One of the mountain systems of Central Asia is called the Karakoram. This ridge of rocks is the highest on the planet. It is located northwest of the Himalayan range. The name of the mountains Karakorum has Kyrgyz roots and in translation into Russian means "black stone blocks".
General information about the mountain system
Length mountain range is about 550 km. Scientists conditionally divided it into regions so that there would be no difficulties in studying. The Karakorum mountain system is unparalleled, since its territory contains the largest possible number of seven-thousanders, as well as various glaciers. Here is the second highest Mountain peak in the world.
The average height of the mountains of this chain is 6,000 m. The ancient paths to the Hindustan peninsula passed through passes. They are located at an altitude of 4,600-5,700 m. It was possible to make the transition only during a certain period, which lasted 1-2 months a year.
Where is the mountain system
Central Asia is the leader in having the highest peaks in the world. Here are located such mountain systems as the Himalayas, the Pamirs, the Tibetan Plateau, the Kunlun, and the Karakoram. The last of them separates the mighty Tarim and Indus rivers. To find the Karakorum mountain system on the map, you need to know its coordinates: 34.5 o -36.5 o N. and 73.5 o -81 o E
The main areas of the chain are:
- Agyl-Karakorum. This area is located between the Raskemdar River and its tributary Shaksgama.
- Western Karakoram. Most of this region of the mountain range is located near the Hunza River. There is also a large Karakorum highway. Geographically, most of the western region of the mountains belongs to Pakistan.
- KarakoramCentral. This territory of the mountain range is simultaneously controlled by several states: India, China and Pakistan. Approximately 70 peaks located in this region have a height of more than 7 and 8 thousand meters. Here is Mount Chogori. It is the second largest after Everest (Chomolungma).
- Eastern Karakoram. Most of the mountains are under the control of India, with the exception of Northern part slope (Siachen Muztag ridge), which belongs to the territory of China. There are more than 30 peaks in this region, whose height exceeds 7,000 m.
Oddly enough, but in the mountainous regions there are settlements of people. locals live in the intermountain valleys. They work as guides and porters, helping climbers climb to the top.
Vegetation and animals
In the northern part of the Karakorum mountain system, the landscape is predominantly desert. Vegetation is extremely rare, and after 2,800 m of altitude, it is completely absent.
Basically, potash (calidium) and ephedra shrubs are found here. Huge territories are solid stone landscapes. In the place where the river Raskemdar originates, you can find thickets of barberry. Poplar grows from trees here. In the territory mountain steppes teresken, feather grass and fescue grow.
Forests are found in the southern part of the Karakorum mountain system. Coniferous trees grow here: Himalayan cedars and pines. From deciduous - poplar and willow. The strip of forests stretches along the slopes to a height of up to 3,500 m.
The southern slopes are richer in vegetation. The locations of reservoirs (rivers, lakes) serve as pastures. They are also involved in agriculture. On the mountain slopes(up to 4,000 m in height) grow alfalfa, peas and barley, vineyards and apricot orchards are planted at the foot of the ridges.
The animal world is diverse. A variety of artiodactyls are found in the mountains:
- hell antelope;
- wild mountain goats;
- orongo antelope;
- tours and donkeys.
From rodents here you can meet gray hamsters, whistler hares and other members of the family. From the detachment of predators, snow leopards and bears live in these places.
A variety of birds settle on the mountain slopes:
- partridge;
- reel red;
- saja;
- Tibetan mountain turkey (ular);
- dove white-breasted and others.
Of the birds of prey that can rise above 5,000 m, there are kites, falcons, eagles, black hawks.
Climatic conditions
The climate in this region is quite contrasting. In the valleys located between the mountains, it is predominantly warm and dry. This allows the local population to conduct agricultural activities, but still, artificial irrigation is indispensable here.
At an altitude of 5,000 m, where the snow line passes, climatic conditions more severe. The air temperature, on average, is 4-5 degrees below zero.
During the year, over the Karakorum mountain system falls from 1,200 to 2,000 mm of precipitation. Mostly it's snow. Main source precipitation - cyclones coming from Atlantic Ocean and mediterranean sea during the spring and autumn period. Monsoons brought from indian ocean, do not have such a significant effect on the climatic conditions of this region, reaching G Or Karakorum, they are significantly weakening.
