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Karakoram

The Karakoram (/ˌkɑːrəˈkɔːrəm, ˌkær-/)[1] is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the jurisdiction of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is controlled by Pakistan. Its highest (and the world's second-highest) peak, K2, is located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It begins in the Wakhan Corridor (Afghanistan) in the west, encompasses the majority of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and extends into Ladakh (controlled by India) and Aksai Chin (controlled by China).

Karakoram
Baltoro Glacier in the Central Karakoram Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan
Highest point
PeakK2
Elevation8,611 m (28,251 ft)
Coordinates35°52′57″N 76°30′48″E / 35.88250°N 76.51333°E / 35.88250; 76.51333
Dimensions
Length500 km (310 mi)
Geography
Interactive map outlining Karakoram range
CountriesAfghanistan, China, India, Pakistan and Tajikistan
Regions/ProvincesGilgit−Baltistan, Ladakh, Xinjiang and Badakhshan
Range coordinates36°N 76°E / 36°N 76°E / 36; 76
Borders onPamir Mountains, Hindu Kush, Kunlun Mountains, Himalayas and Ladakh Range
Karakoram
Chinese name
Chinese喀喇昆仑山脉
Hanyu PinyinKālǎ Kūnlún shānmài
Literal meaning"Kara-Kunlun mountain range"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinKālǎ Kūnlún shānmài
Tibetan name
Tibetanཁར་ཁོ་རུམ་རི
Transcriptions
Wyliekha ra kho rum ri
Uyghur name
Uyghurقاراقورام

The Karakoram is the second-highest mountain range on Earth and part of a complex of ranges that includes the Pamir Mountains, Hindu Kush, and Himalayas.[2][3]

The range contains 18 summits higher than 7,500 m (24,600 ft) in elevation, with four above 8,000 m (26,000 ft):[4][5][6] K2 (8,611 m (28,251 ft) AMSL) (the second-highest peak on Earth), Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II.

The range is about 500 km (311 mi) in length and is the most glaciated place on Earth outside the polar regions. The Siachen Glacier (76 km (47 mi) long) and Biafo Glacier (63 km (39 mi) long) are the second- and third-longest glaciers outside the polar regions.[7]

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 that is 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 have been tentatively added to the list.[8]

Name edit

 
The black gravel of Karakoram mountains, 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.[9] 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.[9][10] 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 Valley.

In traditional Indian geography the mountains were known as Krishnagiri (black mountains), Kanhagiri and Kanheri.[11]

Exploration edit

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[12] 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,[9] 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 administered by 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.[13][14]

Geology and glaciers edit

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.[15] A significant part, somewhere between 28 and 50 percent, of the Karakoram Range is glaciated covering an area of more than 15,000 square kilometres or 5,800 square miles,[16] compared to between 8 and 12 percent of the Himalaya and 2.2 percent of the Alps.[17] 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,[18][19][20] 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.[21] Where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high.[22]

Ice Age edit

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.[23][24][25] 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.[23][26] 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.[25][27]

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.[25][26]

Highest peaks edit

 
Highest Karakoram peaks in the Baltoro region as seen from International Space Station
 
 
 
75km
50miles
 
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1
Location of the major peaks in Karakoram

Legend:
 1K2  2Gasherbrum I K5  3Broad Peak

 4Gasherbrum II K4  5Gasherbrum III K3a  6Gasherbrum IV K3

 7Distaghil Sar  8Khunyang Chhish  9Masherbrum K1

 10 Batura I  11Rakaposhi  12Batura II

 13Kanjut Sar  14Saltoro Kangri K10  15Batura III

 16 Saser Kangri I K22  17Chogolisa  18Shispare Sar

 19Trivor Sar  20Skyang Kangri  21Mamostong Kangri K35

 22Saser Kangri II  23Saser Kangri III  24Pumari Chhish

 25Passu Sar  26Yukshin Gardan Sar  27Teram Kangri I

 28Malubiting  29K12  30Sia Kangri

 31Momhil Sar  32Skil Brum  33Haramosh Peak

 34Ghent Kangri  35Ultar Sar  36Rimo I

 37Sherpi Kangri  38:Yazghil Dome South  39Baltoro Kangri

 40Crown Peak  41Baintha Brakk  42Yutmaru Sar

 43K6  44Muztagh Tower  45Diran

 46Apsarasas Kangri I  47Rimo III  48Gasherbrum V



The highest peaks of the Karakoram are:

