Karakoram

{{Short description|Mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China}} {{About|the mountain range|the medieval city in Mongolia|Karakorum |other uses|Karakoram (disambiguation)||||}} {{Distinguish|Karakum (disambiguation){{!}}Karakum}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Karakoram | image = Baltoro glacier from air.jpg | image_caption = {{nowrap|[[Baltoro Glacier]] in the Central Karakoram}} {{nowrap|[[Gilgit-Baltistan]], Pakistan-administered Kashmir}} | subdivision2_type = Regions/Provinces | subdivision2 = {{hlist|[[Gilgit-Baltistan]]|[[Ladakh]]|[[Xinjiang]]|[[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]]}} | country = {{hlist|[[Afghanistan]]|[[China]]|[[India]]|[[Pakistan]]|[[Tajikistan]]}} | borders_on = {{hlist|[[Pamir Mountains]]|[[Hindu Kush]]|[[Kunlun Mountains]]|[[Himalayas]]|[[Ladakh Range]]}} | highest = [[K2]] | elevation_m = 8611 | coordinates = {{coord|35|52|57|N|76|30|48|E|type:mountain_region:CN_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline}} | length_km = 500 | geology = | orogeny = | image_map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=290|frame-height=300|frame-align=center|zoom= 5|stroke-width=2|frame-lat=35.555|frame-long=76.465|type=shape-inverse|stroke-color=#808080|id=Q5469|text=Interactive map outlining Karakoram range }} | map_caption = | range_coordinates = {{coord|36|N|76|E|type:mountain_region:CN_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} }} {{Infobox Chinese | title = Karakoram | pic = | c = {{linktext|lang=zh|喀|喇|昆|仑|山|脉}} | l = "Kara-Kunlun mountain range" | p = Kālǎ Kūnlún shānmài | showflag = p | uig = قاراقورام | uly =  | uyy =  | tib = ཁར་ཁོ་རུམ་རི | wylie = kha ra kho rum ri | thdl =  | zwpy = }} {{Use Oxford spelling|date=February 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}

The '''Karakoram''' ({{IPA|en|ˌkɑːrəˈkɔːrəm, ˌkær-|lang}}, {{IPA|ur|kaːɾaːkoːɾəm|lang}})<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|Karakoram}}</ref> is a [[mountain range]] in Asia located primarily in the [[Kashmir]] region. The range spans the borders of [[Pakistan]], [[China]], and [[India]],{{efn|The sovereignty over the Kashmir region is disputed and the region is partly administered by Pakistan, India and China.}} with the north-western extremities of the range extending into [[Afghanistan]] and [[Tajikistan]]. The Karakoram contains four of the fourteen [[eight-thousander]]s, the highest of which is [[K2]], the second highest mountain on Earth.

The Karakoram begins in the [[Wakhan Corridor]] in western Afghanistan and extends eastwards into Indian-administered [[Ladakh]] and Chinese-administered [[Aksai Chin]], as well as the Chinese province of [[Xinjiang]]. Most of the Karakoram is located within the Pakistani-administered [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] region. The Karakoram is bounded on the east by the Aksai Chin plateau, on the north-east by the edge of the [[Tibetan Plateau]], and on the north by the river valleys of the [[Yarkand River|Yarkand]] and [[Karakash River|Karakash rivers]], beyond which lie the [[Kunlun Mountains]]. At the north-west corner are the [[Pamir Mountains]], while to the west lies [[Hindu Kush]]. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed west to east by the [[Gilgit River|Gilgit]], [[Indus River|Indus]], and [[Shyok River|Shyok]] rivers, which separate the range from the north-western end of the [[Himalayas|Himalaya]]. These rivers flow north-west before making an abrupt turn south-westwards towards the plains of Pakistan. Roughly in the middle of the Karakoram range is the [[Karakoram Pass]], which was part of a now unused trade route between Ladakh and [[Yarkant County|Yarkand]].

