Karakoram Highway, Chinese (Pinyin) Karakorum Gonglu or (Wade-Giles romanization) K’a-la-k’un-lun Kung-lu, also called Zhongba Gonglu, roadway that connects Kashgar (Kaxgar) in western Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China, with Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The road, which took almost 20 years (1959–78) to complete, extends for about 500 miles (800 km) through some of the most rugged and inaccessible terrain in Asia; it runs through or near the Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Kunlun Mountains, and Karakoram Range.
Proceeding southward from Kashgar through western Xinjiang, the highway threads its way through valleys around the towering peaks of the Sarykol Range (at the juncture of the Pamirs and the Kunluns) before crossing into the Northern Areas (in the Pakistani-administered portion of Kashmir) at Khunjerab (Kunjirap) Pass. The road then winds through deep valleys in the Karakorams until, just east of Gilgit, it reaches the upper Indus River valley. It then follows the Indus down, past the Nanga Parbat massif, until the river breaks out of the mountains, at which point the road veers away and heads generally southward to Islamabad.
The highway was a joint Pakistani and Chinese project and required the skills of about 24,000 workers. Mud slides, rockfalls, and other avalanches were a constant danger, and the road’s construction was particularly hampered by the unforeseen movement of glaciers in the region. Even after its completion, the highway continued to require heavy maintenance, but it has had a notable economic impact on the Uighur, Tajik, and Kyrgyz peoples who inhabit the mountainous region.
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Kashgar
Kashgar , oasis city, western Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, far western China. Kashgar lies at the western end of the Tarim Basin, in a fertile oasis of loess (silt deposited by the wind) and alluvial soils watered by the Kaxgar… -
Xinjiang
Xinjiang , autonomous region of China, occupying the northwestern corner of the country. It is bordered by the Chinese provinces of… -
China
China , country of East Asia. It is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of… -
Islamabad
Islamabad , city, capital of Pakistan, on the Potwar Plateau, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Rawalpindi, the former interim capital. The city’s site was chosen by a commission in 1959 after Karachi was found unsuitable as the capital. Construction began in 1961… -
Pakistan
Pakistan , populous and multiethnic country of South Asia. Having a predominately Indo-Iranian speaking population, Pakistan has historically and culturally been associated with its neighbours Iran, Afghanistan, and India. Since Pakistan and India achieved independence in 1947, Pakistan has been distinguished from its larger southeastern neighbour by its overwhelmingly Muslim population…