Mountain Height[28] Ranked Remark
K2 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) 2 K2  Pakistan  China
Gasherbrum I 8,080 metres (26,510 ft) 11 K5  Pakistan  China
Broad Peak 8,051 metres (26,414 ft) 12   Pakistan  China
Gasherbrum II 8,034 metres (26,358 ft) 13 K4  Pakistan  China
Gasherbrum III 7,952 metres (26,089 ft) K3a  Pakistan not on world highest list
Gasherbrum IV 7,925 metres (26,001 ft) 17 K3  Pakistan
Distaghil Sar 7,885 metres (25,869 ft) 19   Pakistan
Kunyang Chhish 7,852 metres (25,761 ft) 21   Pakistan
Masherbrum I 7,821 metres (25,659 ft) 22 K1  Pakistan
Batura I 7,795 metres (25,574 ft) 25   Pakistan
Rakaposhi 7,788 metres (25,551 ft) 26   Pakistan
Batura II 7,762 metres (25,466 ft)   Pakistan not on world highest list
Kanjut Sar 7,760 metres (25,460 ft) 28   Pakistan
Saltoro Kangri I 7,742 metres (25,400 ft) 31 K10  Pakistan  India
Batura III 7,729 metres (25,358 ft)   Pakistan not on world highest list
Saser Kangri I 7,672 metres (25,171 ft) 35 K22  India
Chogolisa 7,665 metres (25,148 ft) 36   Pakistan
Shispare Sar 7,611 metres (24,970 ft) 38   Pakistan
Trivor Sar 7,577 metres (24,859 ft) 39   Pakistan
Skyang Kangri 7,545 metres (24,754 ft) 43   Pakistan  China
Mamostong Kangri 7,516 metres (24,659 ft) 47 K35  India
Saser Kangri II 7,513 metres (24,649 ft) 48   India
Saser Kangri III 7,495 metres (24,590 ft) 51   India
Pumari Chhish 7,492 metres (24,580 ft) 53   Pakistan
Passu Sar 7,478 metres (24,534 ft) 54   Pakistan
Yukshin Gardan Sar 7,469 metres (24,505 ft) 55   Pakistan
Teram Kangri I 7,462 metres (24,482 ft) 56   India  China
Malubiting 7,458 metres (24,469 ft) 58   Pakistan
K12 7,428 metres (24,370 ft) 61 K12  Pakistan  India
Sia Kangri 7,422 metres (24,350 ft) 63   Pakistan  China
Momhil Sar 7,414 metres (24,324 ft) 64   Pakistan
Skil Brum 7,410 metres (24,310 ft) 66   Pakistan  China
Haramosh Peak 7,409 metres (24,308 ft) 67   Pakistan
Ghent Kangri 7,401 metres (24,281 ft) 69   Pakistan  India
Ultar Peak 7,388 metres (24,239 ft) 70   Pakistan
Rimo I 7,385 metres (24,229 ft) 71   India
Sherpi Kangri 7,380 metres (24,210 ft) 74   Pakistan
Bojohagur Duanasir 7,329 metres (24,045 ft)   Pakistan not on world highest list
Yazghil Dome South 7,324 metres (24,029 ft)   Pakistan not on world highest list
Baltoro Kangri 7,312 metres (23,990 ft) 81   Pakistan
Crown Peak 7,295 metres (23,934 ft) 83   China
Baintha Brakk 7,285 metres (23,901 ft) 86   Pakistan
Yutmaru Sar 7,283 metres (23,894 ft) 87   Pakistan
Baltistan Peak 7,282 metres (23,891 ft) 88 K6  Pakistan
Muztagh Tower 7,273 metres (23,862 ft) 90   Pakistan  China
Diran 7,266 metres (23,839 ft) 92   Pakistan
Apsarasas Kangri I 7,243 metres (23,763 ft) 95   India  China
Rimo III 7,233 metres (23,730 ft) 97   India
Gasherbrum V 7,147 metres (23,448 ft)   Pakistan not on world highest list