The range is about {{cvt|500|km|mi|0}} in length and is the most [[glacier|glaciated]] place on Earth outside the [[polar regions of Earth|polar regions]]. The [[Siachen Glacier]] ({{cvt|76|km|mi}} long) and [[Biafo Glacier]] ({{cvt|63|km|mi}} long) are the second- and third-longest glaciers outside the polar regions.<ref name="Measurements">Tajikistan's Fedchenko Glacier is {{cvt|77|km|mi}} long. Baltoro and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram are {{cvt|57|km|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'', [[:de:Schweizerische Stiftung für Alpine Forschung|Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research]], [[Zurich]], 1990.</ref> The Karakoram is the [[Greater Ranges|second-highest mountain range]] on Earth and part of a complex of ranges that includes the Pamir Mountains, Hindu Kush, and the Himalayas.<ref>{{Britannica |312055 |title=Karakoram Range |last=Bessarabov|first=Georgy Dmitriyevich |date=7 February 2014 |access-date=3 May 2015}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://icimod.org/?q=1137 |title=Hindu Kush Himalayan Region |publisher=[[International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development]] |access-date=17 October 2014}}</ref> The range contains eighteen summits higher than {{cvt|7500|m|ft|}} in [[elevation]], with four above {{cvt|8000|m|ft|}}<ref>{{harvnb |Shukurov, The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia |2005 |p=512}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Eight-Thousanders |last=Voiland|first=Adam |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/8000MeterPeaks |year=2013 |website=[[NASA Earth Observatory]] |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |network=[[BBC]] |series=[[Planet Earth (2006 TV series)|Planet Earth]] |title=Mountains |number=3}}</ref> which include [[K2]], [[Gasherbrum I]], [[Broad Peak]], and [[Gasherbrum II]].

== Name == [[File:Biafo Glacier, Gilgit Region.jpg|thumb|The black gravel of the Karakoram mountains, as seen near [[Pakistan]]'s [[Biafo Glacier]]]] Karakoram is a [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] term meaning ''black gravel''. The Central Asian traders originally applied the name to the [[Karakoram Pass]].<ref name="Mason">{{Cite book |last=Mason |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Mason (geographer) |title=Exploration of the Shaksgam Valley and Aghil ranges, 1926 |year=1928 |page=72 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrbVqD06aXYC |isbn=978-81-206-1794-0}}</ref> Early European travelers, including [[William Moorcroft (explorer)|William Moorcroft]] and [[George W. Hayward|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.<ref name="Mason" /><ref>{{cite journal |title=Nomenclature in the Karakoram: Discussion |vauthors=Close C, Burrard S, Younghusband F, etal |journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=76 |issue=2 |year=1930 |pages=148–158 |doi=10.2307/1783980 |jstor=1783980 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing|bibcode=1930GeogJ..76..148C }}</ref> Later terminology was influenced by [[Thomas Montgomerie]] of the [[Great Trigonometric Survey of India|Survey of India]], who gave the labels K1 to K6 (K for Karakoram) to six high mountains visible from his station at [[Mount Haramukh]] in the 1850s. These codes were extended up to more than thirty.

In traditional Indian geography, the mountains were known as '''Krishnagiri''' (black mountains), ''Kanhagiri'', and ''Kanheri''.<ref name="Kohli2002">{{citation|last=Kohli|first=M.S.|title=Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GIs4zv17HHwC&pg=PA22|page=22|year=2002|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-135-1}}</ref>

== Exploration == Due to its altitude and ruggedness, the Karakoram is much less inhabited than parts of the Himalayas further east. European explorers first visited in the early 19th century, followed by [[Great Trigonometrical Survey|British surveyors]] starting in 1856.

