approx) peak near Trango Towers
  


• K10: Saltoro Kangri I
  


• K11: Saltoro Kangri II
  


• K12: an unnamed 7,428m subsidiary peak of Saltoro Kangri
  


• K13: Dansam 6,666m peak south west of Saltoro Kangri
  


• K22: Saser Kangri I
  


• K25: Pastan Kangri 6,523m peak south of the Saltoro group
  


• K35: Mamostong Kangri
  

Subranges

View of the moon over Karakoram Range in Pakistan

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.^[24] The ranges are listed roughly west to east.

• Batura Muztagh


• Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains


• Spantik-Sosbun Mountains


• Hispar Muztagh


• South Ghujerab Mountains


• Panmah Muztagh


• Wesm Mountains


• Masherbrum Mountains


• Baltoro Muztagh


• Saltoro Mountains


• Siachen Muztagh


• Rimo Muztagh


• Saser Muztagh

Passes

Chinese and Pakistani border guards at Khunjerab Pass

From west to east

• Kilik Pass


• Mintaka Pass


• 
  Khunjerab Pass (the highest paved international border crossing at 4,693 m (15,397 ft))


• 
  Shimshal Pass


• Mustagh Pass


• Karakoram Pass


• Sasser Pass

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 refers to the Karakoram 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 children in the region. In the Gatchaman TV series, the Karakoram range houses Galactor's headquarters. K2 Kahani (The K2 Story) by Mustansar Hussain Tarar describes his experiences at K2 base camp.^[25]

See also

• Karakoram Highway


• 
  List of mountain ranges of the world


• 
  List of highest mountains (a list of mountains above 7,200 m (23,600 ft))


• Mount Imeon

Notes

1. 
   ^ Bessarabov, Georgy Dmitriyevich (7 February 2014). "Karakoram Range". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 May 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ "Hindu Kush Himalayan Region". ICIMOD. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
   


3. 
   ^ Shukurov, The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia 2005, p. 512; Voiland, Adam (2013). "The Eight-Thousanders". Nasa Earth Observatory. Retrieved 23 December 2016.; BBC, Planet Earth, "Mountains", Part Three
   


4. 
   ^ Tajikistan's Fedchenko Glacier is 77 kilometres (48 mi) long. Baltoro and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram are 57 kilometres (35 mi) long, as is Bruggen or Pio XI Glacier in southern Chile. Measurements are from recent imagery, generally supplemented with Russian 1:200,000 scale topographic mapping as well as Jerzy Wala,Orographical Sketch Map: Karakoram: Sheets 1 & 2, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.
   


5. 
   ^ "Karakorum-Pamir". unesco. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
   


6. 
   ^ ^abc Mason, Kenneth (1928). Exploration of the Shaksgam Valley and Aghil ranges, 1926. p. 72. ISBN 9788120617940.
   


7. 
   ^ Close C, Burrard S, Younghusband F, et al. (1930). "Nomenclature in the Karakoram: Discussion". The Geographical Journal. Blackwell Publishing. 76 (2): 148–158. doi:10.2307/1783980. JSTOR 1783980.
   


8. 
   ^ Raza, Moonis; Ahmad, Aijazuddin; Mohammad, Ali (1978), The Valley of Kashmir: The land, Vikas Pub. House, p. 2, ISBN 978-0-7069-0525-0
   


9. 
   ^ Chatterjee, Shiba Prasad (2004), Selected Works of Professor S.P. Chatterjee, Volume 1, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, p. 139
   


10. 
    ^ French, Patrick. (1994). Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, pp. 53, 56-60. HarperCollinsPublishers, London. Reprint (1995): Flamingo. London.
    ISBN 0-00-637601-0.
    


11. 
    ^ Kala, Chandra Prakash (2005). "Indigenous Uses, Population Density, and Conservation of Threatened Medicinal Plants in Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayas". Conservation Biology. 19 (2): 368–378. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00602.x.
    


12. 
    ^ Kala, Chandra Prakash (2005). "Health traditions of Buddhist community and role of amchis in trans-Himalayan region of India" (PDF). Current Science. 89 (8): 1331.
    


