Himalaya
[[Image:Himalayas.jpg|thumb|350px|right|{{Perspective (visual)|Perspective}} view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the {{Tibetan Plateau}}.
({{:Image:himalaya_annotated.jpg|annotated version}})]]
The
Himalaya is a
mountain range in
Asia, separating the
Indian subcontinent from the
Tibetan Plateau. By extension, it is also the name of the massive mountain system which includes the Himalaya proper, the
Karakoram, the
Hindu Kush, and a host of minor ranges extending from the
Pamir Knot. The name is from
Sanskrit , a
tatpurusa compound meaning "the abode of snow" (from "snow", and "abode"; see also
Himavat).
Together, the Himalaya mountain system is the planet's highest and home to all fourteen of the world's highest peaks: the
Eight-thousanders, including
Mount Everest. To comprehend the enormous scale of Himalayan peaks, consider that
Aconcagua, in the
Andes, at 6,962 m, is the highest peak outside the Himalaya, while the Himalayan system has
over 100 separate mountains exceeding 7,200 m.
The Himalaya stretches across
five nations:
Bhutan,
People's Republic of China,
India,
Nepal, and
Pakistan. It is the source of three of the world's major
river systems, the
Indus Basin, the
Ganga-
Brahmaputra Basin and the
Yangtze Basin. An estimated 750 million people live in the watershed area of the Himalayan rivers, which also includes
Bangladesh.
The Himalaya (pronounced with a long "a": Himaalaya) range runs for about 2,400 km, from
Nanga Parbat in the west to Namche Barwa in the east. The width varies between 250-300 km. The Himalayan range comprises three parallel ranges, arranged by elevation and geological age.
|
Composite satellite image of the Himalayan range. The Tibetan Plateau is near the centre and the Taklamakan plain is visible as the lighter area near the top. |
The youngest of the three is called the
Sub-Himalayan Range (
Siwalik hills in India) and has an elevation of about 1,200 m. This range is made up of erosion material from the rising Himalaya. Running parallel to this is the
Lower Himalayan Range, which has an elevation between 2,000â€"5,000 m. A number of Indian
hill stations such as
Shimla,
Nainital,
Gangtok,
Kalimpong and
Darjeeling are located here. The northernmost range is called the
Great Himalayas and is also the oldest of the three. It has an elevation of more than 6,000 m and contains a large number of the world's highest peaks including the three highest,
Mount Everest,
K2 and
Kangchenjunga. Much of
Nepal lies in the Himalaya. The
Pakistani states of Baltistan, and the Indian states of
Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh,
Uttaranchal,
Sikkim and
Arunachal Pradesh lie mostly in the Himalaya. The southern part of the
Tibet Autonomous Region of
China also lies on the Himalaya.
The flora and fauna of the Himalaya varies with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the front of the range. This diversity of climate, altitude, rainfall and soil conditions generates a variety of distinct plant and animal communities, or
ecoregions.
Lowland forests
On the
Indo-Gangetic plain at the base of the mountains, an
alluvial plain drained by the Indus and Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems, vegetation varies from west to east with rainfall. The
xeric Northwestern thorn scrub forests occupy the plains of Pakistan and the
Indian Punjab. Further east lie the
Upper Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests of
Uttar Pradesh and
Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests of
Bihar and
West Bengal. These are monsoon forests, with drought-deciduous trees that lose their leaves during the dry season. The moister
Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests occupy the plains of
Assam.
The Terai belt
Above the alluvial plain lies the
Terai belt, a seasonally marshy zone of sand and clay soils. The Terai has higher rainfall than the plains, and the downward-rushing rivers of the Himalaya slow down and spread out in the flatter Terai zone, depositing fertile silt during the monsoon season and receding in the dry season. The Terai has a high water table, and the central part of the Terai belt is occupied by the
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, a mosaic of grasslands, savannas, deciduous and evergreen forests that includes some of the world's tallest grasslands. The grasslands of the Terai belt are home to the
Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).
The Bhabhar belt
Above the Terai belt is an upland zone known as the
Bhabhar, with porous and rocky soils, made up of debris washed down from the higher ranges. The Bhabhar and the lower Siwalik ranges have a subtropical climate. The
Himalayan subtropical pine forests occupy the western end of the subtropical belt, with forests dominated by
Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii). The central part of the range is home to the
Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, dominated by
sal (Shorea robusta).
Montane forests
At the middle elevations of the range, the subtropical forests yield to a belt of
temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, with the
Western Himalayan broadleaf forests at the western end of the range, and the
Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Above the broadleaf forests are the
Western and
Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests.
Alpine shrub and grasslands
Above the tree line are the
Northwestern,
Western, and
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, which yield to
tundra in the higher Himalayan range. The alpine meadows are the summer habitat of the endangered
Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia). The highest reaches of the range are above the permanent
snow line.
|
The 6,000 km plus journey of the India landmass (Indian Plate) before its collision with Asia (Eurasian Plate) about 40 to 50 million years ago. |
The Himalaya are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet. According to the modern theory of
plate tectonics, their formation is a result of a
continental collision or
orogeny along the
convergent boundary between the
Indo-Australian Plate and the
Eurasian Plate. The collision began in the
Upper Cretaceous period about 70 million years ago, when the north-moving Indo-Australian Plate, moving at about 15 cm/year, collided with the Eurasian Plate. By about 50 million years ago this fast moving Indo-Australian plate had completely closed the
Tethys Ocean, whose existence has been determined by
sedimentary rocks settled on the ocean floor and the
volcanoes that fringed its edges. Since these sediments were light, they crumpled into mountain ranges rather than sinking to the floor. The Indo-Australian plate continues to be driven horizontally below the
Tibetan plateau, which forces the plateau to move upwards. The
Arakan Yoma highlands in
Myanmar and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the
Bay of Bengal were also formed as a result of this collision.
The Indo-Australian plate is still moving at 67 mm/year, and over the next 10 million years it will travel about 1,500
km into Asia. About 2 cm/year of the India-Asia convergence is absorbed by
thrusting along the Himalaya southern front. This leads to the Himalaya rising by about 5 mm/year, making them geologically active. The movement of the Indian plate into the Asian plate also makes this region
seismically active, leading to
earthquakes from time to time.
The Himalayan range encompasses a very large number of
glaciers, notable among which is the
Siachen Glacier, the largest in the world outside the polar region. Some of the other more famous glaciers include the
Gangotri and
Yamunotri (
Uttaranchal), Nubra, Biafo and Baltoro (
Karakoram region), Zemu (
Sikkim) and
Khumbu glaciers (
Mount Everest region).
The higher regions of the Himalaya are snowbound throughout the year in spite of their proximity to the
tropics, and they form the sources for several large
perennial rivers, most of which combine into two large river systems:
|
This image shows the termini of the glaciers in the Bhutan-Himalaya. Glacial lakes have been forming rapidly on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers in this region during the last few decades. |
*The western rivers combine into the
Indus Basin, of which the
Indus River is the largest. The Indus begins in Tibet at the confluence of Sengge and Gar rivers and flows southwest through
Pakistan to the
Arabian Sea. It is fed by the
Jhelum, the
Chenab, the
Ravi, the
Beas, and the
Sutlej rivers, among others.
*Most of the other Himalayan rivers drain the
Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin. Its two main rivers are the
Ganges and the
Brahmaputra. The Ganga originates as the
Bhagirathi from the
Gangotri glacier and flows southeast through the plains of northern India, fed by the
Alaknanda and the
Yamuna among other tributaries. The Brahmaputra originates as the
Tsangpo in western Tibet, and flows east through
Tibet and west through the plains of
Assam. The Ganga and the Brahmaputra meet in
Bangladesh, and drain into the
Bay of Bengal through the world's largest
river delta.
The eastern-most Himalayan rivers feed the
Ayeyarwady River, which originates in eastern Tibet and flows south through
Myanmar to drain into the
Andaman Sea.
