Gar Tsangpo
| Gar Tsangpo Gartang | |
|---|---|
Kailas Range | |
| • coordinates | 31°23′01″N 80°43′31″E / 31.3836°N 80.7254°E |
| • elevation | 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Sengge Zangbo, Gar Valley |
• coordinates | 32°26′27″N 79°42′44″E / 32.4409°N 79.7121°E |
• elevation | 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) |
| Length | 130 km (81 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Indus River |
Gar Tsangpo (
Sênggê Zangbo, near the village of Tashigang to form the Indus River. The combined river flows in the same valley and in the same direction as Gar Tsangpo. Thus by physical geography, Gar Tsangpo is the "Indus River".[2]
The Tibetans however regard Sênggê Zangbo as the main Indus River, and treat Gar Tsangpo as a tributary.
PRC administration, is at Shiquanhe
in the Sênggê Zangbo valley, close to the point of confluence of the two rivers.
Course
Gar Yarsa
marked as Gartok.The sources of Gartang are on the southwestern slopes of the
Kailas Range (Gangdise Shan). From there, the river flows northwest in the Gar Valley, the tectonic valley between the Kailas Range and the Ladakh Range. The slope of the valley is extremely gentle, only about 2 metres per kilometre.[1]
After a distance of 130 kilometres (81 mi), the Gartang joins
Mount Kailas and flows in a wide arc towards the Gar Valley.[1] The point of confluence is near the town of Tashigang (Zhaxigang). After the confluence, the combined river, regarded as the Indus River, flows in the same direction as Gartang. For this reason, western explorers have traditionally regarded Gartang as the main source of the Indus River.[2]
However, the Tibetans regard Sengge Zangbo as the main Indus River and the Gartang as its tributary.
The Gartang river drains an area of 6,060 km2.[citation needed]
History
Two well-known villages cum encampments,
Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1950, the headquarters of Ngari was moved to a new town of Shiquanhe
on the Sengge Zangbo river.
References
- ^ a b c I︠U︡sov, Physical Geography of Tibet (1959), p. 10.
- ^ a b I︠U︡sov, Physical Geography of Tibet (1959), p. 11.
Bibliography
- I︠U︡sov, B. V. (1959), Physical Geography of Tibet, U.S. Joint Publications Research Service