13. 
    ^ Searle, Michael P., Geological evolution of the Karakoram Ranges, Ital.J.Geosci, (Boll.Soc.Geo.It.), Vol. 130, No. 2 (2011), pp. 147-159, 5 figs. (DOI: 10.3301/IJG.2011.08)
    


14. 
    ^ Gansser (1975). Geology of the Himalayas. London: Interscience Publishers.
    


15. 
    ^ Gallessich, Gail (2011). "Debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting". sciencedaily.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
    


16. 
    ^ Muhammad, Sher. "Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015". Remote Sensing of Environment.
    


17. 
    ^ "Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015". Remote Sensing of Environment. 187: 505–512. 2016-12-15. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034. ISSN 0034-4257.
    


18. 
    ^ Veettil, B.K. (2012). "A Remote sensing approach for monitoring debris-covered glaciers in the high altitude Karakoram Himalayas". International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences. 2 (3): 833–841.
    


19. 
    ^ ^ab Kuhle, M. (1988). "The Pleistocene Glaciation of Tibet and the Onset of Ice Ages- An Autocycle Hypothesis.Tibet and High Asia. Results of the Sino-German Joint Expeditions (I)". GeoJournal. 17 (4): 581–596. doi:10.1007/BF00209444.
    


20. 
    ^ Kuhle, M. (2006). "The Past Hunza Glacier in Connection with a Pleistocene Karakoram Ice Stream Network during the Last Ice Age (Würm)". In Kreutzmann, H.; Saijid, A. Karakoram in Transition. Karachi, Pakistan: Oxford University Press. pp. 24–48.
    


21. 
    ^ ^abc Kuhle, M. (2011). "The High Glacial (Last Ice Age and Last Glacial Maximum) Ice Cover of High and Central Asia, with a Critical Review of Some Recent OSL and TCN Dates". In Ehlers, J.; Gibbard, P.L.; Hughes, P.D. Quaternary Glaciation - Extent and Chronology, A Closer Look. Amsterdam: Elsevier BV. pp. 943–965. (glacier maps downloadable)
    


22. 
    ^ ^ab Kuhle, M. (2001). "Tibet and High Asia (VI): Glaciogeomorphology and Prehistoric Glaciation in the Karakoram and Himalaya". GeoJournal. 54 (1–4): 109–396. doi:10.1023/A:1021307330169.
    


23. 
    ^ Kuhle, M. (1994). "Present and Pleistocene Glaciation on the North-Western Margin of Tibet between the Karakoram Main Ridge and the Tarim Basin Supporting the Evidence of a Pleistocene Inland Glaciation in Tibet. Tibet and High Asia. Results of the Sino-German and Russian-German Joint Expeditions (III)". GeoJournal. Dordrecht, Boston, London: Kluwer. 33 (2/3): 133–272. doi:10.1007/BF00812877.
    


24. 
    ^ Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.
    


25. 
    ^ Tarar, Mustansar Hussain (1994). K2 kahani. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel (published in Urdu). p. 179. ISBN 9693505239.
    

References

• 
  Curzon, George Nathaniel. 1896. The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus. Royal Geographical Society, London. Reprint: Elibron Classics Series, Adamant Media Corporation. 2005.
  ISBN 1-4021-5983-8 (pbk);
  ISBN 1-4021-3090-2 (hbk).


• 
  Kipling, Rudyard 2002. Kim (novel); ed. by Zohreh T. Sullivan. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
  ISBN 039396650X—This is the most extensive critical modern edition with footnotes, essays, maps, etc.


• 
  Mortenson, Greg and Relin, David Oliver. 2008. Three Cups of Tea. Penguin Books Ltd.
  ISBN 978-0-14-103426-3 (pbk); Viking Books
  ISBN 978-0-670-03482-6 (hbk); Tantor Media
  ISBN 978-1-4001-5251-3 (MP3 CD).


