Arikah Map

Pamir Mountains

Coordinates: 39°00′N 72°00′E

Pamir Mountains:A photograph of Ismail Samani Peak (then known as Peak Communism) taken in 1989.
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A photograph of Ismail Samani Peak (then known as Peak Communism) taken in 1989.

Located in Central Asia, the Pamir Mountains 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 the Northern Areas of Pakistan.


Contents

Geography

Its three highest mountains are Ismail Samani Peak (known from 1932–1962 as Stalin Peak, and from 1962–1998 as Communism Peak), 24,590 ft (7,495 m); Independence Peak, 23,508 ft (7,165 m); and Pik Korzhenevskoi, 23,310 ft (7,105 m).

There are many glaciers in the Pamir Mountains, including the 45-mile-long (72 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 area.

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 highest international highway in the world, the Karakoram Highway, 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.


Further reading

See also

Categories


Geography of Central Asia | Mountain ranges of Pakistan | Mountain ranges of Asia | Mountains of Tajikistan | Mountains of Afghanistan | Mountains of Kyrgyzstan

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