Editing K2 (section)

==Geographical setting==
[[File:Map India and Pakistan 1-250,000 Tile NI 43-4 Chulung.jpg|thumb|Map including K2 (labelled as ''K2 (MOUNT GODWIN AUSTEN)'' in upper left corner of map) ([[Army Map Service|AMS]], 1953)]]
[[File:K2-Animation 280611 DLR-Logo 1280x720.ogv|thumb|Virtual flight around 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.{{efn|name=India's claim}} The [[Tarim Basin|Tarim sedimentary basin]] borders the range on the north and the [[Lesser Himalayas]] on the south. Melt waters from glaciers, such as those south and east of K2, feed agriculture in the valleys and contribute significantly to the regional fresh-water supply.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

K2 is [[List of peaks by prominence|ranked 22nd]] by [[topographic prominence]], a measure of a mountain's independent stature. It is a part of the same extended area of uplift (including the Karakoram, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Himalayas) as [[Mount Everest]], and it is possible to follow a path from K2 to Everest that goes no lower than {{convert|4594|metres}}, at the [[Kora La]] on the Nepal/China border in the [[Mustang (kingdom)|Mustang Lo]]. Many other peaks far lower than K2 are more independent in this sense. It is, however, the most prominent peak within the Karakoram range.<ref name=peaklist/>

K2 is notable for its local relief as well as its total height. It stands over {{convert|3000|m|ft|sigfig=1}} above much of the glacial valley bottoms at its base. It is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping quickly in almost all directions. The north side is the steepest: there it rises over {{convert|3200|metres}} above the K2 (Qogir) Glacier in only {{convert|3000|metres}} of horizontal distance. In most directions, it achieves over {{convert|2800|metres}} of vertical relief in less than {{convert|4000|metres}}.<ref name="8000m_map">{{cite news|author=Wala, Jerzy |title=The Eight-Thousand-Metre Peaks of the Karakoram|work= Orographical Sketch Map|publisher= The Climbing Company Ltd/Cordee|date=1994}}</ref>

A 1986 expedition led by [[George Wallerstein]] made an inaccurate measurement showing that K2 was taller than Mount Everest, and therefore the tallest mountain on Earth.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/18/us/how-high-is-everest-climbers-seek-answer.html |title=How High Is Everest? Climbers Seek Answer |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=18 May 1987}}</ref> A corrected measurement was made in 1987, but by then the claim that K2 was the tallest mountain in the world had already made it into many news reports and reference works.<ref name="straightdope">{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1467/which-is-taller-mt-everest-or-k2|title=Which is taller, Mt. Everest or K2?|author=Ian|website=[[The Straight Dope]]|date=20 January 2000|access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>