Karakoram Pass
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Overview
The Karakoram Pass, about 5,540 m, is an old caravan route between Ladakh and Xinjiang.
At about 5,540 m it is on the old caravan route from Leh to Yarkand.
It lies on the watershed between the Shyok basin and the Yarkand basin in Xinjiang.
Daulat Beg Oldi, India's high airstrip, is close to the pass.
The pass is the main route through the Karakoram range.
It is often closed due to snow and has little vegetation.
The Siachen glacier lies to its west.
Questions often confuse it with the Khunjerab pass in Pakistan-occupied area.
Geography and key facts
- Ladakh–Xinjiang
- About 5,540 m
- Leh–Yarkand route
- Daulat Beg Oldi nearby
Why it matters for UPSC
Asked on passes.
Note for UPSC
Old caravan route between Ladakh and Xinjiang.
Passes are often asked as state–pass pairs or in a north-to-south order; learn which places each pass links.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Karakoram Pass yet.
Key facts
- Type
- Mountain pass
- State / UT
- Ladakh
- Coordinates
- 35.513°N, 77.823°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physiographic Divisions of India in Depth (map lesson)