The Tanggula (
Chinese: ,
p ''Tánggǔlāshān'', or ,
p ''Tánggǔlāshānmài''), Tangla, Tanglha, or Dangla Mountains (
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
: ,
w ''Gdang La'',
z ''Dang La'') are a mountain range in the central part of the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in
Tibet, China. Administratively, the range is in the
Nagqu Prefecture of the
Tibet Autonomous Region, with the central section extending into nearby
Tanggula Town and the eastern section entering the
Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of
Qinghai province.
The Tanggula is the source of the
Ulan Moron and
Dangqu Rivers, the geographic headwaters of the
Yangtze River. The range thus functions as a dividing range between the basin of the Yangtze in the north and the
endorheic basins of north-eastern Tibet in the south.
Overview
The elevations of the main ridge average more than .
The Yangtze River originates in this mountain range;
Geladandong, high, located in
Tanggula Town, is the tallest peak in the range.
The
Qinghai-Tibet Highway
China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards from Beijing via Datong, Yinchuan and Xining to Golmud before turning southwest to Lhasa. The portion of the highway from Xining to Lhasa is known as the Qinghai-Tibet Hig ...
and the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway cross the Tanggula Mountains at
Tanggula Mountain Pass. This is the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and the highest point of any railway in the world, at above sea level. On account of snow and occasional road accidents, highway closures and concomitant traffic delays are not uncommon.
The mountains lie within the
Tibetan Plateau alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion.
See also
*
Geladandong
*
Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains
*
Tanggula Pass
*
Tanggula railway station
*
Tanggula North railway station
*
Tanggula South railway station
*
Tibetan Plateau
References
Mountain ranges of Tibet
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