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Also spelled:
Wākhān, orWakhan Corridor
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Vākhān

mountain corridor, Afghanistan
Also known as: Wākhān, Wakhan Corridor

Vākhān, a mountainous region and panhandle in the Pamir Mountains of extreme northeastern Afghanistan. From the demarcation of the Afghan frontier (1895–96), the panhandle formed a political buffer between Russian Turkistan, British India, and China. It is now bounded by Tajikistan (north), China (east), and Pakistan (south). The Vākhān River flows from west to east through Vākhān for 100 miles (160 km), joining the Pamir River near QalŹæeh-ye Panjeh, which is the region’s main village.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Andrew Pereira.
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