- Torugart Pass
Infobox Mountain Pass
Name = Torugart Pass
Photo = torugartcrossing.jpg
Caption = The Chinese border crossing at theTorugart Pass on the road betweenBishkek (Kyrgyzstan ) andKashgar (Xinjiang
Elevation = 3,752 m /12,310 ft.
Location = KGZ / CHN
Range =Tian Shan
Coordinates = coord|40|35|N|75|25|E|type:pass|display=inline,title
TopographicTorugart Pass (zh-stp|s=图噜噶尔特山口|t= |p=túlūgáĕrtè shānkŏu) (elevation 3,752 m / 12,310 ft.) is a pass in the
Tian Shan mountain range on the border between theNaryn Province ofKyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.The scenic Lake
Chatyr-Kul lies near the pass on the Kyrgyz side. The road toNaryn and then toBalykshy andBishkek (400km) is narrow and in winter often impassable due to heavy snow and frequentavalanche s. On the Chinese side, the Torugart Port of Entry (吐尔尕特口岸), where travelers must clear customs, is located 110km from the pass itself inUlugqat County of theKizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture . The pass is located 110km fromUlugqat , 165km fromKashgar , 170km fromArtux and 1,630km fromUrumqi .Russia and China first established a port of entry at the Torugart Pass in 1881. In 1906, Russia's Sino-Russian Transport Bank financed the construction of the road from the pass to Kashgar for 20 million rubles. In 1952, the Torugart Pass replaced the
Irkeshtam Pass as the primary overland link between Xinjiang and the then-Soviet Kyrgyz Republic. The pass was closed in 1969 due to theSino-Soviet Split and reopened in 1983. In 1995, the Torugart Port of Entry was relocated to a lower elevation (2,000m), closer toKashgar (57km).The Chinese and Central Asian governments are planning to open the pass to nationals from third countries and considering the construction of a railway through the pass that would link
Kashgar and theFerghana Valley .ee also
*
Geography of China
*Geography of Kyrgyzstan
*Geostrategy in Central Asia
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