K2 is part of which mountain range?

K2 is part of the Karakoram mountain range.

The mountain rises in the northwestern Karakoram, in the broader Kashmir region. Its summit reaches about 8,611 metres, making K2 the second-highest mountain on Earth after Mount Everest. The range spans territory administered by Pakistan, China and India, and the political status of parts of Kashmir is disputed.

The name K2 came from the 1856 Survey of India, when Thomas Montgomerie labelled it the second peak he measured in the Karakoram. Unlike many famous mountains, the survey name remained in common use. K2 is also called Mount Godwin-Austen, after the British surveyor who helped map the region.

A frequent mix-up is to place K2 in the Himalayas because both ranges are part of the high mountain system of Central and South Asia. Geographically, however, K2 belongs to the Karakoram. Its steep faces, severe weather and technical climbing routes have earned it the nickname “Savage Mountain.” The first successful ascent took place in 1954, by Italian climbers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli.