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Where does the Indus River begin?

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Physical map showing the Indus River basin and its drainage network across parts of Pakistan, India, China, and Afghanistan. The map details river courses, tributaries, canals, dams, irrigated and marsh areas, sand regions, and elevation changes with shaded relief. International, disputed, and control boundaries are marked, and a small locator map in the corner shows the basin's position within South Asia. — Indus River The Indus River basin and its drainage network.

The Indus River rises in the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region of China, near Lake Mapam, at an elevation of approximately 18,000 feet (5,500 meters). Its headwaters are located in the southern section of the Plateau of Tibet.12