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

K-numbers edit

 
K2
K-numbers International name Height Remark
K1 Masherbrum 7,821 metres (25,659 ft)  
K2 K2 8,611 metres (28,251 ft)  -  at the head of the Godwin-Austen Glacier
K3 Gasherbrum IV 7,925 metres (26,001 ft)  
K3a Gasherbrum III 7,952 metres (26,089 ft)  
K4 Gasherbrum II 8,034 metres (26,358 ft)  - 
K5 Gasherbrum I 8,080 metres (26,510 ft)  - 
K6 Baltistan Peak 7,282 metres (23,891 ft)  
K7 Gomgma Gangri 6,934 metres (22,749 ft)   at the head of the Charakusa Valley
K8 Skilma Gangri 7,422 metres (24,350 ft)   on the western flank of the Siachen Glacier
K9 Gamba Gangri 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) (approx)   near Trango Towers
K10 Saltoro Kangri I 7,742 metres (25,400 ft)  - 
K11 Saltoro Kangri II 7,705 metres (25,279 ft)  - 
K12 Saitang peak 7,428 metres (24,370 ft)  -  subsidiary of Saltoro Kangri
K13 Dansam Peak 6,666 metres (21,870 ft)   south west of Saltoro Kangri
K22 Saser Kangri I 7,672 metres (25,171 ft)  
K25 Pastan Kangri 6,523 metres (21,401 ft)   south of Saltoro Kangri
K35 Mamostong Kangri 7,516 metres (24,659 ft)  

Subranges edit

 
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.[29] The ranges are listed roughly west to east.

Passes edit

 
 
 
75km
50miles
 
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1
Location of the passes in Karakoram

Legend:
 1Sia La  2Bilafond La  3Gyong La

 4Sasser Pass  5Burji La  6Machulo La

 7Naltar Pass  8Hispar Pass  9Shimshal Pass

 10Karakoram Pass  11Turkistan La Pass  12 Windy Gap

 13Mustagh Pass  14Sarpo Laggo Pass  15Khunjerab Pass

 16Mutsjliga Pass  17Mintaka Pass  18Kilik Pass



Passes from west to east are:

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 edit

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. K2 Kahani (The K2 Story) by Mustansar Hussain Tarar describes his experiences at K2 base camp.[31]

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ "Karakoram". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ Karakoram Range at the Encyclopædia Britannica.
  3. ^ "Hindu Kush Himalayan Region". International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  4. ^ Shukurov, The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia 2005, p. 512.
  5. ^ Voiland, Adam (2013). "The Eight-Thousanders". NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Mountains". Planet Earth. Episode 3. BBC.
  7. ^ Tajikistan's Fedchenko Glacier is 77 km (48 mi) long. Baltoro and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram are 57 km (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.
  8. ^ "Karakorum-Pamir". UNESCO. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Mason, Kenneth (1928). Exploration of the Shaksgam Valley and Aghil ranges, 1926. p. 72. ISBN 978-81-206-1794-0.
  10. ^ Close C, Burrard S, Younghusband F, et al. (1930). "Nomenclature in the Karakoram: Discussion". The Geographical Journal. 76 (2). Blackwell Publishing: 148–158. doi:10.2307/1783980. JSTOR 1783980.
  11. ^ Kohli, M.S. (2002), Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage, Indus Publishing, p. 22, ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1
  12. ^ French, Patrick. (1994). Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, pp. 53, 56-60. HarperCollinsPublishers, London. Reprint (1995): Flamingo. London. ISBN 0-00-637601-0.
  13. ^ 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. S2CID 85324142.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Geological evolution of the Karakoram ranges". Italian Journal of Geosciences. 130 (2): 147–159. 2011. doi:10.3301/IJG.2011.08.
  16. ^ Muhammad, Sher; Tian, Lide; Khan, Asif (2019). "Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions". Journal of Hydrology. 574: 467–475. Bibcode:2019JHyd..574..467M. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.04.057.
  17. ^ Gansser (1975). Geology of the Himalayas. London: Interscience Publishers.
  18. ^ Gallessich, Gail (2011). "Debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting". sciencedaily.com. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  19. ^ Muhammad, Sher; Tian, Lide (2016). "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. Bibcode:2016RSEnv.187..505M. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034.
  20. ^ Muhammad, Sher; Tian, Lide; Nüsser, Marcus (2019). "No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016". Journal of Glaciology. 65 (250): 270–278. Bibcode:2019JGlac..65..270M. doi:10.1017/jog.2019.5.
  21. ^ Muhammad, Sher; Tian, Lide; Ali, Shaukat; Latif, Yasir; Wazir, Muhammad Atif; Goheer, Muhammad Arif; Saifullah, Muhammad; Hussain, Iqtidar; Shiyin, Liu (2020). "Thin debris layers do not enhance melting of the Karakoram glaciers". Science of the Total Environment. 746: 141119. Bibcode:2020ScTEn.746n1119M. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141119. PMID 32763605.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b 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. S2CID 129234912.
  24. ^ 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. (eds.). Karakoram in Transition. Karachi, Pakistan: Oxford University Press. pp. 24–48.
  25. ^ a b c 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. (eds.). Quaternary Glaciation – Extent and Chronology, A Closer Look. Amsterdam: Elsevier BV. pp. 943–965. (glacier maps )
  26. ^ a b 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.
  27. ^ 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. 33 (2/3): 133–272. doi:10.1007/BF00812877. S2CID 189882345.
  28. ^ For Nepal, the heights indicated on the Nepal Topographic Maps are followed. For China and the Baltoro Karakoram, the heights are those of Mi Desheng's "The Maps of Snow Mountains in China". For the Hispar Karakoram the heights on a Russian 1:100,000 topo map . Archived from the original on 27 April 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2008. seem to be more accurate than the customarily quoted heights probably based on US army maps from the 50s [1]. Elsewhere, unless otherwise indicated, heights are those in Jill Neate's "High Asia".
  29. ^ Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.
  30. ^ shuaib (18 August 2019). "Naltar Valley: Heaven on Earth". Mehmaan Resort. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  31. ^ Tarar, Mustansar Hussain (1994). K2 kahani. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel (published in Urdu). p. 179. ISBN 969-35-0523-9. OL 18941738M.

