View source for Hengduan Mountains

{{Short description|Mountain range in southwest China}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name=Hengduan Mountains
| photo=Minya Konka Northwest Ridge.JPG
| photo_caption=[[Mount Gongga]], the tallest summit in the Hengduan Mountains
| country= {{enum|[[China]]|[[Burma]]}}
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| geology= 
| orogeny=
| length_km= 
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| highest=[[Mount Gongga]]
| elevation_m=7556
| range_coordinates= {{coord|27.5|N|99|E|type:mountain_region:CN_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates= 
| map=
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}}
[[File:Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas map01.png|thumb|Three Parallel Rivers region - heart of Hengduan Shan - relative to [[South Asia|South]], [[Southeast Asia|Southeast]] and [[East Asia]].]]
[[File:Tea-Horse-Road 2.png|thumb|Larger scale political / relief map of area (Hengduan Shan / Three Gorges region top centre).]]
[[File:Global 200 - Hengduan Shan Coniferous Forests.png|thumb|Map of [[East Asia]], showing location of Hengduan Mountains (with particular reference to their [[coniferous forests]]) and their only major settlement [[Lijiang]], [[Yunnan]] Province.]]
[[File:Hengduan tmo 2000360 lrg.jpg|thumb|Satellite view of the Hengduan Mountains]]
The '''Hengduan Mountains''' ({{zh|s=横断山脉 |t=橫斷山脈 |p=Héngduàn Shānmài}}) are a group of mountain ranges in [[southwest China|southwest]] [[China]] that connect the southeast portions of the [[Tibetan Plateau]] with the [[Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau]].  The Hengduan Mountains are primarily large north-south mountain ranges that effectively separate lowlands in northern [[Myanmar]] from the lowlands of the [[Sichuan Basin]].  These ranges are characterized by significant vertical relief originating from the [[Indian subcontinent]]'s collision with the [[Eurasian Plate]], and further carved out by the major rivers draining the eastern Tibetan Plateau. These rivers, the [[Yangtze]], [[Mekong]], and [[Salween]], are recognized today as the [[Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas|Three Parallel Rivers]] UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hengduan Mountains cover much of western present-day [[Sichuan]] province as well as the northwestern portions of [[Yunnan]], the easternmost section of the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], and touching upon parts of southern [[Qinghai]].  Additionally, some parts of eastern [[Kachin State]] in neighbouring Myanmar are considered part of the Hengduan group.  The Hengduan Mountains are approximately {{convert|900|km}} long, stretching from 33°N to 25°N.  Depending on extent of the definition, the Hengduan Mountains are also approximately {{convert|400|km}} wide under the narrowest definition, ranging from 98°E to 102°E. The area covered by these ranges roughly corresponds with the Tibetan region known as [[Kham]].

The [[Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests]] is a [[palaearctic]] [[ecoregion]] in the [[Temperate coniferous forests]] [[biome]] that covers portions of the mountains.

==Geography==
[[File:A bird's-eye view of the "Nujiang 72 turnings"(怒江72弯).jpg|thumb|A bird's-eye view of the "Nujiang 72 turns" in Tibet.]]

The Hengduan Mountain system consists of many component mountain ranges, most of which run roughly north to south.  These mountain ranges, in turn, can be further divided into various subranges. The component ranges of the Hengduan are separated by deep river valleys that channel the waters of many of Southeast Asia's great rivers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/china/china-hotspot-text|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327070311/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/china/china-hotspot-text|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 27, 2008|title=China's Hengduan Mountains|last=Virginia Morell|date=April 2002|publisher=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref> The core of the Hengduan Mountains can be divided into four major component ranges, described below.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Atlas of China |location=Beijing, China |publisher=SinoMaps Press |date=2006 |isbn=9787503141782}}</ref>

* The westernmost primary range of the Hengduan runs north-south between the [[Salween]] (Nu) and [[Mekong]] (Lancang) Rivers. The northern half of this range, found in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], is called the [[Taniantaweng Mountains]] while the southern half, in [[Yunnan]], is called the [[Nu Mountains]]. A major subrange along this system is the [[Meili Snow Mountains]] and their highest peak, [[Kawagebo]].
*Moving eastward, the next major subsection of the Hengduan Mountains is the range running between the Mekong (Lancang) and [[Yangtze]] (Jinsha) Rivers. The northernmost parts of this range are called the [[Mangkam Mountains]], the middle section is known as the [[Ninchin Mountains]], and the southern end is called the [[Yun Range]].  The [[Yulong Mountains]] are a subrange of this system and the highest peak here is [[Jade Dragon Snow Mountain]]'s Shanzidou. [[Eastern Himalaya]], part of larger [[Himalaya]] mountains, is Hengduan Mountain's immediate neighbor to its west.
* The third primary component of the Hengduan ranges is the section running between the Yangtze (Jinsha) and [[Yalong River|Yalong]] Rivers. This section is known for almost its entire length as the [[Shaluli Mountains]] except for the northernmost subrange that is called the [[Chola Mountains]]. The highest point of this entire section is the [[Ge'nyen Massif]].
* The easternmost of the Hengduan core ranges is the [[Daxue Mountains]] between the Yalong River and [[Dadu River (Sichuan)|Dadu River]]. This range is dominated by [[Mount Gongga]], the highest peak in the entire Hengduan group as well as the highest peak east of the [[Himalayas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/china3.html|title= Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces|publisher= Peaklist|access-date=2017-03-12}}</ref>
* In addition to the four core systems, described above, some adjacent ranges are also sometimes included as part of the Hengduan group. To the west, the [[Gaoligong Mountains]] form an additional barrier along the Salween's western edge, but are more accurately described as an extension of the [[:sv:Baxoila Ling|Baxoila Ling]] range connecting with the eastern [[Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains]] across central [[Tibet]].  To the east, the [[Qionglai Mountains]] and the [[Min Mountains]] are sometimes included as part of the Hengduan Mountains as these two ranges form the eastern edges of the Tibetan Plateau.

