Wakhan Corridor
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The Wakhan Corridor (also spelt as Vakhan; وخان in Persian) is a narrow (in some places less than 10 mi. wide) corridor in the Badakhshan velayat (province) of Afghanistan. It is located in the Pamir mountain region, with Tajikistan to the north, Pakistan/Kashmir to the south and China to the east. It was created at the end of 19th century by the British Empire, to act as a buffer against potential Russian ambitions in India during the Great Game.
At the eastern end, the Wakhjir is a pass through the Hindu Kush at 4,923 m, and has the sharpest official change of clocks of any international frontier (+4:30 UTC in Afghanistan to +8 UTC in China). The border here with China is among the tallest in the world.
The Corridor is sparsely populated. The main people present in the corridor are the Wakhi, along with smaller numbers of Kyrgyz.
External links
- Trekking Information (http://greatgametravel.co.uk/StandardPage.asp?SiteStructureID=40&PageID=39)
- CIA Relief Map (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g7630.ct000716)
- Wakhan site (http://www.ottc.org.uk/breakingnews/index.htm)
- Wakhan tourism information (http://www.concordia-expeditions.com/treks/index_3paswc.htm)