T'ANG-KU-LA MOUNTAINS

Wade-Giles romanization T'ang-ku-la Shan, Pinyin Tanggula Shan, mountain range in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. On the southeastern high plateau south of the mountains, there are many large salt lakes. In its eastern part the range forms the boundary between Tibet and Tsinghai province. Although many peaks are higher than 19,000 feet (5,700 m), and the tallest, Basudan Ula, reaches 20,000 feet (6,096 m), the mountains do not appear to be particularly high, since the surrounding plateau averages little less than 16,500 feet (5,030 m) above sea level. The range is rather rounded in contour in the west; the most rugged and deeply incised section is in the east, where there are considerable areas of permanent snow. The northern flank of the mountains is drained by various headwaters of the T'ung-t'ien River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. The southeastern flank drains into the Nu River, the headwater of the Salween River; and the Mekong River rises at the eastern end of the range. The range is crossed by the important T'ang-ku-la Pass, which carries the main route from Lhasa (capital of Tibet) and the southern Tibetan region to the Tsaidam Basin and beyond, to Sinkiang province to the north and west. Mineral surveys have revealed deposits of iron ore, hard coal, graphite, and asbestos in the range.