Trans-Himalayas

▪ mountains, China

      eastward continuation of the most northerly Himalayan ranges in the southern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It consists of an ill-defined mountain area about 600 miles (1,000 km) long and 140 miles (225 km) wide in the centre, narrowing to a 20-mile (32-kilometre) width at the east and west ends. The Trans-Himalayas are bounded by the Kailas (southwest), Alung (north), and Nien-ch'ing-t'ang-ku-la (southeast) mountain ranges and by the Brahmaputra River (south). Unlike the main Himalayas, the mountains are not divided by deep river gorges and lack a definite alignment. Passes average 17,500 feet (5,330 m) in height, with the highest being Chargoding Pass (19,308 feet [5,885 m]). The first recorded European sighting of the mountains was that of Sven Hedin (Hedin, Sven Anders), a Swedish explorer, in 1906.

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