The
Salween,
Mekong, the
Yangtze and the
Huang He (Yellow River) all originate from parts of the
Tibetan plateau that are geologically distinct from the Himalaya mountains, and are therefore not considered true Himalayan rivers. Some geologists refer to all the rivers collectively as the
circum-Himalayan rivers [1].
In recent years scientists have monitored a notable increase in the rate of
glacier retreat across the region as a result of global
climate change. Although the effect of this won't be known for many years it potentially could mean disaster for the hundreds of thousands of people that rely on the
glaciers to feed the rivers of northern
India during the dry seasons.
The Himalaya region is dotted with hundreds of lakes. Most lakes are found at altitudes of less than 5,000 m, with the size of the lakes diminishing with altitude. The largest lake is the
Pangong t'so, which is spread across the border between India and Tibet. It is situated at an altitude of 4,600 m, and is 8 km wide and nearly 134 km long. A notable high (but not the highest) lake is the
Gurudogmar in
North Sikkim at an altitude of 5,148 m (16,890 feet) (altitude source:
SRTM). Other major lakes include the
Tsongmo lake, near the Indo-China border in Sikkim.
The mountain lakes are known to geographers as
tarns if they are caused by glacial activity. Tarns are found mostly in the upper reaches of the Himalaya, above 5,500 metres. For more information about these, see
here.
The Himalaya has a profound effect on the
climate of the
Indian subcontinent and the
Tibetan plateau. It prevents frigid, dry
Arctic winds from blowing south into the subcontinent, which keeps
South Asia much warmer than corresponding
temperate regions in the other continents. It also forms a barrier for the
monsoon winds, keeping them from traveling northwards, and causing heavy rainfall in the
Terai region. The Himalaya are also believed to play an important part in the formation of
Central Asian deserts such as the
Taklamakan and
Gobi deserts.
Due to the mountain ranges, the western disturbances which appear from
Iran during winter are prevented from travelling any further, resulting in snow in
Kashmir and rainfall for parts of
Punjab and northern India. Despite being a barrier to the cold northernly winter winds, the Brahmaputra valley receives part of the frigid winds, thus lowering the temperature in the
northeast Indian states and
Bangladesh. These winds also cause the North East monsoon during this season for these parts.
|
The Himalayan range at Yumesongdong in Sikkim, in the Yumthang River valley. |
The rugged terrain of the Himalaya makes few routes through the mountains possible. Some of these routes include:
*
Gangtok in
Sikkim to
Lhasa in
Tibet, via the
Nathula Pass and
Jelepla Passes (offshoots of the ancient
Silk Route).
*
Bhadgaon in
Nepal to
Nyalam in
Tibet.
*
Rohtang Pass in
Himachal Pradesh,
India.
* The road from
Srinagar in
Kashmir via
Leh to
Tibet. This pass is now less used because of regional troubles.
|
Mountain sheds like these are used by the rural populace as shelter for cattle in summer months as they take them for grazing in higher altitudes. |
The Himalaya, due to its large size and expanse, has been a natural barrier to the movement of people for tens of thousands of years. In particular, this has prevented intermingling of people from the
Indian subcontinent with people from
China and
Mongolia, causing significantly different languages and customs between these regions. The Himalaya has also hindered trade routes and prevented military expeditions across its expanse. For instance,
Genghis Khan could not expand his empire south of the Himalaya into the subcontinent.