Sources edit

Further reading edit

  • Dainelli, G. (1932). A Journey to the Glaciers of the Eastern Karakoram. The Geographical Journal, 79(4), 257–268.

External links edit

  • Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir Website
  • Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma
  • Great Karakorams – images on Flickr

karakoram, this, article, about, mountain, range, medieval, city, mongolia, karakorum, highway, highway, tract, trans, tract, rock, band, band, confused, with, karakum, ɑːr, ɔːr, mountain, range, kashmir, region, spanning, border, pakistan, china, india, with,. This article is about the mountain range For the medieval city in Mongolia see Karakorum For the highway see Karakoram Highway For the tract see Trans Karakoram Tract For the rock band see Karakoram band Not to be confused with Karakum The Karakoram ˌ k ɑːr e ˈ k ɔːr em ˌ k aer 1 is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan China and India with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the jurisdiction of Gilgit Baltistan which is controlled by Pakistan Its highest and the world s second highest peak K2 is located in Gilgit Baltistan Pakistan It begins in the Wakhan Corridor Afghanistan in the west encompasses the majority of Gilgit Baltistan Pakistan and extends into Ladakh controlled by India and Aksai Chin controlled by China KarakoramBaltoro Glacier in the Central Karakoram Gilgit Baltistan PakistanHighest pointPeakK2Elevation8 611 m 28 251 ft Coordinates35 52 57 N 76 30 48 E 35 88250 N 76 51333 E 35 88250 76 51333DimensionsLength500 km 310 mi GeographyInteractive map outlining Karakoram rangeCountriesAfghanistan China India Pakistan and TajikistanRegions ProvincesGilgit Baltistan Ladakh Xinjiang and BadakhshanRange coordinates36 N 76 E 36 N 76 E 36 76Borders onPamir Mountains Hindu Kush Kunlun Mountains Himalayas and Ladakh Range KarakoramChinese nameChinese喀喇昆仑山脉Hanyu PinyinKalǎ Kunlun shanmaiLiteral meaning Kara Kunlun mountain range TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinKalǎ Kunlun shanmaiTibetan nameTibetanཁར ཁ ར མ ར TranscriptionsWyliekha ra kho rum riUyghur nameUyghurقاراقورام The Karakoram is the second highest mountain range on Earth and part of a complex of ranges that includes the Pamir Mountains Hindu Kush and Himalayas 2 3 The range contains 18 summits higher than 7 500 m 24 600 ft in elevation with four above 8 000 m 26 000 ft 4 5 6 K2 8 611 m 28 251 ft AMSL the second highest peak on Earth Gasherbrum I Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II The range is about 500 km 311 mi in length and is the most glaciated place on Earth outside the polar regions The Siachen Glacier 76 km 47 mi long and Biafo Glacier 63 km 39 mi long are the second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions 7 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 that is 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 have been tentatively added to the list 8 Contents 1 Name 2 Exploration 3 Geology and glaciers 3 1 Ice Age 4 Highest peaks 5 K numbers 6 Subranges 7 Passes 8 Cultural references 9 See also 10 References 10 1 Citations 10 2 Sources 11 Further reading 12 External linksName edit nbsp The black gravel of Karakoram mountains 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 9 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 9 10 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 Valley In traditional Indian geography the mountains were known as Krishnagiri black