• Kreutzmann, Hermann, Karakoram in Transition: Culture, Development, and Ecology in the Hunza Valley, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  ISBN 978-0-19-547210-3
  


• 
  Shukurov, E. (2005), "The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia", in Chahryar Adle, History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. VI – Towards the contemporary period: from the mid-nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century (PDF), UNESCO, pp. 480–514, ISBN 978-92-3-103985-0
  

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karakoram.

• 
  Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir Website


• Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma


• Great Karakorams


• Karakorams.com : Travel and Trekking in the karakorams

v t e Geography of South Asia
Mountains and plateaus	Himalayas Mount Everest Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Aravalli Range Nilgiris Vindhya Range Satpura Range Garo Hills Shivalik Hills Mahabharat Range Khasi Hills Anaimalai Hills Cardamom Hills Sulaiman Mountains Toba Kakar Range Karakoram Hindu Kush Chittagong Hill Tracts Deccan Plateau Thar Desert Makran Chota Nagpur Naga Hills Mysore Plateau Ladakh Plateau Gandhamardan Hills Malwa Lushai Hills
Lowlands and islands	Indo-Gangetic plain Doab Indus Valley Indus River Delta Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Terai Atolls of the Maldives Coromandel Coast Konkan Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar Islands Sundarbans Reserve Forest Greater Rann of Kutch Little Rann of Kutch Protected areas in Tamil Nadu
By country	India Pakistan Nepal Bhutan Sri Lanka Bangladesh Maldives Afghanistan

v t e Mountain ranges of China
Geography of China
Northwest China	Altai Mountains Dzungarian Alatau Tian Shan Borohoro Mountains Tarbagatai Mountains Kunlun Mountains Altyn-Tagh Qilian Mountains Helan Mountains
Qinghai-Tibet and Southwest China	Himalayas Transhimalaya Pamir Mountains Karakoram Argu Tagh Yengisogat Kunlun Mountains Hoh Xil Bayan Har Mountains Amne Machin Tanggula Mountains Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains Hengduan Mountains Gaoligong Mountains Yunling Mountains Ailao Mountains Qionglai Mountains Daxue Mountains Min Mountains
Northeast China	Greater Khingan Lesser Khingan Changbai Mountains Wanda Mountains Qian Mountains
Northern China	Yin Mountains Lang Mountains Lüliang Mountains Taihang Mountains Zhongtiao Mountains Qinling Dabie Mountains Mount Tai
Central China	Daba Mountains Wudang Mountains Jingshan Mountains Dabie Mountains Luoxiao Mountains Jiuling Mountains Mufu Mountains Wugong Mountains Huangshan Tianmu Mountain Wuling Mountains Xuefeng Mountains Yandang Mountains Wuyi Mountains
Southern China	Cang Mountain Daliang Mountains Dalou Mountains Nanling Mountains Jiuyi Mountains Yuecheng Mountains Longmen Mountains Western Mountains
Landforms of China

v t e Himalayan earthquakes
Notable Himalayan quakes	1505 Lo Mustang 1897 Assam 1934 Nepal–Bihar 1947 Assam 1950 Assam–Tibet 1988 Nepal 1991 Uttarkashi 1999 Chamoli 2005 Kashmir 2008 Damxung 2009 Bhutan 2011 Sikkim April 2015 Nepal May 2015 Nepal
Plate tectonics	Geology of the Himalayas Indian Plate Eurasian Plate Oldham Fault Himalayan Frontal Fault North Himalayan Normal Fault

v t e Territory of Gilgit-Baltistan topics
Passes	Karakoram Pass Sia La Gyong La Gondogoro Pass Bilafond La
Valleys	Bagrot Valley Naltar Valley Astore Valley Nomal Valley Gilgit Valley Skardu Valley Khaplu Valley Kharmang Shigar Valley Roundu Baltistan Stak Valley Galtari
Cities and towns	Gilgit Skardu Shigar Khaplu Kharmang Roundu Baltistan Danyor Jalaalabad Balghar Tolti Jutal Barah valley Chalunka Chorbat Valley Ghawari Haldi Hassanabad Karimabad Hushe Valley Keris Valley Kharfak Korphe Yugo, Baltistan Yugupa
Rivers, glaciers and lakes	Baltoro Glacier Biafo Glacier Siachen Glacier Bilafond Glacier Godwin-Austen Glacier Trango Glacier Lake Kharfak Satpara Lake Shangrila Lake Shigar River Shyok River Indus Hushe River Saltoro River
Architecture	Chaqchan Mosque Khanaq-e-Mullah Noorbakshia Khaplu Bala Khaplu Palace Shigar Fort Skardu Fort Baltit Fort Amburiq Mosque
See also	Provincial Highways of Gilgit-Baltistan Karakoram Highway Ladakh Line of Control Kargil War Balti language History of Gilgit-Baltistan K2 Balti (food)

