Mountains

On northern Xizang plateau lie the Kunlunshan Mountains and the branch Tanggula Mountain. In southern Xizang, there are the Henduan Mountains. The Kangdese-Nyainqentanglha Mountains bisect Xizang from east to west. Mountains in the region reach an average elevation of over 4,000 meters. But there are 50 peaks each with an elevation of over 7,000 meters and five each rising above 8,000 meters.

Mountains in the plateau basically extend either from east to west or from south to north. Major ones are as the follows:

Himalayan Mountains: Zigzagging through the southern part of the Xizang plateau, the Himalayas, the highest and the youngest mountains in the world, comprise many parallel mountains running from east to west. The major part of the Himalayas lies on the border between China and India, and between China and Nepal. Extending some 2,400 km, it is 200-300 km wide. Major peaks have an average elevation of over 6,200 meters. They include the world's highest peak Qomolangma, rising 8,844.43 meters above sea level, towers over surrounding peaks on the Sino-Nepalese border. In this part of the world there are 42 peaks each with an elevation of over 7,000 meters, including four each with an elevation of over 8,000 meters.

Kunlunshan Mountains: Kunlunshan runs west-east on the northwestern fringe of the Xizang plateau, with an average elevation of 5,500-6,000 meters. It is one of the places perennially covered under snow and with modern glaciers. Muztag, rising 6,973 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in the area.

Karakorum-Tanggula Mountains: The major part of the Karakorum Mountains lies on the border between Xinjiang and Kashmir. Running eastward, it forms the Tanggula Mountains at 90°E, marking the border between Xizang and Qinghai. Galadandong is its highest peak. Rising 6,621 meters above sea level, it is the source of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China.

Kangdese-Nyainqentanglha Mountains: Lying at the southern edge of the Northern Xizang Plateau, the mountains serve as the border between north and south and southeast Xizang, and the demarcation line for rivers that flow within and out of the region. Kangrinboqe, with an elevation of 6,656 meters, is the main peak of the Kangdese Mountains; and Nyainqentanglha, rising 7,162 meters above sea level, is the highest peak of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains.

Hengduanshan Mountains: Hengduanshan is a combination of several parallel mountains with deep river valleys between them. These mountains from west to east include Bexoi La, Tanian-taweng and Markam mountains. Having an average elevation of 4,000-5,000 meters, they are extensions of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains and Tanggula Mountains.