Kunlun Mountains

Kunlun Mountains, also Kunlun Shan or K'un-lun Shan, major mountain system, western China. The mountains rise to 7,724 m (25,340 ft) atop Muztag (Mu-tzu-t'a-Ko) and extend east to west for more than 2,410 km (1,500 mi) between the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and the arid Tarim (T'a-li-mu) and Qaidam (Ch'ai-ta-mu) basins. The Altun (A-erh-chin) Shan, a range that encircles the Qaidam Basin, is sometimes defined as part of the Kunlun system. India claims territory in the western Kunlun Mountains.