The maximum amount of precipitation falls in the south and west of the chain. This also affects the height of the snowline:
- 6,200-6,400 m on the northeastern ridges;
- 5,000-6,000 m in the northern part of the mountain system;
- 4,600-5,000 m on the southwestern slopes.
The largest peaks of the mountain system
The largest peaks of the planet are located in the Karakorum chain. Its lowest region is the northern part of the Agyl-Karakorum mountain system. The highest peak is Surukwat Kangri (6792). There are no mountains here that would overcome the threshold of seven thousand.
The three highest peaks of the eastern part of the chain are:
- Saser Kangri (7672 m);
- Mamostong Kangri (7516 m);
- Teram Kangri (7462 m).
In the Western Karakorum, the highest are:
- Dastogil (7,885 m);
- Batura (7,795 m);
- Rakaposhi (7,788 m);
- Ogre (7285 m).
In the Karakoram mountain range highest point located in the central part. It is called Chogori. This mountain in its dimensions gives way only to Chomolungma. Its height is 8,611 m. There are other giants in the same part:
- Masherbrum (7,806 m);
- Saltoro Kangri (7,742 m);
- Crown (7265 m).
Mount Chogori
Karakorum is known throughout the world as the place where the second highest mountain is located. This eight-thousander is located on the border of Kashmir (the territory controlled by Pakistan, the Baltoro Range) and the Chinese Autonomous Region (Xinjiang Uyghur region). Chogori is translated from the Western Tibetan Balti dialect as "high". It also has other names: Godwin-Austen, K2 and Dapsang.
A European expedition discovered the summit in 1856. She was given the name K2. Climbers Aleister Crowley and Oscar Eckenstein attempted to climb Mount Chogori in 1902, but their attempt was unsuccessful. For the first time, an Italian expedition managed to reach the summit. On July 31, 1954, Lino Lacedelli and Achilla Compagnoni became the first climbers to conquer Chogori.
To date, there are 10 routes that climb to the top.
Glaciers
The largest non-polar glaciers located in Asia are located on the slopes of the Karakoram mountain range. Baltoro is the largest of them. The area of glaciers is about 15.4 thousand km².
Due to global warming, there is a tendency for the ice to melt all over the world. But scientists have identified a place where glaciers, on the contrary, continue to grow - this mountain system Karakoram. To understand the reasons for this anomaly, scientists analyzed the region's weather data since 1861. A tentative forecast up to 2100 was also made.
As experts have found out, the growth of the ice cover is due to increased humidity, which occurs due to the annual monsoons. Most of the moisture falls as precipitation during the winter, which causes a large accumulation of snow. So the current rate of warming will most likely not affect the Karakorum glaciers in any way. As scientists predict, their growth will be observed until 2100.
- Initially, the name Karakorum was called the pass, which connected India and China. It was located at an altitude of 5,575 m. Over time, the name spread to the entire mountain system.
- The construction of the Karakoram Highway cost $3 billion.
- With the help of a car, you can cross the mountains only through the Khunjerab pass.
- The highway bike route is one of the most popular among travelers.
- In the Karakoram Mountains there is one of the most difficult wall routes in the world - this is the ascent of the Trango Towers.
This city was the first non-nomadic residence Genghis Khan, which turned under his successor Ugedei and the following great khans into a real sovereign capital, named after the nearest Karakorum mountains (from Turkic - “fence of black stones”).
The heyday of the city lasted only 50 years, and the decline - from the moment when the heirs of the empire began to equip their own capitals on the territory of their newly formed possessions.
Where was the city of Karakorum
For the first time, the assumption that traces of buildings found on the site of modern Kharkhorin on Orkhon in the center of modern Mongolia could be the capital of the Chingizids - the city of Karakorum, was made by the head of the expedition of the East Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society N.Ya. Yadrentsev in 1889. In his diaries, N.Ya. Yadrentsev wrote: “We found huge ruins, to which it is not shameful to date the city of jewels (Karakorum).” These were the first and only ruins found in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River. They later became identified with the Karakoram (founded in 1219, completed in 1235, destroyed by Chinese troops in 1380).
