Karakoram Highway
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:KKH.png Image:Karakorum-carretera-d08.jpg
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China to Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass at a recently confirmed altitude of 4,693 metres (15,397 feet), which makes it by far the highest paved international border crossing in the world.
The highway, connecting Northern Areas of Pakistan to the ancient Silk Road, runs about 1,200 km from Kashgar, China to Havelian in the Abbottabad District of Pakistan. An extension of the highway meets the Grand Trunk Road at Hasan Abdal, west of Islamabad, Pakistan. A large part of the highway runs through Northern Areas.
Contents |
Tourism
In recent years, the KKH has become something of a destination for adventure travel. The road has also given mountaineers easier access to the many high mountains in the area. In March 2006, the respective governments announced that, commencing on June 1, 2006, once-a-day bus service each way would begin across the boundary from Gilgit, Pakistan to Taxkorgan, China and road widening work would begin on 600 kilometers of the highway.
High mountain ranges and glaciers are visible from the road, which also passes through green valleys of great natural beauty. Rock art and petroglyphs are found all along the road in Northern Areas of Pakistan. Karimabad, Hunza Valley is a popular destination in Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Weather
The KKH is best travelled in the spring or early autumn. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the highway down for extended periods. Heavy monsoon rains, around July and August, cause occasional mudslides that can block the road for hours or more. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only between May 1 and October 15 of every year.
Image:Start Karkoram Highway.jpg
History
The KKH was built by the governments of Pakistan and China, and was completed in 1978, after about twenty years of work. Several hundred Pakistanis and Chinese workers lost their lives, mostly in landslides and falls, while working on the highway. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Road.
On the Pakistani side, the road was constructed by FWO (Frontier Works Organization), employing the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers. Presently Engineer-in-Chief's Branch Pakistan Army is working on a project of documenting the History of Karakoram Highway. Brigadier (Retired) Muhammad Mumtaz Khalid, an old veteran who worked on the road during its construction, is writing the History of Karakoram Highway.
Owing to the extremely sensitive state of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram highway has strategic and military importance.
References
- Curzon, George Nathaniel. 1896. The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus. Royal Geographical Society, London. Reprint: Elibron Classics Series, Adamant Media Corporation. 2005. ISBN 1402159838 (pbk; ISBN 1402130902 (hbk).
See also
- Karakorum
- Khardungla Pass - Highest motorable road in the world.
External links
- Northern Areas Development Gateway
- Pakistan's Northern Areas
- Pictures of Karakoram Highway
- Karakoram Highway Map
- A good brief description of the highwayde:Karakorum Highway
es:Carretera del Karakórum nl:Karakoram Highway fi:Karakorumin maantie zh:Karakoram Highway