mountains Kanhagiri and Kanheri 11 Exploration editDue 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 12 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 9 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 nbsp Hunza Valley in the Gilgit Baltistan region administered by 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 13 14 Geology and glaciers editThe 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 15 A significant part somewhere between 28 and 50 percent of the Karakoram Range is glaciated covering an area of more than 15 000 square kilometres or 5 800 square miles 16 compared to between 8 and 12 percent of the Himalaya and 2 2 percent of the Alps 17 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 18 19 20 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 21 Where there is no such insulation the rate of retreat is high 22 Siachen Glacier Baltoro Glacier Hispar Glacier Batura Glacier Biafo Glacier Chogo Lungma Glacier Yinsugaiti Glacier Ice Age edit 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 23 24 25 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 23 26 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 25 27 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 25 26 Highest peaks edit nbsp Highest Karakoram peaks in the Baltoro region as seen from International Space Station nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 75km50miles nbsp 48 nbsp nbsp 47 nbsp nbsp 46 nbsp nbsp 45 nbsp nbsp 44 nbsp nbsp 43 nbsp nbsp 42 nbsp nbsp 41 nbsp nbsp 40 nbsp nbsp 39 nbsp nbsp 38 nbsp nbsp 37 nbsp nbsp 36 nbsp nbsp 35 nbsp nbsp 34 nbsp nbsp 33 nbsp nbsp 32 nbsp nbsp 31 nbsp nbsp 30 nbsp nbsp 29 nbsp nbsp 28 nbsp nbsp 27 nbsp nbsp 26 nbsp nbsp 25 nbsp nbsp 24 nbsp nbsp 23 nbsp nbsp 22 nbsp nbsp 21 nbsp nbsp 20 nbsp nbsp 19 nbsp nbsp 18 nbsp nbsp 17 nbsp nbsp 16 nbsp nbsp 15 nbsp nbsp 14 nbsp nbsp 13 nbsp nbsp 12 nbsp nbsp 11 nbsp nbsp 10 nbsp nbsp 9 nbsp nbsp 8 nbsp nbsp 7 nbsp nbsp 6 nbsp nbsp 5 nbsp nbsp 4 nbsp nbsp 3 nbsp nbsp 2 nbsp nbsp 1 nbsp Location of the major peaks in Karakoram Legend nbsp 1 K2 nbsp 2 Gasherbrum I K5 nbsp 3 Broad Peak nbsp 4 Gasherbrum II K4 nbsp 5 Gasherbrum III K3a nbsp 6 Gasherbrum IV K3 nbsp 7 Distaghil Sar nbsp 8 Khunyang Chhish nbsp 9 Masherbrum K1 nbsp 10 Batura I nbsp 11 Rakaposhi nbsp 12 Batura II nbsp 13 Kanjut Sar nbsp 14 Saltoro Kangri K10 nbsp 15 Batura III nbsp 16 Saser Kangri I K22 nbsp 17 Chogolisa nbsp 18 Shispare Sar nbsp 19 Trivor Sar nbsp 20 Skyang Kangri nbsp 21 Mamostong Kangri K35 nbsp 22 Saser Kangri II nbsp 23 Saser Kangri III nbsp 24 Pumari Chhish nbsp 25 Passu Sar nbsp 26 Yukshin Gardan Sar nbsp 27 Teram Kangri I nbsp 28 Malubiting nbsp 29 K12 nbsp 30 Sia Kangri nbsp 31 Momhil Sar nbsp 32 Skil Brum nbsp 33 Haramosh Peak nbsp 34 Ghent Kangri nbsp 35 Ultar Sar nbsp 36 Rimo I nbsp 37 Sherpi Kangri nbsp 38 Yazghil Dome South nbsp 39 Baltoro Kangri nbsp 40 Crown Peak nbsp 41 Baintha Brakk nbsp 42 Yutmaru Sar nbsp 43 K6 nbsp 44 Muztagh Tower nbsp 45 Diran nbsp 46 Apsarasas Kangri I nbsp 47 Rimo III nbsp 48 Gasherbrum V The highest peaks of the Karakoram are Mountain Height 28 Ranked Remark K2 8 611 metres 28 251 ft 2 K2 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Gasherbrum I 8 080 metres 26 510 ft 11 K5 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Broad Peak 8 051 metres 26 414 ft 12 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Gasherbrum II 8 034 metres 26 358 ft 13 K4 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Gasherbrum