"K2 : the 2nd Highest Peak in the World !"

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MAP of Kashmir

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Welcome to K2

Discover the 2nd highest peak in the world with its 28,250 ft (8611 m)

K2 Mount Godwin-Austen, rises 28,250 ft in the Karakorum range and is the second tallest mountain in the world, behind Mount Everest which rises 29,028 ft (8848 m). It was discovered and measured by the Survey of India in 1856, and first named for English topographer Henry Godwin-Austen, who explored and surveyed the region. "K2 is taken from the first letter of Karakorum, and the number indicates that it was the second peak in the range to be measured. An Italian team led by Ardito Desio reached the summit in 1954. A March 1987 measurement of K2 indicated that it might be higher than Everest, but later that year, Everest was re-measured by a similar method and found to indeed be 778 ft (237 m) taller.

HERE IT IS THE MAP FOR K2.(requested by someone in the Guestbook)

K2 is in KASHMIR (PAKISTAN)

MAP of KASHMIR

What & Where is the Karakorum Range ?

Karakorum or Karakoram, mountain range, extending c.300 mi (480 km), between the Indus and Yarkant rivers, N Kashmir, S central Asia; SE extension of the Hindu Kush. It covers disputed territory, held by China on the north, India on the east, and Pakistan on the west. Karakorum's main range has some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) (28,250 ft/8,611 m), the second highest peak in the world. Karakorum also has several of the world's largest glaciers. Its southern slopes are the watershed for many tributaries of the Indus River. The mountains, the greatest barrier between India and central Asia, are crossed above the perpetual snow line by two natural routes. Karakorum Pass (alt. 18,290 ft/5,575 m), the chief pass, is on the main Kashmir-China route. Another important pass, Khunjerab (Kunjirap) Pass (alt. 15,420 ft/4,700 m), is on the Pakistan-China route (see Hunza).

Who was Godwin Austen?

Godwin-Austen, Henry Haversham Pronounced As: härshm, havrshm , 1834-1923, English topographer and geologist. An officer in the British army (1851-77), he was assigned to several government surveys in North India, especially in the Himalayas. He explored and surveyed the region of the Karakorum around K2, which is also known as Mt. Godwin-Austen for him.

Information about Hunza

Pronounced As: hoonsä , former princely state, 3,900 sq mi (10,101 sq km), NW Kashmir, administered by Pakistan. Declared a British protectorate in 1893, Hunza acceded to Pakistan after the partition of British India (1947). Local control stayed in the hands of the prince, or mir, until 1974.