The [[Muztagh Pass]] was crossed in 1887 by the expedition of Colonel [[Francis Younghusband]],<ref>[[Patrick French|French, Patrick]]. (1994). ''Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer'', pp. 53, 56-60. HarperCollins''Publishers'', London. Reprint (1995): Flamingo. London. {{ISBN|0-00-637601-0}}.</ref> and the valleys above the [[Hunza River]] were explored by General Sir [[George Cockerill (British Army officer)|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 (geographer)|Kenneth Mason]],<ref name="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 Valley|Hunza]] in the west to the [[Saser Muztagh]] in the bend of the [[Shyok River]] in the east.

[[File:Hunza Valley, view from Eagle's Nest.jpg|thumb|[[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.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Indigenous Uses, Population Density, and Conservation of Threatened Medicinal Plants in Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayas |journal=Conservation Biology |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=368–378 |year=2005 |first=Chandra Prakash |last=Kala |doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00602.x|bibcode=2005ConBi..19..368K |s2cid=85324142 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Kala |first=Chandra Prakash |title=Health traditions of Buddhist community and role of amchis in trans-Himalayan region of India |journal=Current Science |volume=89 |number=8 |year=2005 |page=1331 |url=http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/oct252005/1331.pdf}}</ref>

== Geology and glaciers ==  The Karakoram is in one of the world's most geologically active areas, at the [[Geology of the Himalaya|plate boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.3301/IJG.2011.08 |title=Geological evolution of the Karakoram ranges |journal=Italian Journal of Geosciences |volume=130 |year=2011 |issue=2 |pages=147–159}}</ref> A significant part, somewhere between 28 and 50 percent, of the Karakoram Range is glaciated, covering an area of more than {{convert|15,000|sqkm|sqmi|-2|disp=or}},<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.04.057 |bibcode=2019JHyd..574..467M |title=Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions |year=2019 |last1=Muhammad |first1=Sher |last2=Tian |first2=Lide |last3=Khan |first3=Asif |journal=Journal of Hydrology |volume=574 |pages=467–475 |doi-access=free}}</ref> compared to between 8 and 12 percent of the Himalaya and 2.2 percent of the [[Alps]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gansser |year=1975 |title=Geology of the Himalayas |publisher=Interscience Publishers |location=London}}</ref> Mountain [[glacier]]s 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,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110124162708.htm |title=Debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting |first=Gail |last=Gallessich |work=sciencedaily.com |year=2011 |access-date=30 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034 |bibcode=2016RSEnv.187..505M |title=Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015 |year=2016 |last1=Muhammad |first1=Sher |last2=Tian |first2=Lide |journal=Remote Sensing of Environment |volume=187 |pages=505–512 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1017/jog.2019.5 |bibcode=2019JGlac..65..270M |title=No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |year=2019 |last1=Muhammad |first1=Sher |last2=Tian |first2=Lide |last3=Nüsser |first3=Marcus |journal=Journal of Glaciology |volume=65 |issue=250 |pages=270–278 |doi-access=free}}</ref> unlike the Himalayas, where glaciers are losing mass at a significantly higher rate, many Karakoram glaciers are covered in a layer of rubble which insulates the ice from the warmth of the sun.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141119 |title=Thin debris layers do not enhance melting of the Karakoram glaciers |year=2020 |journal=Science of the Total Environment |volume= 746 |article-number=141119 |pmid=32763605 |bibcode=2020ScTEn.74641119M |doi-access=free|last1=Muhammad |first1=Sher |last2=Tian |first2=Lide |last3=Ali |first3=Shaukat |last4=Latif |first4=Yasir |last5=Wazir |first5=Muhammad Atif |last6=Goheer |first6=Muhammad Arif |last7=Saifullah |first7=Muhammad |last8=Hussain |first8=Iqtidar |last9=Shiyin |first9=Liu }}</ref> Where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high.