Everything about The Pamir Mountains totally explained
The
Pamir Mountains are located in
Central Asia and are formed by the junction or
knot of the
Tian Shan,
Karakoram,
Kunlun, and
Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest
mountains. They are also known by the Chinese name of
Congling 葱嶺 or 'Onion Mountains.'
The Pamir region is centered in the
Tajikistani region of
Gorno-Badakhshan. Parts of the Pamir also lie in the countries of
Kyrgyzstan,
Afghanistan, and
Pakistan. South of Gorno-Badakhshan, the
Wakhan Corridor runs through the Pamir region, which also includes the northern extremes of the
North-West Frontier Province and the northern extremes of Pakistan called
Northern Areas and
Azad Kashmir.
Geography
Its three highest mountains are
Ismoil Somoni Peak (known from 1932–1962 as Stalin Peak, and from 1962–1998 as Communism Peak), 24,590 ft (7,495 m);
Ibn Sina Peak (still unofficially known as
Lenin Peak), 23,406 ft (7,134 m); and
Peak Korzhenevskaya (in
Russian,
Pik Korzhenevskoi), 23,310 ft (7,105 m).
There are many
glaciers in the Pamir Mountains, including the 48-mile-long (77 km)
Fedchenko Glacier, the longest in the former
USSR and the longest glacier outside the
Polar region.
Climate
Covered in
snow throughout the year, the Pamirs have long and bitterly cold winters, and short, cool summers. Annual
precipitation is about 5 inches (130 mm), which supports
grasslands but few
trees.
Economy
Coal is mined in the west, though
sheep herding in upper
meadowlands are the primary source of income for the region.
Discoveries
In the early 1980s, a deposit of
gemstone-quality
clinohumite was discovered in the Pamir Mountains. It was the only such deposit known until the discovery of gem-quality material in the
Taymyr region of
Siberia, in 2000.
Transportation
At the southeastern edge of the Pamir region in China, the
Karakoram Highway, the highest international highway in the world, connects Pakistan to
China. The Pamir Highway, the world's second highest, runs from
Dushanbe in
Tajikistan to
Osh in
Kyrgyzstan through the
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and is the isolated region's main supply route. The Great
Silk Road crossed a number of Pamir Mountain ranges.
Strategic Position
Historically, the Pamir Mountains were considered a strategic trade route between
Kashgar and
Kokand on the
Northern Silk Road and have been subject to numerous territorial conquests. The Northern Silk Road (about 2600 kilometres in length) connected the ancient Chinese capital of
Xian to the west over the Pamir Mountains to emerge in
Kashgar before linking to ancient
Parthia. In the 20th Century, they've been the setting for
Tajikistan Civil War, border disputes between
China and Soviet Union, establishment of US, Russian, and Indian military bases, and renewed interest in trade development and resource exploration.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pamir Mountains'.
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