In the collection of works of the Orkhon expedition of 1892, conclusions about the belonging of the ruins ancient capital Mongols ( I think that the Mughals are more correct) Karakorum are substantiated by the following words: “To the north of the Erdene-Dzu monastery are the ruins ancient city surrounded on three sides by a small rampart. In the city itself, small ramparts and hills are noticeable - the remains of former houses, between which two main, intersecting streets are clearly visible. On the SE corner of the city there is a huge tortoise with a quadrangular hole in its back for inserting a huge tombstone, similar to the Kui-Tegin monument.
There are no traces left of the plate with inscriptions. Around the turtle there is a shaft and 5 significant mounds, of which the middle one is of enormous volume. On the territory of the monastery, we described stones with inscriptions brought to the monastery from the surrounding area. Especially often there are stones with Chinese signs “Ho-lin” and “Ta-ho-lin” (Chinese name of the city) and with Persian inscriptions “Shekhr Khanbalyk” (Persian name of the city), translated by us as the name of the city of Karakorum. All these stones, brought to the monastery from the nearby ruined city, prove that this city was the capital of the first Genghis Khans - Karakorum.
After the fall of the Yuan Empire, in 1380, the city was completely destroyed by Chinese troops. From the former greatness to the present day, only stone turtles have survived - pedestals for stone stelae, on which the most important decrees of the central government were carved. According to legend, the city was protected from floods by four granite turtles. Two stone turtles are currently located just near the Erdene-Zuu monastery. One stone turtle can be seen at the walls of the Erdene-Zuu monastery from its northwestern side, the other is not far in the mountains, in the southeast.
According to the famous European travelers Plano Carpini (1246), Wilhelm Rubruk (1254), Marco Polo (1274), Karakorum at that time made an unforgettable impression, the splendor of the Tumen-Amgalan Khan's palace and the famous silver tree were especially noted with a wonderful fountain, installed in front of the palace. Four pipes were run through the tree up to its top; the openings of the pipes face down, and each of them is made in the form of a mouth of a gilded snake. Wine poured from one mouth, clarified milk from another, honey drink from the third, rice beer from the fourth.
Karakorum was the only city in that era on a vast territory
Great construction work in Karakorum, proclaimed the capital of the Mongol Empire, unfolded under the second Great Khan Ugedei, the third son of Genghis Khan. The Great Khan issued a decree according to which each of his brothers, sons and other nobles was to build a beautiful house in Karakorum. The construction of the city was basically completed in 1236. Its territory in the form of a quadrangle measuring about 2.5 by 1.5 km was surrounded by a low fortress wall. At the big tower in the fortress stood beautiful palace Ogedei Khan - Tumen-amgalan (Ten thousand blessings or ten thousandfold peace).
The Tummen-Amgalan Palace was erected by Ogedei Khan in 1235. The temple was located in the southwestern part of the city on a bulk platform 1.5 meters high, with walls as long as the distance of an arrow flight. According to the description, the palace had 64 columns and stretched from north to south, appearance resembled a ship, and its two sides were trimmed with two rows of columns. The entrance of the palace faces east, the two-tier hipped roofs were decorated with green and red glazed tiles, a large number of sculptural figures, half dragons, half lions.
One of the largest buildings in the city was a large 5-tier Buddhist temple, built in 1256 at the direction of Munkhe Khan. Its height reached 300 chi (1 chi = 0.31 m), the width was 7 jan, or 22 m, on the lower floor there were statues of various deities in four walls.
All the threads of control of the vast Mongol Empire converged in Karakorum. Roads were laid to it from the main cities of neighboring countries. The movement was especially well superimposed on the Karakorum-Peking line, which was then called Dadu.
Genghisides left a huge mark in the history of China. But they didn't stay there forever.
20 years after the flight of the Genghisid rulers from the Celestial Empire and the accession of the Chinese national Ming dynasty in China, the city of Karakorum, under the Mongol rulers in Dadu (Beijing), was 150 years a provincial locality, and for only 20 years, which again became the capital of the Chingizid khans of Mongolia, having accepted them - expelled from Chinese lands, was completely destroyed by the Ming troops. And Mongolia itself has become almost 500 times a satellite of China.
The Central Asian mountain system Karakoram, whose name is translated from Turkic as "Black Stones", forms a watershed between the Indus and Tarim rivers. The Karakorum stretched from the northwest to the southeast from the Barogil Pass to the bend of the Shayok River.
In political and administrative terms, Karakorum occupies vast areas of three large states at once - Pakistan, China and India.
The Karakoram was formed 10-15 million years ago as a result of the ongoing movement of the Hindustan lithospheric plate, which is advancing and deforming the Eurasian one. The speed of the Indian plate is about 5 cm per year. Rugged plate tectonics lead to frequent and destructive earthquakes in the area the globe. Subsequent faults raised the mountains to their present height, severely dismembering the slopes and ridges. Later, under the influence of ancient and modern glaciation and erosion, a sharp and typically alpine relief of the Karakorum was created.
Karakorum is divided into four regions according to the nature of the relief and the river basin: Agyl-Karakorum, Western, Central and Eastern Karakorum. The last three form the Big Karakorum.
Agyl-Karakorum is the advanced northern ridge of the Karakorum.
The Hunza River flows along the Western Karakorum, along which the Karakorum Highway is laid. Today, the entire Western Karakoram, with the exception of the northern slopes of the Muztag ridge, is controlled by Pakistan (the state border between China and Pakistan runs along the central part of Muztag). Nowhere else in the world is there such a cluster of seven-thousanders: in the Western Karakorum there are about seventy of them.
To the east of the place where the Muztag and Hispar ranges converge, is located Central Karakoram. Here the borders of three countries converge at once: the north belongs to the PRC, the east to India, and the rest to Pakistan. There are also several dozens of the highest peaks - seven-thousanders and eight-thousanders, including highest peak of the entire Karakorum and the second highest peak in the world, or K2.
Almost the entire Eastern Karakoram is under the control of India, only the northern slopes of the Siachen Muztag ridge belong to the PRC. There are about forty seven-thousanders here. However, the most impressive sight is the lower mountains, called the Trango Towers (Big Trango Tower - 6286 m). These are rock spiers at the northern tip of the Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan. Some of the tallest and hardest-to-reach rock walls in the world rise to the top of the towers.
Karakoram remains the world's largest compact area of modern mountain glaciation in low latitudes: glaciers occupy more than 16% total area mountain system, and in the west - from 30 to 50%.
Despite such an abundance of glaciers, the vegetation rises very high: grass (daisies, encians, bluebells and edelweiss) is found at an altitude of 5500 m, and moss and lichens - up to 6500 m. from avalanches.
The fauna of the Karakorum is rather poor. The biggest predator - the snow leopard - is a very rare animal. Of the herbivores, a tur with meter horns, a chamois, a mountain goat, a wild yak, an orongo antelope, an ada antelope, a wild donkey, and a hare are common among rodents. A large number of species of birds of prey nesting on the rocks, and at the foot of the mountains live saja, Tibetan snowcock, partridge, sickle beak, white-breasted dove, red finch.
The Karakoram mountain system - one of the highest in the world - is located on the western outskirts of the Tibetan Plateau - between the Pamirs and Kunlun in the north, the Himalayas and Gandishishan in the south.
The tongues of the largest glaciers in Asia stretched along the slopes of the Karakorum. But even here life is in full swing and people live, although there are much fewer of them than in neighboring mountainous regions.
One of the first - or perhaps the very first - European, who in 1715 passed along the main caravan route through the passes of the Karakoram, was the Italian priest Ippolito Desiteri from Pistoia. There is evidence of an even earlier European journey through the Karakorum, which were two priests from Portugal who crossed the passes in 1631.
The documented visits of Europeans to Karakoram were the travels of English explorers in the early 19th century.
In the same century, Russia showed interest in the Karakoram, sending several expeditions there. This met with a fierce rejection of the British, who already considered this area the territory of their interests. The struggle between England and Russia for influence in Central Asia in the 19th century. went down in world history under the name "Great Game".
The names of two travelers who represented both sides at that time are known.