III 7 952 metres 26 089 ft K3a nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list Gasherbrum IV 7 925 metres 26 001 ft 17 K3 nbsp Pakistan Distaghil Sar 7 885 metres 25 869 ft 19 nbsp Pakistan Kunyang Chhish 7 852 metres 25 761 ft 21 nbsp Pakistan Masherbrum I 7 821 metres 25 659 ft 22 K1 nbsp Pakistan Batura I 7 795 metres 25 574 ft 25 nbsp Pakistan Rakaposhi 7 788 metres 25 551 ft 26 nbsp Pakistan Batura II 7 762 metres 25 466 ft nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list Kanjut Sar 7 760 metres 25 460 ft 28 nbsp Pakistan Saltoro Kangri I 7 742 metres 25 400 ft 31 K10 nbsp Pakistan nbsp India Batura III 7 729 metres 25 358 ft nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list Saser Kangri I 7 672 metres 25 171 ft 35 K22 nbsp India Chogolisa 7 665 metres 25 148 ft 36 nbsp Pakistan Shispare Sar 7 611 metres 24 970 ft 38 nbsp Pakistan Trivor Sar 7 577 metres 24 859 ft 39 nbsp Pakistan Skyang Kangri 7 545 metres 24 754 ft 43 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Mamostong Kangri 7 516 metres 24 659 ft 47 K35 nbsp India Saser Kangri II 7 513 metres 24 649 ft 48 nbsp India Saser Kangri III 7 495 metres 24 590 ft 51 nbsp India Pumari Chhish 7 492 metres 24 580 ft 53 nbsp Pakistan Passu Sar 7 478 metres 24 534 ft 54 nbsp Pakistan Yukshin Gardan Sar 7 469 metres 24 505 ft 55 nbsp Pakistan Teram Kangri I 7 462 metres 24 482 ft 56 nbsp India nbsp China Malubiting 7 458 metres 24 469 ft 58 nbsp Pakistan K12 7 428 metres 24 370 ft 61 K12 nbsp Pakistan nbsp India Sia Kangri 7 422 metres 24 350 ft 63 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Momhil Sar 7 414 metres 24 324 ft 64 nbsp Pakistan Skil Brum 7 410 metres 24 310 ft 66 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Haramosh Peak 7 409 metres 24 308 ft 67 nbsp Pakistan Ghent Kangri 7 401 metres 24 281 ft 69 nbsp Pakistan nbsp India Ultar Peak 7 388 metres 24 239 ft 70 nbsp Pakistan Rimo I 7 385 metres 24 229 ft 71 nbsp India Sherpi Kangri 7 380 metres 24 210 ft 74 nbsp Pakistan Bojohagur Duanasir 7 329 metres 24 045 ft nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list Yazghil Dome South 7 324 metres 24 029 ft nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list Baltoro Kangri 7 312 metres 23 990 ft 81 nbsp Pakistan Crown Peak 7 295 metres 23 934 ft 83 nbsp China Baintha Brakk 7 285 metres 23 901 ft 86 nbsp Pakistan Yutmaru Sar 7 283 metres 23 894 ft 87 nbsp Pakistan Baltistan Peak 7 282 metres 23 891 ft 88 K6 nbsp Pakistan Muztagh Tower 7 273 metres 23 862 ft 90 nbsp Pakistan nbsp China Diran 7 266 metres 23 839 ft 92 nbsp Pakistan Apsarasas Kangri I 7 243 metres 23 763 ft 95 nbsp India nbsp China Rimo III 7 233 metres 23 730 ft 97 nbsp India Gasherbrum V 7 147 metres 23 448 ft nbsp Pakistan not on world highest list The majority of the highest peaks are in the Gilgit Baltistan region administered by Pakistan Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6 100 metres 20 000 ft height from sea level K numbers edit nbsp K2 K numbers International name Height Remark K1 Masherbrum 7 821 metres 25 659 ft nbsp K2 K2 8 611 metres 28 251 ft nbsp nbsp at the head of the Godwin Austen Glacier K3 Gasherbrum IV 7 925 metres 26 001 ft nbsp K3a Gasherbrum III 7 952 metres 26 089 ft nbsp K4 Gasherbrum II 8 034 metres 26 358 ft nbsp nbsp K5 Gasherbrum I 8 080 metres 26 510 ft nbsp nbsp K6 Baltistan Peak 7 282 metres 23 891 ft nbsp K7 Gomgma Gangri 6 934 metres 22 749 ft nbsp at the head of the Charakusa