Nyalam Tong La or Yakrushong La is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
in China on the ''Matsung Tsangpo''-''Phung Chhu'' watershed divide where the
Friendship Highway connecting
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
and
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
,
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
crosses at elevation.
Originally called Yakrushong La and ''Kuti Pass'' by
Nepalese traders, the pass is currently generally known as Nyalam Tong La ("''pass from which Nyalam is visible''"), or simply Tong La, although the original Tong La pass lies further east on the traditional
Tingri-
Nyalam trade route. About 11 km north, the Friendship Highway crosses another pass Lalung La which is not a significant watershed divide.
From the Matsang Tsangpo-Phung Chhu divide, the Matsang flows directly south into Nepal where its name changes to ''
Sun Kosi
The Sunkoshi, also spelt Sunkosi, is a river of Nepal that is part of the Koshi or Saptkoshi River system in Nepal. Sunkoshi has two source streams, one that arises within Nepal in Choukati, and the other more significant stream that flows in fr ...
''. North of the divide ''Men Chhu'' flows northeast into the Phung Chhu (or ''Bum Chhu'' in Tibetan; ''Peng Qu'' in Chinese) which flows east to 87d40'E where it combines with other streams and turns south to cut a deep valley between the
Mahalangur (
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
) and
Kanchenjunga
Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third List of highest mountains on Earth, highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', wh ...
sections of the Himalaya. As it crosses into Nepal its name changes to
''Arun''.
[*] Sun Kosi and Arun are both counted among the
Kosi River
The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence o ...
's seven notable Himalayan tributaries.
Nyalam Tong La also separates the ''Jugal'' and ''Labuche'' sections of the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. The Jugal section to the west includes 8,013 meter
Shishapangma
Shishapangma, also called Gosainthān, is the 14th-highest mountain in the world, at above sea level. In 1964, it became the last of the 8,000-metre peaks to be climbed. This was due to its location entirely within Tibet and the restrictions ...
while the less famous Labuche (or ''Lapche'') section to the east includes 7,367 meter
Labuche Kang
Labuche Kang (or Lapche Kang, Lobuche Kang I, Choksiam) is a northern outlier of the Himalayas inside Tibet. It rises northwest of Rolwaling Himal and east of Shishapangma. The peak belongs to a little-known section of the Himalaya variously ca ...
br>
See also
*
Friendship Highway (Tibet) There are several highways sometimes known as Friendship highways. Note that the "friendship" name may not in all cases necessarily be the current official name or common name.
* China-Laos Friendship Highway, 1963 (Chinese 中老友谊公路)
* Chi ...
*
Arun River
The River Arun () is a river in the English county of West Sussex. At long, it is the longest river entirely in Sussex and one of the longest starting in Sussex after the River Medway, River Wey and River Mole. From the series of small stream ...
*
Sun Kosi
The Sunkoshi, also spelt Sunkosi, is a river of Nepal that is part of the Koshi or Saptkoshi River system in Nepal. Sunkoshi has two source streams, one that arises within Nepal in Choukati, and the other more significant stream that flows in fr ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyalam Tong La
Mountain passes of the Himalayas
Mountain passes of China
Mountain passes of Tibet
Roads in Tibet
Nyalam County