AKADEMIYA NAUK RANGE

also spelled Akademiia Nauk, Russian Khrebet Akademi Nauk (Academy of Sciences Range), mountain range, western Pamirs, central Tajikistan. The mountains, extending north-south, are approximately 68 miles (110 km) in length and are composed mostly of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, together with some granite. Glaciation from permanent snowcaps extends over an area of 580 square miles (1,500 square km). The highest peak in Tajikistan, Communism Peak (24,590 feet ), is located in the range; there are 24 peaks above 19,700 feet (6,000 m). The mountains were named in 1927 in honour of the Academy of Sciences.