Valley K8 Skilma Gangri 7 422 metres 24 350 ft nbsp on the western flank of the Siachen Glacier K9 Gamba Gangri 7 000 metres 23 000 ft approx nbsp near Trango Towers K10 Saltoro Kangri I 7 742 metres 25 400 ft nbsp nbsp K11 Saltoro Kangri II 7 705 metres 25 279 ft nbsp nbsp K12 Saitang peak 7 428 metres 24 370 ft nbsp nbsp subsidiary of Saltoro Kangri K13 Dansam Peak 6 666 metres 21 870 ft nbsp south west of Saltoro Kangri K22 Saser Kangri I 7 672 metres 25 171 ft nbsp K25 Pastan Kangri 6 523 metres 21 401 ft nbsp south of Saltoro Kangri K35 Mamostong Kangri 7 516 metres 24 659 ft nbsp Subranges edit nbsp 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 29 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 MuztaghPasses edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 75km50miles nbsp 18 nbsp nbsp 17 nbsp nbsp 16 nbsp nbsp 15 nbsp nbsp 14 nbsp nbsp 13 nbsp nbsp 12 nbsp nbsp 11 nbsp nbsp 10 nbsp nbsp 9 nbsp nbsp 8 nbsp nbsp 7 nbsp nbsp 6 nbsp nbsp 5 nbsp nbsp 4 nbsp nbsp 3 nbsp nbsp 2 nbsp nbsp 1 nbsp Location of the passes in Karakoram Legend nbsp 1 Sia La nbsp 2 Bilafond La nbsp 3 Gyong La nbsp 4 Sasser Pass nbsp 5 Burji La nbsp 6 Machulo La nbsp 7 Naltar Pass nbsp 8 Hispar Pass nbsp 9 Shimshal Pass nbsp 10 Karakoram Pass nbsp 11 Turkistan La Pass nbsp 12 Windy Gap nbsp 13 Mustagh Pass nbsp 14 Sarpo Laggo Pass nbsp 15 Khunjerab Pass nbsp 16 Mutsjliga Pass nbsp 17 Mintaka Pass nbsp 18 Kilik Pass Passes from west to east are Dandala Pass is the most important and earlier pass It starts from Ghursay saitang city to Yarqand in China It is the main trade route between Khaplu Ladakh Kharmang to Yarqand China 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 Naltar Pass or Pakora Pass 30 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 editThe 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 K2 Kahani The K2 Story by Mustansar Hussain Tarar describes his experiences at K2 base camp 31 See also editKarakoram 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 Naltar Valley Trans Karakoram TractReferences editCitations edit Karakoram Dictionary com Unabridged Online n d Karakoram Range at the Encyclopaedia Britannica Hindu Kush Himalayan Region International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Retrieved 17 October 2014 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 Mountains Planet Earth Episode 3 BBC Tajikistan s Fedchenko Glacier is 77 km 48 mi long Baltoro and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram are 57 km 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 amp 2 Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research Zurich 1990 Karakorum Pamir UNESCO Retrieved 16 February 2013 a b c Mason Kenneth 1928 Exploration of the Shaksgam Valley and Aghil ranges 1926 p 72 ISBN 978 81 206 1794 0 Close C Burrard S Younghusband F et al 1930 Nomenclature in the Karakoram Discussion The Geographical Journal 76 2 Blackwell Publishing 148 158 doi 10 2307 1783980 JSTOR 1783980 Kohli M S 2002 Mountains of India Tourism Adventure and Pilgrimage Indus Publishing p 22 ISBN 978 81 7387 135 1 French Patrick 1994 Younghusband The Last Great Imperial Adventurer pp 53 56 60 HarperCollinsPublishers London Reprint 1995 Flamingo London ISBN 0 00 637601 0 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 S2CID 85324142 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 Geological evolution of the Karakoram ranges Italian Journal of Geosciences 130 2 147 159 2011 doi 10 3301 IJG 2011 08 