Wenquan, Tibet
Encyclopedia
Wenquan is a small settlement in the Qinghai
Province of China. Administratively, it is part of Tanggula Town, which is an exclave of Golmud
County-level city
, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
. It is one of the small settlements that were constructed to serve China National Highway 105
(the main road into Tibet), and, later the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
The settlement is located in the area where the highway and the railway cross the Tanggula Mountains
, the mountain range in the center of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is located a few tens of kilometers north of the Tanggula Pass
, where the road and the railway enter from Qinghai Province into the Tibetan Autonomous Region. It is one of the highest towns in the world at 5,100 m (16,732 ft) above sea level. It was built by the Chinese in 1955.
Some 20–30 km to the north of Wenquan, in the same highway/railway corridor, detailed maps (e.g., 33°26′30"N 91°56′00"E on Google Maps) show Wenquan Military Station (温泉兵站).
According to bicycle tourists who visited the place in 2000, Wenquan, like other towns in the region, was "small. Just a few buildings." There were indeed warm springs in the area. They described the location, based on their maps, as being "at 4800+ metres" elevation.
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
Province of China. Administratively, it is part of Tanggula Town, which is an exclave of Golmud
Golmud
Golmud , sometimes transliterated as Ge'ermu or Geermu, is a county-level city in Qinghai Province, Western China. Administrated by Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, it is the second largest city in Qinghai and the third largest in the Tibetan Plateau . The population is now about...
County-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in northern Qinghai province of Western China. It has an area of and its capital is Delingha...
. It is one of the small settlements that were constructed to serve China National Highway 105
China National Highway 105
China National Highway 105 runs from Beijing to Zhuhai, via Langfang, Chuangzhou, Dezhou, Donge, Jining, Shuangyou, Fuyang, Liuan, Jiujiang, Nanchang, Ji'an and Guangzhou...
(the main road into Tibet), and, later the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
The settlement is located in the area where the highway and the railway cross the Tanggula Mountains
Tanggula Mountains
Tanggula Mountains Shanmai) are a mountain range in the central part of the Tibetan Plateau. Administratvely, the western part of the range is in Nagqu Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region; the highest, central part, in the border area of Nagqu Prefecture and Tanggula Town of the Qinghai...
, the mountain range in the center of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is located a few tens of kilometers north of the Tanggula Pass
Tanggula Pass
The Tanggu La or Tanggu Pass is a wide mountain pass over 5000 meters elevation in the People's Republic of China used by the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway to cross the Tanggula Mountains. These mountains form part of the watershed separating the Yangtze River to the north and a zone of...
, where the road and the railway enter from Qinghai Province into the Tibetan Autonomous Region. It is one of the highest towns in the world at 5,100 m (16,732 ft) above sea level. It was built by the Chinese in 1955.
Some 20–30 km to the north of Wenquan, in the same highway/railway corridor, detailed maps (e.g., 33°26′30"N 91°56′00"E on Google Maps) show Wenquan Military Station (温泉兵站).
According to bicycle tourists who visited the place in 2000, Wenquan, like other towns in the region, was "small. Just a few buildings." There were indeed warm springs in the area. They described the location, based on their maps, as being "at 4800+ metres" elevation.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Tibet
- La Rinconada (Peru)