The Englishman Francis Younghusband (1863-1942) was not only a traveler, but also a scout. During the expeditions of 1886-1887. he went through the entire Karakorum.
In 1889, in the Kaindyny-Auzy tract, Youngkhazband had a historical meeting with the Russian traveler Bronislav Grombchevsky (1855-1926), who also explored this region of the Karakorum.
In the 19th century the British, trying to conquer the states of Central Asia, said that to control them it was not necessary to conquer the whole country, it was enough to "saddle" the passes.
The Karakoram passes are vital points in the center of Asia, where trade routes have been running since ancient times. For example, in the past, a caravan route from the principality of Kanjut (present-day Pakistan) to Kashgar (now part of China) passed through the Khunjerab pass at an almost five-kilometer height.
Nowadays, the Karakoram Highway passes through the Khundzherab pass - a high-mountain highway Kashgar - 1300 km long (one third - within the PRC, two thirds - Pakistan). The highway was built from 1966 to 1986, adhering to the ancient route of the Great Silk Road (in fact, there is no other way among these tall mountains). Avalanches, rockfalls and falls from a height claimed the lives of thousands of builders. In the immediate vicinity of the highway, the tongue of one of the largest Karakoram glaciers, Batur, descends into the valley of the Hunza River.
Because of the glaciers and high mountains The Karakorum is sparsely populated compared to the neighboring Himalayas. People live mainly in river valleys and on passes, and even then not very high. For example, on the Shimsal pass, which is at an altitude of 3 km, Vakhani live.
The basis of the local society is the rural community. Islam is widespread, but ancient beliefs - animism and the cult of ancestors - have been preserved everywhere.
There are very few fertile lands in the Karakoram region. The deep intermountain valleys have a dry and warm climate, which makes it possible to engage in agriculture with artificial irrigation. The traditional occupation in the valleys is manual farming, grain growing, horticulture, horticulture, and in the valleys - viticulture.
Men here traditionally spin the wool of goats and yaks, and are engaged in pottery. In the highlands, they are engaged in transhumance, hunting, and gold mining. Serving caravans and tourist groups has become a traditional occupation: work as porters and drivers of pack animals.
general information
Location: Central Asia.Administrative affiliation: Pakistan (Gilgit-Baptistan province) - 48%, India (Jammu and Kashmir state, Ladakh historical region) - 27%, PRC (Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region) - 25%. Afghanistan is also listed in some sources.
Regions and ranges: Western Karakorum (Muztag, Rakaposhi, Haramosh, Hispar Muztag, Karun-Koh, Tashkurgan ridge), Central Karakorum (Masherbrum with the Baltistan spur, Baltoro Muztag, Saltoro Muztag), Eastern Karakorum (Siachen Muztag, Rimo Muztag, Saser Muztag ), Agyl-Karakorum.
Languages: Urdu (most common), Wakhan, Sheena, Kalash, Khovar, Burushaski, Balti.
Ethnic composition: Vakhani, Sheena, Kalash, Kho, Burishi, Balti.
Religions: Islam (Sunnis, Shiites, Ismailis), Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism and ancestor worship.
Monetary units: Pakistani Rupee, Indian Rupee, Chinese Yuan.
Rivers: Indus, Shayok, Raskemdarya, Shaksgam, Tashkurgan, Vakhandara, Karambar, Gilgit, Hunza, Chapursan.
Neighboring territories and borders: in the south - (separated from the Himalayas by the valleys of the Indus and Shayok rivers), in the east - the Tibetan Plateau (separated from Tibet by the valleys of the Shayok and Raskemdarya rivers), in the north - and (separated from Kunlun by the Raskemdarya valley and from the Pamirs - by the Tashkurgan and Vahandara valleys) , in the west - (separated from the Hindu Kush by the valley of the Karambar River).
Numbers
Area: 77,154 km2.Length: from 476 to 800 km (together with the eastern extension - the Changchenmo and Pangong ridges).
Width: 466 km.
Population: not installed.
The average height of the mountains: 6000 m.
highest point: Mount Chogori, or K2 (8611 m).
