Trans-Karakoram Tract
Chinese-administered area in the northern half of Kashmir near the Shaksgam River / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Trans-Karakoram Tract (Chinese: 喀喇昆仑走廊; pinyin: Kālǎkūnlún zǒuláng), also known as the Shaksgam Tract (Urdu: شکسگام, romanized: Shaksgām), is an area of approximately 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq mi)[1] north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam valley.[2][3] The tract is administered by China as part of its Taxkorgan and Yecheng counties in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Although the Shaksgam tract was originally under the control of India following the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947, Pakistan took control of the region after the First India-Pakistan War and subsequently ceded it to China in 1963 through the Sino-Pakistan Agreement, and a border based on actual ground positions was recognized as the international border by China and Pakistan.[4][5] The Shaksgam Tract, along with the entire Kashmir region, is claimed by India.[6][7] Further, New Delhi has never accepted the China-Pakistan boundary pact, asserting that Islamabad "unlawfully" attempted to cede the area to Beijing.[8]
Trans-Karakoram Tract
Shaksgam Tract | |
---|---|
Location of the Trans-Karakoram Tract within the Southern Xinjiang region is disputed by India | |
Coordinates: 36°01′33″N 76°38′46″E | |
Administering state | China |
Autonomous Region | Xinjiang |
Prefecture | Kashgar |
County | Taxkorgan and Kargilik |
Area | |
• Total | 5,180 km2 (2,000 sq mi) |
Most of the tract is composed of the Shaksgam Valley and was formerly administered as part of Shigar, a district (formerly a tehsil) in the Baltistan region. A polo ground in Shaksgam was built by the Amacha Royal family of Shigar, and the Rajas of Shigar used to invite the Amirs of Hotan to play polo there.[9] Most of the names of the mountains, lakes, rivers and passes are in Balti/Ladakhi, suggesting that this land had been part of Baltistan/Ladakh region for a long time.
The tract is one of the most inhospitable areas of the world, with some of the highest mountains. Bounded by the Kunlun Mountains in the north, and the Karakoram peaks to the south, including Broad Peak, K2 and Gasherbrum, on the southeast it is adjacent to the highest battlefield in the world on the Siachen Glacier region which is controlled by India.