==Ecosystems==
The Hengduan Mountains support a range of [[habitat]]s, from subtropical to temperate to montane [[biome]]s.  The mountains are largely covered by [[subalpine]] [[coniferous forests]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=pa0516|name=Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests}}</ref><ref>http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/cnhp/glgs/PDF/ChaplinG.2005_opt.pdf Physical Geography of the Gaoligong Shan Area of Southwest China in Relation to Biodiversity</ref>  Elevations range from {{convert|1300|to|6000|m|ft}}. The dense, pristine forests, the relative isolation, and the fact that most of the area remained free from [[glaciation]] during the [[ice age]]s provides a very complex habitat with a high degree of [[biological diversity]].

The [[ecoregion]]s that coincide with the Hengduan Mountains are:
*The [[Southeast Tibet shrub and meadows]] in the higher elevation and northern parts of the Hengduan
*The [[Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests]] in northern Yunnan and western Sichuan parts of the central Hengduan
*The [[Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests]] along the westernmost ranges of the Hengduan
*The [[Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests]] in the east parts of the Hengduan along the edge of the Sichuan Basin
*The [[Yunnan Plateau subtropical evergreen forests]] at the southern parts of the Hengduan where the mountains transition to the Yungui Plateau
*The [[Northern Indochina subtropical forests]] in the Nu Mountains, a southwestern component range of the Hengduan in Yunnan

Additionally, the lowest elevation portions of the Jinsha (Yangtze) River and Nu (Salween) River valleys in the southern Hengduan ranges are classified by the Chinese government as a [[tropical savanna]] environment.<ref name="Physical Atlas">{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=National Physical Atlas of China|date=1999|publisher=China Cartographic Publishing House|location=Beijing, China|isbn=7503120401}}</ref>

The easternmost ranges of the Hengduan are home to the rare and endangered [[giant panda]].  Other species native to the mountains are the [[Taxus chinensis|Chinese yew]] (''Taxus chinensis'') and various other rare plants, deer, and primates.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hailuogou glacier.JPG|[[Hailuogou]] glacier, slopes of [[Mount Gongga]] (Minya Konka), Sichuan province.
File:Yading - panoramio (1).jpg|Mount Chenrezig, seen from Yading Xin river, southwest [[Sichuan]]. Highest peak of [[Yading]] range.
File:Yading Jampelyang-Yangmaiyong.jpg|Mount Jampelyang, Yading range, southwest Sichuan.
File:Yading Chanadorje-Xianuoduoji Chonggu Grassland.jpg|Chonggu grassland and conifer-clad foothills of Mount Chanadorje, snow-clad in background. Yading range.
File:雪山的眼泪 - Tears of the Snow Mountains - 2012.10 - panoramio.jpg|Lake at foot of Mount Chanadorje, Yading range, southwestern Sichuan.
File:Chola Mountain.jpg|Wooded slopes of [[Chola Mountains]], Sichuan province.
File:Litang Ge'nyen 2014.09.16 09-11-25.jpg|Panorama of Ge'nyen massif, Sichuan province.
File:Yulong xue shan.jpg|Lijiang, Yunnan province, (only city within Hengduan Shan) dwarfed by [[Jade Dragon Snow Mountain]].
File:Meili Snow Mountain, Deqin County, Yunnan.jpg|[[Meili Snow Mountains|Meili range]], border of [[Dêqên County]], [[Yunnan]] with [[Tibet]].
File:梅里雪山.jpg|[[Kawagarbo]], highest peak of Meili range, Yunnan/Tibet border.
File:Gaoligongshan IMGP5778.jpeg|[[Gaoligong Mountains|Gaoligong range]], border of western Yunnan and [[Myanmar]] (Burma).
File:高黎贡山隧道08.jpg|Gaoligong railway tunnel, Yunnan / Myanmar.
File:Yangzi River gorge.jpg|Jagged peaks rising from [[Yangtze River]] gorge Yunnan province.
File:Micro-hydro Salween River in Yunnan Province, China.jpg|Trial hydroelectric installation, [[Salween River]] gorge, Yunnan province.
File:Lancang River in Baoshan.jpg|Valley of the Lancang (upper [[Mekong]]) River, Baoshan, Yunnan.
File:Hengduan conifer forests.jpg|Hengduan conifer forests, [[Dêgê County]], northwest of Sichuan province.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Global 200]]
*[[The Hump]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://hengduan.huh.harvard.edu/fieldnotes Biodiversity of the Hengduan Mountains and adjacent areas of south-central China] - a research project at [[Harvard University]]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/flower/hinkley.html PBS NOVA's First Flower discusses botanical diversity in the Hengduan Shan]
*[http://www.the-leaf.org/The_26_Mts_of_Yunnan.html The 26 mountains of Yunnan]

{{Mountain ranges of China}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Transhimalayas]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Tibet]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Sichuan]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Yunnan]]