<ref>{{cite journal |title=A Remote sensing approach for monitoring debris-covered glaciers in the high altitude Karakoram Himalayas |first=B.K. |last=Veettil |journal=International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences |year=2012 |volume=2 |pages=833–841 |issue=3}}</ref> Some recent studies reveal slight increase or stability in glacier mass in central and western Karakoram, termed by some scholars as "Karakoram Anomaly",<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Farinotti |first1=Daniel |last2=Immerzeel |first2=Walter W. |last3=de Kok |first3=Remco J. |last4=Quincey |first4=Duncan J. |last5=Dehecq |first5=Amaury |date=January 2020 |title=Manifestations and mechanisms of the Karakoram glacier Anomaly |journal=Nature Geoscience |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=8–16 |doi=10.1038/s41561-019-0513-5 |issn=1752-0908 |pmc=6949123 |pmid=31915463 |bibcode=2020NatGe..13....8F }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Jiajia |last2=Xu |first2=Baiqing |last3=Li |first3=Zhen |last4=Nasir |first4=Jawad |last5=Farhan |first5=Suhaib Bin |last6=Wang |first6=Mo |last7=Xie |first7=Ying |last8=Yang |first8=Song |last9=Cauquoin |first9=Alexandre |last10=Hussain |first10=Azfar |date=2025-01-16 |title=The Interpretation of Karakoram Anomaly by High Karakoram Ice Core Record |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JD040235 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |language=en |volume=130 |issue=1 |article-number=e2023JD040235 |doi=10.1029/2023JD040235 |bibcode=2025JGRD..13040235W |issn=2169-897X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Attaullah |first1=Haleema |last2=Khan |first2=Asif |last3=Khan |first3=Mujahid |last4=Khan |first4=Firdos |last5=Ali |first5=Shaukat |last6=Masud |first6=Tabinda |last7=Iqbal |first7=Muhammad Shahid |date=2022-10-07 |title=The Karakoram Anomaly: Validation through Remote Sensing Data, Prospects and Implications |journal=Water |language=en |volume=14 |issue=19 |pages=3157 |doi=10.3390/w14193157 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Water..14.3157A |issn=2073-4441}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Latif |first1=Yasir |last2=Pryor |first2=Sara C. |last3=Ateeq-Ur-Rehman |first3=Sardar |last4=Muhammad |first4=Sher |last5=Yaseen |first5=Muhammad |last6=Wazir |first6=Muhammad Atif |date=2025-12-01 |title=Transition of the Karakoram anomaly under emerging hydroclimatic trends |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725023186 |journal=Science of the Total Environment |volume=1006 |article-number=180678 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180678 |pmid=41223551 |bibcode=2025ScTEn100680678L |issn=0048-9697|url-access=subscription }}</ref> contrasting with eastern Karakoram where glaciers were found to be retreating.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Shuaibo |last2=Sun |first2=Zhangli |last3=Xie |first3=Jinpeng |last4=Zhao |first4=Fanyu |last5=Huang |first5=Kaihong |last6=Wang |first6=Hangtong |last7=Yang |first7=Chenxi |date=2025-10-01 |title=Investigating glacier mass balance and driving factors of the Karakoram Anomaly |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825004410 |journal=Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |volume=61 |article-number=102616 |doi=10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102616 |bibcode=2025JHyRS..6102616Z |issn=2214-5818|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ougahi |first1=Jamal Hassan |last2=Cutler |first2=Mark E. J. |last3=Cook |first3=Simon J. |date=2022-11-01 |title=Assessing the Karakoram Anomaly from long-term trends in earth observation and climate data |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352938522001604 |journal=Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment |volume=28 |article-number=100852 |doi=10.1016/j.rsase.2022.100852 |bibcode=2022RSASE..2800852O |issn=2352-9385}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Batool |first1=Insha |last2=Ashraf |first2=Arshad |last3=Khokhar |first3=Muhammad Fahim |date=2025-12-01 |title=Anomalous glaciers response to climate variability in the Karakoram region |journal=ISPRS Open Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing |volume=18 |article-number=100105 |doi=10.1016/j.ophoto.2025.100105 |doi-access=free |issn=2667-3932}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Jiawei |last2=Sun |first2=Meiping |last3=Yao |first3=Xiaojun |last4=Duan |first4=Hongyu |last5=Zhang |first5=Cong |last6=Wang |first6=Shuyang |last7=Niu |first7=Shuting |last8=Yan |first8=Xin |date=2023-09-09 |title=A Review of Karakoram Glacier Anomalies in High Mountains Asia |journal=Water |language=en |volume=15 |issue=18 |pages=3215 |doi=10.3390/w15183215 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023Water..15.3215L |issn=2073-4441}}</ref> Notable glaciers in Karakoram include:

