Menu

View of the moon over Karakoram

The Karakoram is a Mountain range in Asia. The name is from a Turkic word meaning back gravel. It is mainly located in China, India, and Pakistan. Parts of the range extend into Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Many of its mountains are in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh, and Xinjiang. It is the second highest mountain range in the world. The Karakoram is part of a complex of mountain ranges that also includes the Himalaya, Hindu Kush, and Pamir ranges. The range has eight mountains with tops over 7,500 metres (24,600 ft) high. Four of these are higher than 8,000 metres (26,000 ft). They are K2, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II. K2 is the world's second highest peak.