News: China opened the 22.13-kilometre-long Tianshan Shengli Tunnel to traffic in Xinjiang, claiming it to be the world’s longest expressway tunnel.
About Tianshan Shengli Tunnel
- It is the world’s longest expressway tunnel, officially opened to traffic on December 26, 2025.
- Location: It is located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.
- Total length: Its length is 22.13 km.
- Part of: The tunnel is a key part of the recently operational 325 km long G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway.
- Regional connectivity: It slashes the total travel time between Ürümqi (northern Xinjiang) and Korla(southern Xinjiang) from roughly seven hours to approximately three hours.
- It features the world’s deepest vertical shaft for a highway tunnel, reaching a depth of 706 m.
- Significance :The tunnel is a major milestone for the Silk Road Economic Belt, part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
About Tianshan Mountains Range
- Location: The Tianshan Mountains are located in Central Asia.
- Spread across: The mountain range stretches about 2,500 km and extends into China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
- Borders: It borders the western and northern ends of the Taklamakan Desert on the border of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang Province of China; the Pamir Mountains to the south, and the Altai Mountains of Mongolia to the east and north.
- Separating: The Range separates the Tarim Basin/Taklamakan Desert to the south from the Dzungarian Basin to the north.
- Formation: It forms part of the Himalayan orogenic belt that was created by the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
- The eastern and northern sections underwent folding during the early Paleozoic while the western and southern potions underwent folding during the late Paleozoic.
- Highest peak: The highest peak of the Tianshan Mountains is Jengish Chokusu, which rises to 7,439 m on the China–Kyrgyzstan border.
- Important rivers: The major rivers such as the Syr Darya, Ili, and Tarim rivers rise from this Range.
- Lakes: It also contains important lakes like – Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, the world’s second-largest alpine lake.
- UNESCO Status: The range is designated as a World Heritage Site in two parts: Xinjiang Tianshan(China, 2013) and Western Tien-Shan (transnational, 2016).
- Terrains: The range is famous for the visual contrast between its snow-capped peaks and the adjacent vast deserts like the Taklamakan and Gobi.
- Biodiversity: It is (especially the Western Tianshan), are a vital global biodiversity hotspot, acting as a natural bridge connecting Asian ecosystems (Himalayas, Siberia, Mongolia).