* [[Siachen Glacier]] * [[Baltoro Glacier]] * [[Hispar Glacier]] * [[Batura Glacier]] * [[Biafo Glacier]] * [[Chogo Lungma Glacier]] * [[Yinsugaiti Glacier]]

=== Ice Age === In the last [[ice age]], a [[ice cap|connected series of glaciers]] stretched from western [[Tibet]] to [[Nanga Parbat]], and from the [[Tarim Basin]] to the [[Gilgit District]].<ref name="K1988">{{cite journal |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=1988 |title=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) |journal=GeoJournal |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=581–596 |doi=10.1007/BF00209444 |s2cid=129234912}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=2006 |chapter=The Past Hunza Glacier in Connection with a Pleistocene Karakoram Ice Stream Network during the Last Ice Age (Würm) |editor1-last=Kreutzmann |editor1-first=H. |editor2-last=Saijid |editor2-first=A. |title=Karakoram in Transition |location=Karachi, Pakistan |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=24–48}}</ref><ref name="K2011">{{cite book |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=2011 |chapter=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 |editor1-last=Ehlers |editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Gibbard |editor2-first=P.L. |editor3-last=Hughes |editor3-first=P.D. |title=Quaternary Glaciation – Extent and Chronology, A Closer Look |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Elsevier BV |pages=943–965}} (glacier maps [https://web.archive.org/web/20130606133044/http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780444534477/ downloadable])</ref> To the south, the [[Indus Valley|Indus glacier]] was the main valley glacier, which flowed {{convert|120|km|mi}} down from the Nanga Parbat massif to {{convert|870|m|ft}} elevation.<ref name="K1988" /><ref name="K2001">{{cite journal |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=2001 |title=Tibet and High Asia (VI): Glaciogeomorphology and Prehistoric Glaciation in the Karakoram and Himalaya |journal=GeoJournal |volume=54 |issue=1–4 |pages=109–396 |doi=10.1023/A:1021307330169}}</ref> In the north, the Karakoram glaciers joined those from the [[Kunlun Mountains]] and flowed down to {{convert|2000|m|ft}} in the Tarim Basin.<ref name="K2011" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=1994 |title=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) |journal=GeoJournal |volume=33 |pages=133–272 |issue=2/3 |doi=10.1007/BF00812877|s2cid=189882345 }}</ref>

While the current valley glaciers in the Karakoram reach a maximum length of {{convert|76|km|mi}}, several of the ice-age valley glacier branches and main valley glaciers, had lengths up to {{convert|700|km|mi}}. During the Ice Age, the glacier snowline was about {{Convert|1300|m|ft}} lower than today.<ref name="K2011" /><ref name="K2001" />

== Highest peaks == [[File:Baltoro region from space annotated.png|upright=1|thumb|Highest '''Karakoram''' peaks in the Baltoro region as seen from the [[International Space Station]]]] {{Karakoram OSM}} The majority of the highest peaks are in the [[Gilgit–Baltistan]] region administered by Pakistan. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding {{convert|6100|m|ft}} height from sea level.{{cn|date=October 2025}} Following is a list for the highest peaks of the Karakoram. Included are some of the mountains named with a K code, the most well-known of which is the K2.