Muhammad Sher Tian Lide Khan Asif 2019 Early twenty first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions Journal of Hydrology 574 467 475 Bibcode 2019JHyd 574 467M doi 10 1016 j jhydrol 2019 04 057 Gansser 1975 Geology of the Himalayas London Interscience Publishers Gallessich Gail 2011 Debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting sciencedaily com Retrieved 30 January 2011 Muhammad Sher Tian Lide 2016 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 Bibcode 2016RSEnv 187 505M doi 10 1016 j rse 2016 10 034 Muhammad Sher Tian Lide Nusser Marcus 2019 No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin North Western Himalaya between 1999 and 2016 Journal of Glaciology 65 250 270 278 Bibcode 2019JGlac 65 270M doi 10 1017 jog 2019 5 Muhammad Sher Tian Lide Ali Shaukat Latif Yasir Wazir Muhammad Atif Goheer Muhammad Arif Saifullah Muhammad Hussain Iqtidar Shiyin Liu 2020 Thin debris layers do not enhance melting of the Karakoram glaciers Science of the Total Environment 746 141119 Bibcode 2020ScTEn 746n1119M doi 10 1016 j scitotenv 2020 141119 PMID 32763605 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 a b 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 S2CID 129234912 Kuhle M 2006 The Past Hunza Glacier in Connection with a Pleistocene Karakoram Ice Stream Network during the Last Ice Age Wurm In Kreutzmann H Saijid A eds Karakoram in Transition Karachi Pakistan Oxford University Press pp 24 48 a b c 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 eds Quaternary Glaciation Extent and Chronology A Closer Look Amsterdam Elsevier BV pp 943 965 glacier maps downloadable a b 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 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 33 2 3 133 272 doi 10 1007 BF00812877 S2CID 189882345 For Nepal the heights indicated on the Nepal Topographic Maps are followed For China and the Baltoro Karakoram the heights are those of Mi Desheng s The Maps of Snow Mountains in China For the Hispar Karakoram the heights on a Russian 1 100 000 topo map Hispar area expeditions Archived from the original on 27 April 2008 Retrieved 15 July 2008 seem to be more accurate than the customarily quoted heights probably based on US army maps from the 50s 1 Elsewhere unless otherwise indicated heights are those in Jill Neate s High Asia Jerzy Wala Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research Zurich 1990 shuaib 18 August 2019 Naltar Valley Heaven on Earth Mehmaan Resort Retrieved 1 September 2019 Tarar Mustansar Hussain 1994 K2 kahani Lahore Sang e Meel published in Urdu p 179 ISBN 969 35 0523 9 OL 18941738M Sources edit 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 amp 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 PDF in Chahryar Adle ed History of Civilizations of Central Asia Vol VI Towards the contemporary period from the mid nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century UNESCO pp 480 514 ISBN 978 92 3 103985 0Further reading editDainelli G 1932 A Journey to the Glaciers of the Eastern Karakoram The Geographical Journal 79 4 257 268 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karakoram category Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir Website Pakistan s Northern Areas dilemma Great Karakorams images on Flickr Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Karakoram amp oldid 1223093188 K numbers, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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