Taklamakan Desert and Tibetan Plateau, space shuttle image. This view looks north to south over an area thousands of kilometres across, with the curve of the Earth's limb at upper right. The southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert (across bottom) includes the delta surrounding the city of Hotan (lower centre). Across centre are the snow-capped Kunlun Mountains (7000 metres elevation). The upper frame includes the western part of the Tibetan Plateau (Aksai Chin, upper centre; part of Tibet, upper left). Beyond these are the snow-capped mountains of the Karakoram (upper right) and Himalaya (top centre) ranges, with the Vale of Kashmir at upper right. In the far distance are the plains of India and Pakistan. Photographed from the Space Shuttle Endeavour in October 1994.