Other peaks: Western Karakoram (Batura - 7795 m, Rakaposhi - 7780 m, Dastogil Shar - 7885 m, Kuniang Chish - 7852 m, Kanzhut Shar - 7760 m), Central Karakorum (Chogori - 8614 m, Gasherbrum-1 - 8080 m, Broad Peak, or KZ, - 8051 m, Gasherbrum-2 - 8034 m, Gasherbrum-3 - 7946 m. Gasherbrum-4 - 7932 m, Masherbrum - 7806 m, Saltoro Kangri - 7742 m). Eastern Karakoram (Saser Kangri - 7672 m, Mamostong Kangri - 7516 m, Teram Kangri - 7462 m).
Passes: Sarpolago (5623 m), Shuredavan (5000 m), Uprangdavan (4920 m), Gayjak-davan (4890 m), Kilik (4827 m), Agyldavan (4805 m), Mintaka (4709 m), Khunjerab (4655 m) ), Shimsal (3100 m).
Total number of glaciers: more than 2300.
Total area of glaciation: 15,400 km2.
Largest glaciers (length): Siachen (76 km), Biafo (68 km), Baltoro (62 km), Batura (59 km).
Climate and weather
Sharply continental.January average temperature: -35°C.
July average temperature: +8°С.
Average annual rainfall: in valleys - 100-200 mm, on slopes above 5000 m - from 1200 mm and above.
Relative humidity: 60-70%.
Intense solar radiation, large daily amplitudes of air temperature, significant evaporation.
Economy
Minerals: molybdenum, beryllium, gold, sulfur, gems, granite, mineral springs.Agriculture: plant growing (corn, wheat, rice, barley, peas, alfalfa, vegetable growing, horticulture, viticulture, melon growing), animal husbandry (transhumance - yaks, goats).
traditional crafts: pottery, spinning wool of yaks and goats.
Service sector: serving caravans and tourist groups, working as porters, cooks and drivers of pack animals.
sights
■ Natural: Chogori peak, other seven- and eight-thousanders, Batur glacier, Trango Towers (mountain spiers), river valleys.■ architectural: Karakorum highway (Kashgar - Tashkurgan - Gilgit - Islamabad).
Curious facts
■ The name Karakorum (from the Turkic "kara" - "black" and "korum" - "rocky placer") originally referred only to the pass on the border of China and India, located at an altitude of 5575 m. Later travelers and researchers extended this name to the entire mountain system.■ The cycling route along the Karakoram Highway is popular among tourists in these mountains.
■ Muztag - the advanced northern range of the Western Karakorum. The Turkic word "muztag" is often found in geographical names Central Asia and means "ice ridge": Baltoro Muztag (Baltoro ice ridge), Hispar Muztag (Hispar ice ridge). Only one of the ranges of the Karakorum is called simply Muztag.
■ The construction costs of the Karakoram Highway amounted to about three billion dollars.
■ Over the past two centuries, the largest glacier, Batur, has advanced three times and retreated twice. It manages to stay within the modern borders thanks to abundant food: the amount of precipitation at an altitude of 5 km reaches 1400-2000 mm per year. However, at the end of the glacier, melting ice is coming 315 days a year, and during this time a layer of ice up to 18 m thick thaws. Such a large amount of moisture is compensated by the incredibly high speed of ice movement: 20 km from the end of the glacier, its speed is 517 m/year.
■ Climbing any of the Trango Towers - one of the hardest wall routes in the world - is considered an outstanding achievement in the history of mountaineering.
■ The glaciers of the Karakorum almost do not decrease in size compared to, for example, the Himalayan ones, because, unlike the latter, they are covered with a layer of stone fragments that protect the ice from direct sunlight.
■ The Khundzherab pass is the only one in the entire Karakorum that can be crossed by car.
■ An old legend of the Karakorum Wakhans tells that the first inhabitants of the Shimsal Pass were Mamo Singh and his wife Khadija. Their son Sher, according to Wakhan mythology, was a skilled rider: he managed to beat the Chinese in a game of polo, with the Chinese on horseback and Sher on a yak.
■ Due to the lack of cereals and, as a result, bread in remote areas of the Karakorum, the exchange of dried fruits and vegetables for grain is widespread.
