Gipmochi
Gipmochi (Gyemo Chen or Gamochen, 'The Great Queen') is a mountain in the Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of , the mountain sits on the border between the northern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan. China claims Gipmochi as the China–India–Bhutan tri-junction point. Bhutan and India, however, claim that the tri-junction is 6.5 km to the north, at Batang La. Geography. Mount Gipmochi is a Himalayan peak rising to , on the southwestern shoulder of the Doklam plateau that sits at the trijunction between India (Sikkim), Bhutan and Tibet (Chumbi Valley). Technically  Gipmochi is part of the Zompelri ridge (or Jhampelri ridge), which is a curved semicircular formation. To the north of this ridge is the Dongkya Range of mountains which is traditionally thought of as the dividing line between Sikkim and the Chumbi Valley. In the modern view, the Dongkya Range continues beyond Sikkim to the east, passing through the Merug La and Sinche La peaks and gradually descending down to the plains. To the west of the Mount Gipmochi and the Doklam plateau lie the headwaters of the Dichu river (also called Jaldhaka river). The Teesta river basin is further  west, the dividing line being a morain at Kupup, near the Jelep La pass. The lake called Bitang Tso (or Bidan Tso, also called the Kupup Lake), just to the east of Kupup, is traditionally regarded as the origin of the Dichu river. Dichu flows southeast towards the Mount Gipmochi and turns south just before it, entering Bhutan. A tributary of Dichu called Asam Khola rises below Mount Gipmochi on its south, joins Dichu near the village of Khentong. To the northeast of Gipmochi lies the basin of the Amo Chu river, which rises in the Chumbi Valley and flows  into Bhutan. Just below Gipmochi in the northeast rises a stream called Torsa Nala (or Doklam River), which flows through the valley between the Zompelri and Dognkya ridges and joins Amo Chu about 8 miles downstream. History. References by British India. "The Imperial Gazetteer of India" states that the Dongkya range (or Chola range) that divides Sikkim from the Chumbi Valley bifurcates at Gipmochi into two great spurs, one running to the south-east and the other to the south-west. Between the two spurs lies the valley of the Dichul (Jaldhaka) river. The "western shoulder" of Gipmochi was said  to contain the trijunction point of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. The southwest spur mentioned in the Gazetteer forms part of the boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan. The southeast spur, called the "Zompelri" ridge (or "Jampheri" ridge), currently separates the Bhutanese districts of Haa (to the north) and Samtse (to the south). The area bounded by Gipmochi and Batang La, extending about 5 km to the southeast, forms a plateau called Dolam or Doklam plateau. Some British travel maps from the 19th century (prior to official surveys) mark this plateau as "Gipmochi Pk" and show its alignment with the Sinchela pass  (on the northern ridge of the plateau). Bhutan did not have a map of its lands till 1961. Chinese border claims. The Chinese claim of the trijunction point is based on the 1890 Anglo-Chinese Convention, Article I of which states: The Article mentions Gipmochi as being on Bhutan border, but no other details regarding Bhutan were given. Bhutan was not a signatory to the Convention. Further, Gipmochi is not the highest point on the Doklam plateau. Merug La, at 15,266 feet, and Sinchela, at 14,531 feet, are higher, making the Batang La–Merug La–Sinchela line the highest watershed  in the region. Maps of Sikkim produced by Survey of India in 1923, 1933 and 1937 show Gipmochi as the tri-junction point, However, a map from 1910 that shows the details of the Chumbi Valley and Bhutan gives Batang La as the tri-junction point. Indian sources state that the Survey of India map of 1956 and other maps since then by both Indian and Bhutanese sources have depicted the tri-junction near Batang La. On 30 June 2017, the Chinese government released a previously-published Chinese map depicting their territory extending south to Gipmochi. The 2017 border dispute  between China and India likely stems from India's security concern of its Siliguri Corridor. A Chinese observation post on the mountain of Gipmochi would have a clear view of this vital corridor which is heavily fortified by Indian troops. Scholar Caroline Brassard states, "its strategic significance for the Indian military is obvious."