KARAKORAM HIGHWAY

Chinese (Wade-Giles) K'a-la-k'un-lun Kung-lu, roadway that connects Kashgar, China, with Islamabad, Pak. The road, which took almost 20 years (195978) to complete, extends for about 500 miles (800 km) through some of the most rugged and inaccessible terrain in Asia; it runs through or near the Hindu Kush, the Kunlun Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and the northernmost Himalayas. The highway was a joint Pakistani and Chinese project and required the skills of about 24,000 workers. Mud slides, rockfalls, and other avalanches were a constant danger, and the road's construction was particularly hampered by the unforeseen movement of glaciers in the region. Even after its completion, the highway continued to require heavy maintenance, but it reportedly had a notable economic impact on the Uighur, Tajik, and Kyrgyz peoples who inhabit the mountainous region.