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Mountain ! Height<ref>For Nepal, the heights indicated on the Nepal Topographic Maps are followed. For China and the [[Baltoro Muztagh|Baltoro]] Karakoram, the heights are those of Mi Desheng's "The Maps of Snow Mountains in China". For the [[Hispar Muztagh|Hispar Karakoram]] the heights on a Russian 1:100,000 topo map of {{cite web |title=Hispar area expeditions |url=http://echidna.rutgers.edu/expeditions/Hispar/Default.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427142155/http://echidna.rutgers.edu/expeditions/Hispar/Default.htm |archive-date=27 April 2008 |access-date=15 July 2008}} </ref> ! [[List of highest mountains on Earth|Ranked]] ! K code ! Area administered by |- | [[K2]] | {{convert|8611|m|ft}} | 2 | K2 | [[Pakistan]]–[[China]], at the head of the Godwin-Austen Glacier |- | [[Gasherbrum I]] | {{convert|8080|m|ft}} | 11 | K5 | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Broad Peak]] | {{convert|8051|m|ft}} | 12 | | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Gasherbrum II]] | {{convert|8034|m|ft}} | 13 | K4 | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Gasherbrum III]] | {{convert|7952|m|ft}} | | K3a | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Gasherbrum IV]] | {{convert|7925|m|ft}} | 17 | K3 | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Distaghil Sar]] | {{convert|7885|m|ft}} | 19 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Kunyang Chhish]] | {{convert|7852|m|ft}} | 21 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Masherbrum I]] | {{convert|7821|m|ft}} | 22 | K1 | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Batura I]] | {{convert|7795|m|ft}} | 25 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Rakaposhi]] | {{convert|7788|m|ft}} | 26 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Batura II]] | {{convert|7762|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Kanjut Sar]] | {{convert|7760|m|ft}} | 28 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Saltoro Kangri]] I | {{convert|7742|m|ft}} | 31 | K10 | [[India]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Batura III]] | {{convert|7729|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Saltoro Kangri]] II | {{convert|7705|m|ft}} | | K11 | [[India]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Saser Kangri]] I | {{convert|7672|m|ft}} | 35 | K22 | [[India]] |- | [[Chogolisa]] | {{convert|7665|m|ft}} | 36 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Shispare Sar]] | {{convert|7611|m|ft}} | 38 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Trivor]] Sar | {{convert|7577|m|ft}} | 39 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Skyang Kangri]] | {{convert|7545|m|ft}} | 43 | | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Mamostong Kangri]] | {{convert|7516|m|ft}} | 47 | K35 | [[India]] |- | [[Saser Kangri]] II | {{convert|7513|m|ft}} | 48 | | [[India]] |- | [[Saser Kangri]] III | {{convert|7495|m|ft}} | 51 | | [[India]] |- | [[Pumari Chhish]] | {{convert|7492|m|ft}} | 53 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Passu Sar]] | {{convert|7478|m|ft}} | 54 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Yukshin Gardan Sar]] | {{convert|7469|m|ft}} | 55 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Teram Kangri]] I | {{convert|7462|m|ft}} | 56 | | [[China]]–[[India]] |- | [[Malubiting]] | {{convert|7458|m|ft}} | 58 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[K12 (mountain)|K12]] or [[Saitang Peak]] | {{convert|7428|m|ft}} | 61 | [[K12 (mountain)|K12]] | [[India]]–[[Pakistan]] subsidiary of [[Saltoro Kangri]] |- | [[Sia Kangri]] | {{convert|7422|m|ft}} | 63 | | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Ghursay Kangri – II|Skilma Gangri or Ghursay Kangri II]] | {{convert|7422|m|ft}} | | K8 | [[Pakistan]], on the western flank of the [[Siachen Glacier]] |- | [[Momhil Sar]] | {{convert|7414|m|ft}} | 64 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Skil Brum]] | {{convert|7410|m|ft}} | 66 | | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Haramosh Peak]] | {{convert|7409|m|ft}} | 67 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Ghent Kangri]] | {{convert|7401|m|ft}} | 69 | | [[India]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Ultar Peak]] | {{convert|7388|m|ft}} | 70 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Rimo I]] | {{convert|7385|m|ft}} | 71 | | [[India]] |- | [[Sherpi Kangri]] | {{convert|7380|m|ft}} | 74 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Bojohagur Duanasir]] | {{convert|7329|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Yazghil Dome South]] | {{convert|7324|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Baltoro Kangri]] | {{convert|7312|m|ft}} | 81 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[The Crown (mountain)|Crown Peak]] | {{convert|7295|m|ft}} | 83 | | [[China]] |- | [[Baintha Brakk]] | {{convert|7285|m|ft}} | 86 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Yutmaru Sar]] | {{convert|7283|m|ft}} | 87 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Baltistan Peak]] | {{convert|7282|m|ft}} | 88 | K6 | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Muztagh Tower]] | {{convert|7273|m|ft}} | 90 | | [[China]]–[[Pakistan]] |- | [[Diran]] | {{convert|7266|m|ft}} | 92 | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Apsarasas Kangri]] I | {{convert|7243|m|ft}} | 95 | | [[China]]–[[India]] |- | [[Rimo I]]II | {{convert|7233|m|ft}} | 97 | | [[India]] |- | [[Gasherbrum V]] | {{convert|7147|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Link Sar]] | {{convert|7041|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | Gamba Gangri | {{convert|7000|m|ft}} (approx) | | K9 | [[Pakistan]] near [[Trango Towers]] |- | [[Ghursay kangri – I|Gomgma Gangri]] | {{convert|6934|m|ft}} | | K7 | [[Pakistan]] at the head of the [[Charakusa Valley]] |- | [[Dansam Peak]] | {{convert|6666|m|ft}} | | K13 | [[Pakistan]] south west of [[Saltoro Kangri]] |- | [[Paiju Peak]] | {{convert|6610.|m|ft}} | | | [[Pakistan]] |- | [[Pastan Kangri]] | {{convert|6523|m|ft}} | | K25 | [[India]] south of [[Saltoro Kangri]] |}

