THE KARAKORAM MOUNTAINS

1.       Location: The Karakoram Mountains extend from Tibet in the east to the Hindu Kush Mountains in the west.

2.       Geography: They lie west of the Indus River and extend northward beyond Pakistan’s borders.

3.       Boundary: The water dividing the Indus River and the Kabul River is the boundary between the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains.

4.       Width: The Karakoram Mountains are approximately 800 kilometers wide.

5.       Peaks: The Karakoram range has the highest number of peaks over 7000 meters in the world.

6.       High Peaks: There are 18 mountains higher than 7000 meters in the Karakoram range.

7.       8000-Meter Peaks: Four mountains have a height above 8000 meters in this range.

8.       K2: K2 is the second-highest peak in the world, at 8,611 meters.

9.       Glaciers: The Karakoram range is the most glaciated region outside the polar regions, with glaciers ranging from 7 to 82 kilometers in length.

10.    Longest Glacier: The Siachen Glacier is the longest, covering 76 kilometers.

11.    Biafo Glacier: The Biafo Glacier is 72.5 kilometers wide.

12.    Snowline: The snowline in the southern Karakoram is at a height of approximately 3300 meters.

13.    Khunjerab Pass: The Khunjerab Pass is an important pass linking Pakistan and China through the Karakoram Highway.

14.    K2 Discovery: K2 was discovered and measured by Henry Godwin Austen in 1851.

15.    Single-Day Ascent: In 2012, 28 climbers managed to scale K2 in a single day.

16.    First Ascent: K2 was first ascended on July 31, 1954.

17.    Pakistani First Ascent: Ashraf Aman became the first Pakistani to reach the summit of K2 on August 7, 1978.

18.    Gasherbrum I: Gasherbrum I is ranked as the 11th highest peak in the world.

19.    Gasherbrum I: Conquered by an American expedition in 1958.

20.    Broad Peak: Named by Martin Conway.

21.    Broad Peak Ascent: Conquered on June 9, 1957.

22.    Broad Peak Ranking: Ranked 12th highest peak in the world.

23.    8000-Meter Peaks: There are over two dozen peaks over 8000 meters in the region.

24.    Highest Summits: The Karakoram range has the most summits in Pakistan.

25.    Towering Peaks: Gilgit is known for its towering mountain peaks.

26.    Third Pole: The Karakoram is known as the Third Pole.

27.    7000-Meter Peaks: There are scores of peaks over 7000 meters in the Karakoram Range.

28.    Egyptian Pyramid: Nanga Parbat is known as the “Egyptian Pyramid.”

29.    Mt. Palju: Height is 6510 meters.

30.    Nair Sabir: Made history by climbing K2’s west/southwest ridge in 1980.

31.    K2: 8,611 meters

32.    Batura Peak: 7,795 meters

33.    Raka Poshi: 7,788 meters

34.    Passu Peak: 7,478 meters

35.    Ultar Peak: 7,388 meters

36.    Sia-Kangri-I: 7,442 meters

37.    Muztagh Tower: 7,213 meters

38.    Diran Peak: 7,266 meters

39. Mt. Palju: 6,510 meters