K2 argued in his account of the ascent of Gasherbrum IV that while the name of K2 owes its origin to chance, its clipped, impersonal nature is highly appropriate for so remote and challenging a mountain. He concluded that it was: Andre Weil named K3 surfaces in mathematics partly after the beauty of the mountain K2. K2 lies in the northwestern Karakoram Range. It is located in the Baltistan region of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China. The Tarim sedimentary basin borders the range on the north and the Lesser Himalayas on the south. Melt waters
Mountains of Central Asia Mountains of Central Asia South of the northern low lands is a great belt of mountains and plateaus. The Pamir plateau in central Asia forms mountainous chains running out in different directions. The mountain chains of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Kunlun run towards the east. The plateau of Tibet, enclosed by the Himalayas and Kunlun, is the largest and highest plateau of the world. Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest peak in the world. The vast cool desert of Gobi is in this region. The Mountains of Central Asia are a biodiversity hot spot designated by Conservation International