== Subranges == [[File:Karakoram Range.jpg|upright=0.9|thumb|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.<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]]

== Passes == {{Karakoram Mountain Pass OSM}} 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]] is the highest paved international border crossing at {{convert|4693|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It serves the China-Pakistan [[Karakoram Highway|Friendship Highway]], the "8th world wonder".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230903-the-karakoram-highway-the-road-thats-the-eighth-world-wonder | title= The Road that's the Eighth World Wonder | last=Shea | first=Samantha | date= 8 September 2023 | publisher=BBC }}</ref> * [[Shimshal]] Pass * [[Mustagh Pass]] * [[Karakoram Pass]] * [[Sasser Pass]] * [[Naltar Valley|Naltar]] 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 (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 people|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tarar |first=Mustansar Hussain |date=1994 |title=K2 kahani |location=Lahore |publisher=Sang-e-Meel (published in Urdu) |page=179 |isbn=969-35-0523-9 |ol=18941738M}}</ref>

== See also == * [[Karakoram Highway]] * [[List of mountain ranges]] of the world * [[List of highest mountains]] (a list of mountains above {{convert|7200|m|ft|abbr=on}}) * [[Mount Imeon]]

== References == {{notelist}} === Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * [[George Nathaniel Curzon|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). * [[Rudyard Kipling|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. * [[Greg Mortenson|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}}. * {{citation |first=E. |last=Shukurov |chapter=The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia |editor=Chahryar Adle |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. VI – Towards the contemporary period: from the mid-nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century |chapter-url = http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001412/141275e.pdf |year=2005 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-103985-0 |pages=480–514 |ref={{sfnref|Shukurov, The Natural Environment of Central and South Asia|2005}} }} {{refend}}

==Further reading== * Dainelli, G. (1932). [https://doi.org/10.2307/1784325 A Journey to the Glaciers of the Eastern Karakoram]. ''The Geographical Journal'', '''79'''(4), 257–268.

== External links == {{Commons and category}} * [http://blankonthemap.free.fr/default.htm Blankonthemap] The Northern Kashmir Website

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