China National Highway 217

China National Highway 217 (G217) runs south from Altay, Xinjiang to Hotan, Xinjiang. It is 1,753 kilometres in length and runs southwest from Altay towards Kuqa County and from there southwards through the Taklamakan Desert to Hotan.

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National Highway 217
217国道
Route information
Length1,753 km (1,089 mi)
Major junctions
FromAltay, Xinjiang
ToKuqa County, Xinjiang
Location
CountryChina
Highway system
G216 G218
Turn-off for the "Ghost City" near Karamay
Curves at about 960 km from its starting point.

The highly scenic mountainous section between Dushanzi and Kuqa that crosses the Tianshan Mountains is commonly known as Duku Highway (独库公路). A section of Duku Highway also crosses the Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve.[1]

Route and distance

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Route and distance
City Distance (km)
Altay, Xinjiang 0
Burqin County, Xinjiang 110
Urho District, Xinjiang 339
Baijiantan District, Xinjiang 404
Karamay, Xinjiang 437
Kuytun, Xinjiang 574
Dushanzi District, Xinjiang 595
Kuqa County, Xinjiang 1117
Hotan, Xinjiang 1753

Mountain Passes

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From North to South:

  • Haxilegen Pass, bypassed by tunnel. 3450 meters above the sea level.
  • Yuximole Pass, bypassed by tunnel. 3438 meters above the sea level.
  • Laerdun Pass. 2730 meters above the sea level.
  • Tielimaiti Pass. bypassed by tunnel. 3335 meters above the sea level.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Baiping, Zhang (November 2002). "Human-Induced Changes to Biodiversity and Alpine Pastureland in the Bayanbulak Region of the East Tianshan Mountains" (PDF). Mountain Research and Development. 22 (4): 383–389. doi:10.1659/0276-4741(2002)022[0383:hictba]2.0.co;2. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
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