Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-08-29T22:31:24Z

Created a new article

New page

{{short description|Route through a mountain range or over a ridge}}
{{for multi|the mine|Mountain Pass mine|the town|Mountain Pass, California}}
[[File:Sani Pass heading into Lesotho.jpg|thumb|[[Sani Pass]] in [[Mokhotlong]], [[Lesotho]]]]
[[File:Bwlch Maesgwm contour map.png|thumb|A mountain pass as it appears on a contour map: Bwlch Maesgwm in [[Snowdonia]], north [[Wales]], United Kingdom.<ref>{{coord|53|4|52.8|N|4|7|57|W}}, height contours from [[SRTM]] data.</ref>]]
A '''mountain pass''' is a navigable route through a [[mountain range]] or over a [[ridge]]. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both [[Human migration|human]] and [[animal migration]] throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a '''hill pass'''. A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind.

== Overview ==
[[File:Saddleroute3.JPG|thumb|Idealised mountain pass represented as the green line; the [[saddle point]] is in red.]]
Mountain passes make use of a [[gap (landform)|gap]], [[saddle (landform)|saddle]], [[col]] or [[notch (landform)|notch]]. A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a [[saddle surface]], with a [[saddle point]] marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge.{{sfn|Eberhart|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wo9wGKk9MVsC&pg=PT236 232]}}{{sfn|Bishop|Shroder|2004|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6TGu7-mwSNYC&pg=PA86 86–87]}} On a [[topographic map]], passes are characterized by [[contour lines]] with an hourglass shape, which indicates a low spot between two higher points.{{sfn|Harvey|Simer|1999|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BHKUvFAzliYC&pg=PA185 185]}} In the high mountains, a difference of {{convert|2000|meters}} between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass.{{sfn|Bishop|Shroder|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6TGu7-mwSNYC&pg=PA103 103]}}

Passes are often found just above the [[Source (river or stream)|source of a river]], constituting a [[drainage divide]]. A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by [[surveying]].

Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath a nearby mountainside, as with the [[Eisenhower Tunnel]] bypassing [[Loveland Pass]] in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year.

The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and is a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on the border, and there may be a [[border control]] or [[customs]] station, and possibly a military post. For instance, [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] share the world's third-longest international border, {{convert|5300|km|mi}} long, which runs north–south along the [[Andes]] mountains including 42 mountain passes.<ref name="pasos" /><ref name="pasos_chile" />

On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of the pass and its [[elevation]] [[above mean sea level]].

Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example is the [[Brenner pass]] in the [[Alps]].

Some mountain passes above the [[tree line]] have problems with [[snow drift]] in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road.

== Synonyms ==
[[File:The col (6073968059).jpg|thumb|Col between Kensgriff and Yarlsidine in the [[Howgill Fells]], England]]
There are many words for ''pass'' in the English-speaking world. In the United States, ''pass'' is very common in the [[Western United States|West]], the word ''gap'' is common in the southern [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachians]], ''notch'' in parts of [[New England]], and ''saddle'' in northern [[Idaho]].<ref>[http://itouchmap.com/?f=gap&s=ID&a1=&start=255 Map showing "saddle" names in Idaho]</ref> The term [[col]], derived from Old French, is also used, particularly in Europe.

In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the [[Taglang La]] at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the [[Leh-Manali highway]], or the [[Sia La]] at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern [[Karakoram]] range.

Scotland has the [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]] term ''bealach'' (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has the similar ''bwlch'' (both being [[Insular Celtic languages|insular Celtic]] languages).<ref name="Nicolson 1945 p. 28">{{cite book |last=Nicolson |first=A. |title=Modern Gaelic: A Basic Grammar |publisher=A. Maclaren |year=1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWViAAAAMAAJ |access-date=18 January 2021 |page=28 |quote=Bealach (mountain-pass)}}</ref><ref name="The Geology of Snowdonia – A Collection of Historical Articles on the Physical Features of the Peaks of Snowdonia 2013 p. 45">{{cite book |title=The Geology of Snowdonia – A Collection of Historical Articles on the Physical Features of the Peaks of Snowdonia |publisher=[[Read Books Limited]] |location=City |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4733-9043-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ITR-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT45 |access-date=18 January 2021 |page=45 |quote=The word Bwlch is used in Welsh not only to signify a pass or easy route over a ridge, usually a depression between higher ground on either side, but also ...}}</ref> In the [[Lake District]] of north-west England, the term ''hause'' is often used, although the term ''pass'' is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau.

In Japan they are known as ''[[tōge]]'', which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas.

