[1] It rises in the Gasherbrum, Urdok, Staghar, Singhi and Kyagar Glaciers in the Karakoram.

[2] It then flows in a general northwestern direction parallel to the Karakoram ridge line in the Shaksgam Valley.

[7] Historically, the bed of the Yarkand river where Shaksgam joins it, was used for cultivation by farmers from the state of Hunza.

The rulers of Hunza are said to have obtained these "territorial rights to Shaksgam" in the distant past.

[8][9] It is not rare for the average annual temperature in the region to fall below freezing during the winter months.