Karakoram
219681
224336045
2008-07-08T11:56:26Z
JAnDbot
1725149
robot Adding: bg, lv Modifying: th, ur
{{otheruses4|the mountain range|the city in Mongolia|Karakorum}}
{{Geobox|Range
| name=Karakoram
| image=Karakorum Highway (KKH) Nanga Parbat.jpg
| image_caption=Pakistani truck on the [[Karakoram Highway]]. [[Nanga Parbat]] is visible in the background
| country=Pakistan| country1=China | country2=India
| region_type=
| region=[[Gilgit District|Gilgit]]
| region1=Ladakh | region2=Baltistan
| border=Himalaya| border1=Pamir Mountains| border2=Hindu Raj
| highest=K2
| highest_elevation=8611
| highest_lat_d=35|highest_lat_m=52|highest_lat_s=57|highest_lat_NS=N
| highest_long_d=76|highest_long_m=30|highest_long_s=48|highest_long_EW=E
| geology= | period= | orogeny=
| map=Karakoram_Nasa.JPG
| map_caption=Highest '''Karakoram''' peaks as seen from [[International Space Station]]
}}
'''Karakoram''' is a mountain range spanning the borders between [[Pakistan]], [[China]], and [[India]], located in the regions of [[Gilgit District|Gilgit]], [[Ladakh]], and [[Baltistan]]. It is one of the [[Greater Ranges]] of [[Asia]], often considered together with the [[Himalaya]], but not technically part of that range. Karakoram means "black gravel" in Turkic, as many of its glaciers are covered in rubble.
The Karakoram is home to more than sixty peaks above 7,000m (22,960 ft), including [[K2]], the second highest peak of the world (8,611 m, 28,251 ft). K2 is just 237 m smaller than the 8,848 m tall Mount Everest. The range is about 500 km (300 mi) in length, and is the most heavily [[glacier|glaciated]] part of the world outside of 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.<ref name="Measurements"> Tajikistan's Fedchenko Glacier is 77 km long. Baltoro and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram are 57 km 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.</ref>
The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the [[Tibetan Plateau]], and on the north by the [[Wakhan Corridor]] and the [[Pamir Mountains]]. Just to the west of the northwest end of the Karakoram lies the [[Hindu Raj]] range, beyond which is the [[Hindu Kush]] range. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed by the [[Gilgit River|Gilgit]], [[Indus River|Indus]], and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the northwestern end of the [[Himalaya]] range proper.
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]] and the valleys above the [[Hunza River]] were explored by [[George Cockerill]] in 1892. Explorations in the 1910s and 1920s established most of the geography of the region.
[[Marcel Ichac]] made a film entitled "Karakoram", chronicling a French expedition to the range in 1936. The film won the Silver Lion at the [[Venice film festival]] of 1937.
A portion of the Karakoram, disputed between India and China, has been re-created as a scale model by the Chinese government.<ref name="keyhole">[http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/510687/page/vc/vc/1 Google Earth Community: China - Huangyangtan - Scale model of landscape?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="register">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/19/huangyangtan_mystery/</ref><ref name="absnews">[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2266192&page=1 ABC News: Google Geek Unearths Military Secret<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Geological importance==
The Karakoram and the [[Himalayas]] 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 [[continent]]s. Therefore, they are important in the study of [[plate tectonics]]. Mountain [[glacier]]s may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. These extensive ranges may have even caused climate change when they were formed over 40 million years ago. The large amounts of rock exposed to the [[atmosphere]] are weathered (broken down) by [[carbon dioxide]]. This process removes the [[greenhouse gas]] from the atmosphere, and could have caused the [[global climate]] to cool, triggering an ongoing series of [[ice age]]s.
== Highest peaks ==
[[Image:K2-big.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[K2]] (Qogir Feng)]]
Most of the highest of Karakoram peaks are in the [[Northern Areas]] of [[Pakistan]]. Notable peaks are:
* [[K2]] (Qogir Feng) (8,611 m)
* [[Gasherbrum I]] (8,068 m)
* [[Broad Peak]] (Phalchen Kangri) (8,047 m)
* [[Gasherbrum II]] (8,035 m)
* [[Gasherbrum III]] (7,952 m)
* [[Gasherbrum IV]] (7,925 m)
* [[Distaghil Sar]] (7,885 m)
* [[Kunyang Chhish]] (7,852 m)
* [[Masherbrum I]] (7,821 m)
* [[Batura I]] (7,795 m)
* [[Rakaposhi]] (7,788 m)
* [[Batura II]] (7,762 m)
* [[Kanjut Sar]] (7,760 m)
* [[Saltoro Kangri]] (7,742 m)
* [[Batura III]] (7,729 m)
* [[Saser Kangri]] (7,672 m)
* [[Chogolisa]] (7,665m)
* [[Haramosh Peak]] (7,397 m)
* [[The Ogre (mountain)|The Ogre]] (7,285 m)
* [[Muztagh Tower]] (7,273 m)
The majority of the highest peaks are either in the Baltistan or Ladakh regions. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6,100 metres (20,000 ft) height from sea level.
==Subranges==
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.<ref>Jerzy Wala, ''Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram'', Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.</ref> 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]]
==See also==
* [[Northern Areas]] of Pakistan
* [[Karakoram Highway]]
* [[Khunjerab Pass]] (the highest paved international border crossing at 4,693m)
* [[Geography of China]]
* [[Mountain ranges of Pakistan]]
* [[List of mountains in Pakistan]]
* [[List of mountain ranges]] of the world
* [[List of highest mountains]] (a list of mountains above 7,200m)
* [[Khardung La]]
* [[Karakoram Pass]]
* [[Mount Imeon]]
==Notes==
<references />
==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).
* [[Greg Mortenson|Mortenson, Greg]] and Relin, David Oliver. 2008. ''[[Three Cups of Tea]]''. Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0141034263 (pbk); Viking Books ISBN 978-0670034826 (hbk); Tantor Media ISBN 978-1400152513 (MP3 CD).
== External links ==
{{commons|Karakoram|Karakoram}}
* [http://www.pbase.com/highman/karakoram_2006&page=1 Karakoram Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.himalaya-info.org/ Comprehensive Information about the mountains of Himalaya and Karakoram with links to good images]
* [http://www.travel-culture.com/pakistan/ Pakistan Travel Information]
* [http://travel.web.pk/destinations/mountains_valleys/karakorum_highway.asp Travel Web: The Karakoram Highway]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1491179.stm Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma]
* [http://www.karakorams.com/ Karakorams]
* [http://climbing.highalpex.com/mountain_ranges/karakoram Climbing]
* [http://www.geocities.com/johnmap2001/kkh/home.html The Karakorum Highway]
* [http://www.muztagh.com Muztagh Travel]
{{GeoSouthAsia}}
{{coor title dms|35|52|59|N|76|30|32|E|region:CN_type:mountain}}
[[Category:Sites along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Geography of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of China]]
[[Category:Glaciers of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Karakoram]]
[[ar:كاراكورام]]
[[be:Каракарум]]
[[bg:Каракорум]]
[[ca:Karakoram]]
[[cs:Karákoram]]
[[de:Karakorum (Gebirge)]]
[[et:Karakoram]]
[[es:Karakórum]]
[[eo:Karakorumo]]
[[eu:Karakorum]]
[[fr:Karakoram]]
[[ko:카라코람 산맥]]
[[hr:Karakorum]]
[[it:Karakorum]]
[[he:קארקוראם]]
[[lv:Karakorums]]
[[nl:Karakoram]]
[[ja:カラコルム山脈]]
[[no:Karakoram]]
[[pl:Karakorum]]
[[pt:Caracórum]]
[[ro:Karakorum]]
[[ru:Каракорум (хребет)]]
[[sk:Karakoram]]
[[fi:Karakorum]]
[[sv:Karakoram]]
[[th:เทือกเขาการาโกรัม]]
[[tr:Karakurum Dağları]]
[[ur:سلسلہ کوہ قراقرم]]
[[zh:喀喇昆仑山脉]]