Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Natural wonders in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Xinjiang’s vast terrain contains some of the world’s most formidable geographical features. This collection spans the Karakoram and Tian Shan ranges, featuring the 8,611-meter summit of K2 and the "Father of Ice Mountains," Muztagh Ata. High-altitude bodies of water like the turquoise Sayram Lake and the sprawling Bosten Lake punctuate the arid landscape. Strategically significant mountain passes, including the 5,540-meter Karakoram Pass and the Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistan border, offer access through these rugged continental divides.

Natural Wonders — Map

Kuno Lechner / CC-BY-SA-3.0

A

K2

K2, at 8,611 metres above sea level, is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest at 8,849 metres.

Jaan Künnap / CC BY-SA 4.0

B

Pobeda Peak (Jengish Chokusu)

Jengish Chokusu or Victory Peak is the highest mountain in the Tian Shan mountain system in Central Asia at 7,439 metres.

Wayne lord / CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Bogda Peak

Bogda Peak or Bogda Feng is the highest mountain in the Bogda Shan range, in the eastern Tian Shan mountains, China, at 5,445 m and the…

George Lu / CC BY 2.0

D

Sayram Lake

Sayram Lake is located in the Bortala Prefecture near the Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang, China.

E

Heavenly Lake

Tianchi is an alpine lake in Xinjiang, Northwest China, situated at 43°53′9.7″N 88°7′56.6″E.

F

Broad Peak

Broad Peak is one of the eight-thousanders, and is located in the Karakoram range spanning Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China.

G

Karakoram Pass

The Karakoram Pass is a 5,540 m or 18,176 ft mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range.

Nain Malik / CC BY-SA 4.0

H

Khunjerab Pass

Khunjerab Pass is a 4,693-meter-high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains, in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan…

I

Bosten Lake

Bosten Lake is a freshwater lake on the northeastern rim of the Tarim Basin, about 20 km east of Yanqi and 57 km northeast of Korla,…

J

Ulungur Lake

Ulungur Lake is located in Fuhai County, Xinjiang, China. With an area of 1,035 square kilometers, the lake is one of China's ten largest…

K

Khüiten Peak

Khüiten Peak, also known in China as Friendship Peak, is a mountain peak in the Altai Range.

L

Liushi Shan

Liushi Shan, also known as Kunlun Goddess, is a mountain in the Kunlun Mountain Range in China.

M

Sauyr Zhotasy

Sauyr Zhotasy, also known as Muz Tau, at 3,840 m is the highest point in the Saur Range and of the entire Saur-Tarbagatai mountain system,…

Lrompf~commonswiki / CC-BY-SA-3.0

N

Muztagh Ata

Muztagh Ata, formerly known as Mount Tagharma and Wi-tagh, is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of the…

Florian Ederer / CC BY 2.5

O

Gasherbrum

Gasherbrum is a remote group of peaks situated at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram mountain range.

P

Barkol Lake

An endorheic salt lake situated in a high-mountain basin between the Barkol Tagh and the Main Altai ranges.

Defense Mapping Agency / Public domain

Q

Lake Ayakum

Ayakum Lake is a lake near the northern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau, to the southeast of the Kunlun Mountains.

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