== Around the world ==
There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the [[Khyber Pass]] close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient [[Silk Road]], the [[Great St. Bernard Pass]] at {{convert|2473|m|ft}} in the [[Alps]], the [[Chang La]] at {{convert|5360|m|ft}}, and the [[Khardung La]] at {{convert|5359|m|ft}} in [[Ladakh]], India. The roads at [[Mana Pass]] at {{convert|5610|m|ft}} and [[Marsimik La]] at {{convert|5582|m|ft}}, on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. [[Khunjerab Pass]] between [[Pakistan]] and China at {{Convert|4693|m|ft}} is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of the famous but non-motorable mountain passes is [[Thorong La]] at {{convert|5416|m|ft}} in [[Annapurna Conservation Area]], Nepal. The highest "paved" mountain pass of [[West Asia]] is [[Dizin Pass]] at 3250 meters, near [[Dizin|Dizin Ski Resort]], [[Tehran Province]], [[Iran]].

== Gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed">
Stilfser Joch Ost.jpg|[[Stelvio Pass]] in the [[Alps]] ([[Italy]])
Agua negra argentina.JPG|[[Agua Negra Pass]] between Argentina and Chile.
Bealach na Ba Pano.jpg|The Bealach na Bà linking [[Applecross Peninsula|Applecross]] in the Scottish North-west Highlands.
Dead Woman's Pass from above.jpg|[[Dead Woman's Pass]] on the [[Inca Trail]] to Machu Picchu in [[Peru]]
Ornak a14.jpg|Pass in [[Tatras]] (Ornak, Poland).
Zadielska tiesnava.jpg|[[Zádielska tiesňava]] Pass in [[Slovak Karst]] ([[Slovakia]]).
Way to Thorong La.JPG|Trail from Manang to Mustang via [[Thorong La]] pass, Nepal.
Darcha Padum Road Below Shinku La Lahaul Oct22 A7C 03533.jpg|Winding road below [[Shingo La]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]], India
CrawfordNotchCenter.jpg|[[Crawford Notch]] in [[New Hampshire]], U.S.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{portal|Mountains|Geography}}
{{div col}}
* {{annotated link|List of mountain passes}}
* {{annotated link|Defile (geography)|Defile}}
* {{annotated link|Water gap}}
* {{annotated link|Wind gap}}
{{div col end}}

== References ==
===Notes===
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="pasos">{{cite web |url=http://www.gendarmeria.gov.ar/pasos.html |title=Principales Pasos Nacionales e Internacionales – Estado de los Pasos Fronterizos |publisher=[[Gendarmería Nacional Argentina]] |language=es |access-date=4 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328092538/http://www.gendarmeria.gov.ar/pasos.html |archive-date=28 March 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="pasos_chile">{{cite web |url=http://www.gendarmeria.gov.ar/pasos/chile.htm |title=Pasos – Chile |publisher=Gendarmería Nacional Argentina |language=es |access-date=4 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070718053512/http://www.gendarmeria.gov.ar/pasos/chile.htm |archive-date=2007-07-18}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Michael P. |last2=Shroder |first2=John F. |title=Geographic Information Science and Mountain Geomorphology |year=2004 |location=Berlin New York |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |isbn=978-3-540-42640-0 |pages=86–87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TGu7-mwSNYC&pg=PA86 |access-date=6 November 2010}}
*{{cite book |last=Eberhart |first=Mark E. |author-link=Mark Eberhart|title=Why Things Break: Understanding the World by the Way it Comes Apart |year=2004 |publisher=[[Random House]], [[Harmony Books]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4000-4883-0 |page=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wo9wGKk9MVsC&pg=PT236 |access-date=6 November 2010}}
*{{cite book |last1=Harvey |first1=Mark William Thornton |last2=Simer |first2=Peter |title=The National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness Guide: The Classic Handbook |year=1999 |location=New York|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-684-85909-5 |page=185 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BHKUvFAzliYC&pg=PA185 |access-date=6 November 2010}}
*{{cite book |title=The Geology of Snowdonia – A Collection of Historical Articles on the Physical Features of the Peaks of Snowdonia |publisher=[[Read Books Limited]] |location=City |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4733-9043-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ITR-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT45 |access-date=18 January 2021 |page=45 |quote=The word Bwlch is used in Welsh not only to signify a pass or easy route over a ridge, usually a depression between higher ground on either side, but also ...}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Mountain passes}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mountain passes| ]]
[[Category:Montane ecology]]
[[Category:Oronyms]]
[[Category:Slope landforms]]
[[Category:Walking]]
[[Category:Adventure travel]]
[[Category:Tourist activities]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Mountain pass - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article