v t e Jammu and Kashmir topics
Capital: Srinagar (Summer); Jammu (Winter)
History	History of Kashmir Kashyapa Dynasties of ancient Kashmir Kambojas Lalitaditya Muktapida Didda Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent Zain-ul-Abidin Shah Mir Dynasty Durrani Empire Mughal Empire Dogra Empire Sikh Empire East India Company Gulab Singh Zorawar Singh Jamwal Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Raj Kashmir Committee Partition of India Hari Singh Kashmir conflict Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Insurgency Darbar Move
Government and politics	Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party Instrument of Accession Article 370 Elections in Jammu and Kashmir All Parties Hurriyat Conference 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord Simla Agreement Sheikh Abdullah Karan Singh Omar Abdullah Syed Ali Shah Geelani Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Culture and places	Kashmiriyat Music Cuisine Kashmiri Pandit festivals Wazwan Kanger Shikara Pashmina Basohli painting Hinduism Kashmir Shaivism Sikhism Islam Alchi Bardan Basgo Chemrey Diskit Hanle Hemis Hundur Korzok Kursha Lamayuru Likir Lingshed Mashro Matho Mulbekh Namgyal Tsemo Phugtal Phyang Rangdum Rizong Sani Sankar Shey Monastery Spituk Stakna Stok Stongdey Takthok Thikse Tonde Wanla Zeashta Devi Shrine Zangla Dzongkhul Vaishno Devi Amarnath Gulmarg Pahalgam Sonamarg Verinag Wangath Temple complex Yusmarg Zanskar Forts National parks Lakes
Districts and divisions	Jammu Division Kathua Jammu Samba Udhampur Reasi Rajouri Poonch Doda Ramban Kishtwar Kashmir Division Anantnag Kulgam Pulwama Shopian Badgam Srinagar Ganderbal Bandipora Baramulla Kupwara Ladakh Division Kargil Leh
Cities	Srinagar Jammu Anantnag Baramulla Pulwama Kupwara Budgam Ganderbal Shupiyan Bandipora Kulgam Doda Poonch Rajauri Ramban Reasi Samba Udhampur Kathua Kishtwar
Towns	Pulwama Budgam Ganderbal Shopian Bandipore Kulgam Downtown Nowshera Gurez Pattan Kangan Hazratbal Awantipora Tral Qazigund Kokernag Shangus Bijbehara Doru Pahalgam Pattan Uri Kreeri Boniyar Tangmarg Sopore Rafaiabad Karnah Kupwara Lolab Handwara Langate Charari Sharief Beerwah Chadoora Bagh e Mehtab Sumbal Sonawari Quimoh Pahloo D.H.Pora Soura Buchpora Jawahar Nagar Srinagar Rajbagh Bemina Maisuma Karan Nagar Indira Nagar, Srinagar Hazratbal Lal Chowk Sonwar Bagh Nowhatta Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar Lal Bazar Zukura Munawar Abad Badami Bagh Nowshera, Srinagar Singhpora-Pattan Magam Kokernag Daksum Sinthan top
Famous villages	Padgampora Iskander Pora Mazhom Rathsoon Botingoo Fatehpora Durhama Hanjiwera Hardu-Aboora Kreeri Ladoora Ogmuna Seeloo Zazun Wakura Nawabagh Ratnipora
Regions	Jammu Kashmir Ladakh
Railways	Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Baramulla line Jammu–Poonch line Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line Srinagar railway station Jammu Tawi railway station Udhampur railway station Qazigund railway station Sadura railway station Anantnag railway station Budgam railway station Baramulla railway station Pampore railway station Kakapora railway station Mazhom railway station Banihal railway station Bijbehara railway station Pattan railway station Sopore railway station Awantipora railway station Katra railway station Power stations
Roads	National Highway 1A Srinagar Jammu National Highway Srinagar–Baramulla highway Udhampur–Jammu highway Leh–Manali Highway Mughal Road 90 Feet Road
Legislative Assembly elections	2002 2008 2014 Elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Sports	Sports in Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association Jammu and Kashmir cricket team Jammu & Kashmir Football Association Jammu & Kashmir International Cricket Stadium Kashmir International Half Marathon Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar Ladakh Marathon
Other topics	Line of Control Tourism United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan Indian Armed Forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Floods, 2014 Peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir Human rights abuses Crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir

