Khunjerab Pass, Mountain pass at China-Pakistan border in Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang.
The Khunjerab Pass is a mountain pass at the border between China and Pakistan in Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang. It sits in the Karakoram range at 4,693 meters (15,397 feet) and connects the two countries via a paved road that winds through stony terrain with visible peaks and broad valleys.
The pass became an important international border crossing in 1982 when construction of the Karakoram Highway was completed. This road created the first year-round vehicle link between Pakistan and China through the high mountains.
The name comes from Wakhi: "khun" means house and "jerab" a creek fed by a spring or waterfall, so it reads as "waterfall house". The pass is the only land border crossing between China and Pakistan, opened to third-country nationals on 1 May 1986. Traffic switches from left-hand driving in Gilgit-Baltistan to right-hand driving in China here.
The pass lies at 4,693 metres, and the Chinese entry point stands 3.5 km down the road in Tashkurgan County, while the Pakistani side is 75 km from the Sost customs post. Snow often covers the road in winter, and clearing can take days to weeks. The border is where left-hand traffic in Gilgit-Baltistan switches to right-hand traffic in China.
An automated teller machine stands near the border at over 4,600 meters (over 15,000 feet) and is considered the highest working machine of its kind anywhere. The machine belongs to the National Bank of Pakistan and operates year-round despite extreme weather conditions.
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