# Min Mountains

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{{short description|Mountain range in central China}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Min Range
| other_name =岷山
| image = 1 jiuzhaigou valley wu hua hai 2011b.jpg
| image_caption =Landscape in the Jiuzhaigou Valley
| highest =[Mount Xuebaoding](/source/Mount_Xuebaoding) (Snow Treasure Peak)
| elevation_m= 5588
| elevation_ref=<ref name=pb>{{cite peakbagger|pid=14114|name=Xuebao Ding, China|access-date=2022-10-06}}</ref>
| coordinates = {{coord|32|41|N|103|51|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <ref name=pb/>
| listing = 
| parent = [Hengduan Mountains](/source/Hengduan_Mountains)
| country = [China](/source/China)
| region_type = Provinces
| region = {{enum|[Sichuan](/source/Sichuan)|[Gansu](/source/Gansu)}}
| district_type = Prefecture
| district = [Mianyang](/source/Mianyang)
| map = China
| map_caption = Location in China
| label_position = 
| range_coordinates =
| range_coordinates_ref=
| geology=
| age=
| orogeny=
| length_km=
| length_orientation=N/S
| width_km=
| width_orientation=E/W
| easiest_route =
}}
thumb|upright|A waterfall at the Huanglong site
'''Min Mountains''' or '''Minshan''' ({{zh|c=岷山|p=Mín Shān}}) are a mountain range in central China. It runs in the general north-south direction through northern [Sichuan](/source/Sichuan) (the eastern part of the [Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture](/source/Ngawa_Tibetan_and_Qiang_Autonomous_Prefecture) and adjacent areas of [Mianyang](/source/Mianyang) [Prefecture-level city](/source/Prefecture-level_city)) and southernmost borderlands of [Gansu](/source/Gansu). The highest elevation is [Mount Xuebaoding](/source/Mount_Xuebaoding) ("Snow Treasure Peak"), 5588&nbsp;m and the second highest is [Mt Little Xuebaoding](/source/Mt_Little_Xuebaoding) ("Little Snow Treasure Peak"), 5443m.

==Geography==
The Min mountain range is a southern prolongation of the [Kunlun Mountains](/source/Kunlun_Mountains) that separates the basins of two major rivers of Sichuan: the [Min River](/source/Min_River_(Sichuan)) (to the west) and the [Jialing River](/source/Jialing_River) (to the east). Both rivers flow in the general southern direction, and are tributaries of the [Yangtze](/source/Yangtze).

The Min Mountains are part of a wider mountainous region:
*[Amne Machin](/source/Amne_Machin): The range located to the far west, known to the ancient Chinese as Mount Jishi (積石山, 积石山, Jīshíshān), part of the [Kunlun Mountains](/source/Kunlun_Mountains).
*[Xiqing Mountains](/source/Xiqing_Mountains) ({{lang|zh|西倾山}}): The northern range. 
*[Qionglai Mountains](/source/Qionglai_Mountains): The central part of the range to the west of the Min River
*Motian Mountains: The easternmost prolongation, merging with the [Daba Mountains](/source/Daba_Mountains).

==History==
According to the ''[Records of the Grand Historian](/source/Records_of_the_Grand_Historian)'', the [Xia dynasty](/source/Xia_dynasty) managed this mountain range as early as 2000 BC.<ref>Nienhauser, ed. ''Grand Scribe's Records, Volume I''. p. 27 n. 76</ref>

The [Lazikou Pass](/source/Lazikou_Pass), a site of strategical importance during the [Long March](/source/Long_March), passes through the Min Mountains and connects northwestern Sichuan with southern Gansu.

==Ecology==
The [characteristic ecosystem](/source/List_of_terrestrial_ecoregions_(WWF)) of the Min Mountains and the [Qionglai Mountains](/source/Qionglai_Mountains) (which are located further west, separated from the Min Mountains by the Min River valley) has been described by the [World Wildlife Fund](/source/World_Wildlife_Fund) as the [Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests](/source/Qionglai-Minshan_conifer_forests).<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=pa0518|name=Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests}}</ref>

Important tourism and nature conservation objects in the Min Mountains include the [Jiuzhaigou Valley](/source/Jiuzhaigou_Valley) Nature Reserve (in [Jiuzhaigou County](/source/Jiuzhaigou_County)) and the [Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area](/source/Huanglong_Scenic_and_Historic_Interest_Area) (in [Songpan County](/source/Songpan_County)); both are listed on the [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO) [World Heritage Site](/source/World_Heritage_Site)s list.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Mountain ranges of China}}

Category:Mountain ranges of Sichuan
Category:Mountain ranges of Gansu

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Min Mountains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min_Mountains) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min_Mountains?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.