v t e Xinjiang topics
Ürümqi (capital)
History	Yuezhi Xiongnu Han dynasty Protectorate of the Western Regions Kingdom of Khotan Sixteen Kingdoms Gaochang Turkic Khaganate (Western) Tang dynasty Protectorate General to Pacify the West Four Garrisons of Anxi Beiting Protectorate Tibetan Empire Uyghur Khaganate Kingdom of Qocho Kara-Khanid Khanate Islamicisation and Turkicisation of Xinjiang Qara Khitai Mongol Empire Yuan dynasty Chagatai Khanate Moghulistan Kara Del Yarkent Khanate Dzungar Khanate Dzungar conquest of Altishahr Dzungar–Qing War Dzungar genocide Kumul Khanate Qing dynasty Qing rule General of Ili Reconquest of Xinjiang Republic of China Xinjiang Wars Ili Rebellion Government-in-exile People's Republic of China PRC incorporation
Geography	Cities Tian Shan Dzungarian Basin Tarim Basin Gurbantünggüt Desert Kumtag Desert Taklimakan Desert Turpan Depression Karakoram Mountains Altai Mountains Kunlun Shan Pamir Mountains Torugart Pass Irkeshtam Pass Karakoram Pass Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway
Education	Xinjiang University Xinjiang Agricultural University Xinjiang Medical University
Culture	Doppa Festival Music Meshrep gathering Muqam
Cuisine	Dapanji Nan Sangza Samsa Youtazi Pamirdin Xurpa Tunurkawab Chinese Islamic cuisine
Visitor attractions	Apak Khoja and Xiang Fei Tomb Flaming Mountains Jiaohe Ruins Gaochang Grand Bazaar, Ürümqi Id Kah Mosque Karakul Lake Kizil Caves Ruins of Niya
Xinjiang conflict	1989 Ürümqi unrest Baren Township riot 1992 Ürümqi bombings Ghulja incident 1992 Ürümqi bombings 1997 Ürümqi bus bombings Xinjiang raid 2008 Uyghur unrest 2008 Kashgar attack Shaoguan incident July 2009 Ürümqi riots September 2009 Xinjiang unrest 2010 Aksu bombing 2011 Hotan attack 2011 Kashgar attacks Pishan hostage crisis 2012 Yecheng attack Tianjin Airlines Flight 7554 April 2013 Bachu unrest June 2013 Shanshan riots 2013 Tiananmen Square attack 2014 Kunming attack 2014 China–Vietnam border shootout April 2014 Ürümqi attack May 2014 Ürümqi attack Assassination of Juma Tayir
People	Amursana Mingrui Jahangir Khoja Yaqub Beg Zuo Zongtang Yang Zengxin Jin Shuren Sheng Shicai Ehmetjan Qasim Wang Zhen Saifuddin Azizi Rebiya Kadeer Nur Bekri Li Zhi Wang Lequan Zhang Chunxian Ilham Tohti
Related	Uyghur people Migration to Xinjiang East Turkestan Independence movement World Uyghur Congress China–Kazakhstan relations China–Kyrgyzstan relations China–Pakistan relations China–Turkey relations
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Authority control	GND: 4073227-7 VIAF: 247643385 WorldCat Identities (via VIAF): 247643385

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