[go: nahoru, domu]
Jump to content

Khardung La

Coordinates: 34°16′42″N 77°36′15″E / 34.27833°N 77.60417°E / 34.27833; 77.60417
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vistet (talk | contribs) at 13:26, 17 April 2023 (Fixed typo). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Khardung La
Tibetan: མཁར་གདོང་ལ་
Khardung La is located in Ladakh
Khardung La
Location of Khardung La
Khardung La is located in India
Khardung La
Khardung La (India)
Elevation5,359 m (17,582 ft)
LocationLadakh, India
RangeHimalaya, Ladakh Range
Coordinates34°16′42″N 77°36′15″E / 34.27833°N 77.60417°E / 34.27833; 77.60417

Khardung La (Tibetan: མཁར་གདོང་ལ་, Wylie: mkhar gdong la, THL: khar dong la) or Khardung Pass is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh.

The pass is on the Ladakh Range, north of Leh, and connects the Indus river valley and the Shyok river valley. It also forms the gateway to the Nubra valley, beyond which lies the Siachen Glacier. A motorable road through the pass was built in 1976, and opened to public motor vehicles in 1988. Maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier. The road is one of the world's highest motoroable roads.[1]

The elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m (17,582 ft).[2] Local summit signs and dozens of stores selling shirts in Leh incorrectly claim its elevation to be in the vicinity of 5,602 m (18,379 ft) and that it is the world's highest motorable pass.

History

Khardong La is historically important as it lies on the major caravan route from Leh to Kashgar in Central Asia. About 10,000 horses and camels used to take the route annually, and a small population of Bactrian camels can still be seen at Hunder, in the area north of the pass. In the early 1950s, William O. Douglas described "the trail, after crossing the Indus, divides, one fork going south along the river's edge to Spitok, Khalatse and Khargil, the other turning north to Leh, the Khardong Pass (...), and Yarkand, an ancient trading center of Sinkiang."[3] He continues, "Leh is on a historic caravan route that leads not only to Yarkand in Sinkiang but to Lhasa in Tibet. (...) the stream of trade. Wool, silver, felts, tea, candy, skins, velvets, silk, gold, carpets, musk, coral, borax, jade cups, salt came down from the north. Cotton goods, shawls, brocades, opium, indigo, plumes, shoes, pearls, ginger, cloves, pepper, honey, tobacco, sugar cane, barley rice, wheat, corn came up from the south."[4] During World War II there was an attempt to transfer war material to China through this route.[citation needed].

Climate

Khardung La has an arctic tundra climate (ET) with short, cool summers and long, very cold winters.

Climate data for Khardung La
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −19
(−2) 		−18
(0) 		−14
(7) 		−11
(12) 		−5
(23) 		1
(34) 		7
(45) 		7
(45) 		1
(34) 		−8
(18) 		−14
(7) 		−18
(0) 		−8
(19)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −36
(−33) 		−34
(−29) 		−31
(−24) 		−25
(−13) 		−15
(5) 		−9
(16) 		−6
(21) 		−6
(21) 		−10
(14) 		−18
(0) 		−25
(−13) 		−31
(−24) 		−20
(−5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 29
(1.1) 		41
(1.6) 		53
(2.1) 		38
(1.5) 		28
(1.1) 		9
(0.4) 		9
(0.4) 		8
(0.3) 		8
(0.3) 		8
(0.3) 		13
(0.5) 		22
(0.9) 		266
(10.5)
Source: [5]
  • Khardung La in winter
    Khardung La in winter
  • Khardung village (right), the namesake of the pass
    Khardung village (right), the namesake of the pass
  • The claimed 5,602 metres (18,379 ft); the actual elevation is 5,359 metres (17,582 ft).
    The claimed 5,602 metres (18,379 ft); the actual elevation is 5,359 metres (17,582 ft).
  • Approach from Indus Valley
    Approach from Indus Valley
  • Khardung La road through the rocks
    Khardung La road through the rocks

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top 13 Highest Motorable Passes or Roads in the World". 5 February 2015.
  2. ^ DGPS Document supplied by the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia
  3. ^ Douglas, William O. (William Orville), 1898-1980. (1953). Beyond the High Himalayas. [An account of a journey to Afghanistan and Ladakh.] London. OCLC 559521308. the trail, after crossing the Indus, divides, one fork going south along the river's edge to Spitok, Khalatse and Khargil, the other turning north to Leh, the Khardong Pass (18, 380 feet), and Yarkand, an ancient trading center of Sinkiang.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Douglas, William O. (William Orville), 1898-1980. (1953). Beyond the High Himalayas. [An account of a journey to Afghanistan and Ladakh.] London. OCLC 559521308. Leh is on a historic caravan route that leads not only to Yarkand in Sinkiang but to Lhasa in Tibet. (...) the stream of trade. Wool, silver, felts, tea, candy, skins, velvets, silk, gold, carpets, musk, coral, borax, jade cups, salt came down from the north. Cotton goods, shawls, brocades, opium, indigo, plumes, shoes, pearls, ginger, cloves, pepper, honey, tobacco, suger cane, barley rice, wheat, corn came up from the south.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate/khardūng-la_india_1266938 [bare URL]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khardung La.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khardung_La&oldid=1150321250"