Himal is
Nepalese for "range" and is used to name the various regions of the Himalaya. In Nepal, these are as follows:
* Sagarmatha Himal
* Annapurna Himal
* Ganesh Himal
* Langtang Himal
* Manaslu Himal
*
Rolwaling Himal* Jugal Himal
* Gauri Sankar Himal
* Kanjirowa Himal
* Khumbu Himal
* Dhaulagiri Himal
| Peak Name | Other names and meaning | Elevation (m) | Elevation (ft) | Notes | | Everest | Sagarmatha -"Forehead of the Sky",
Chomolangma or Qomolangma -"Mother of the Universe" | 8,848 | 29,028 | World's highest mountain. First climbed 1953. |
| K2 | Chogo Gangri | 8,611 | 28,251 | World's 2nd highest. World's toughest mountain to climb. First climbed 1954. |
| Kanchenjunga | Kangchen Dzö-nga | 8,586 | 28,169 | World's 3rd highest, highest in India and second highest in Nepal. First climbed 1955. |
| Lhotse | - | 8,501 | 27,939 | World's 4th highest and close to Mt Everest situated in Nepal. First climbed 1956. |
| Makalu | - | 8,462 | 27,765 | World's 5th highest situated in Nepal. First climbed 1955. |
| Cho Oyu | Mt. Zhuoaoyou | 8,201 | 26,906 | World's 6th highest situated in Nepal. First climbed 1954. |
| Dhaulagiri | White Mountain | 8,167 | 26,764 | World's 7th highest situated in Nepal. First climbed 1960. |
| Manaslu | Kutang - "Mountain of the Spirit" | 8,163 | 26,758 | World's 8th highest. First climbed 1956. |
| Nanga Parbat | Nangaparbat Peak or Diamir | 8,125 | 26,658 | World's 9th highest. First climbed 1953. |
| Annapurna | "Goddess of the Harvests" | 8,091 | 26,545 | World's 10th highest situated in Nepal. First climbed 1950. |
| Gasherbrum I | Hidden Peak (Khumbu Gangri) or K5 | 8,068 | 26,470 | World's 11th highest. First climbed 1958. |
| Broad Peak | K3 (Phalchen Gangri) | 8,047 | 26,400 | World's 12th highest. First climbed 1957. |
| Gasherbrum II | K4 | 8,035 | 26,360 | World's 13th highest. First climbed 1956. |
| Shishapangma | "Crest above the grassy plains"
Gosainthan -Sanskrit for "place of the saint", | 8,027 | 26,289 | First climbed 1964. |
| Gyachung Gangri | - | 7,922 | 26,089 | First climbed 1964. |
| Nanda Devi | "Bliss-Giving Goddess" | 7,817 | 25,645 | First climbed 1936. |
| Kabru | - | 7,338 | 24,258 | Never climbed |
| Bumo Gangri | "Unmarried Daughter" | 7,161 | 23,494 | Popular climbing peak. First climbed 1962. |
*
Heinrich Harrer (1912 â€" 2006) Austrian mountaineer, author of the book
Seven Years in Tibet.
*
Tenzing Norgay (1914 â€" 1986) was a Nepalese
Sherpa mountaineer.
*Sir
Edmund Hillary (born 1919) New Zealand mountaineer and explorer, first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
*
Reinhold Messner (born 1944) Italian mountaineer, considered the greatest mountain climber of all time.
*
Harish Kapadia, (born 1945) mountaineer and author.
Several places in the Himalaya are of religious significance in
Hinduism and
Buddhism. In Hinduism, the Himalaya have also been personified as the god
Himavat, the father of
Shiva's consort,
Parvati.
*
Haridwar, the place where the river
Ganges enters the
plains.
*
Badrinath, a
temple dedicated to
Vishnu.
*
Kedarnath, where one of the 12
Jyothirlingas is located.
*Deoprayag, where the
Alaknanda and
Bhagirathi merge to form the
Ganges.
*
Rishikesh, has a temple of
Lakshmana.
*
Mount Kailash, a 6,638 m high peak which is considered to be the abode of the
Hindu god
Shiva and is also venerated by
Buddhists.
Lake Manasarowar lies at the base of Mount Kailash, and is the source of the
Brahmaputra.
*
Amarnath, has a natural
Shiva linga of ice which forms for a few weeks each year. Thousands of people visit this cave during these few weeks.
*The
Vaishno Devi is a popular shrine among
Durga devotees.
*A number of
Tibetan Buddhist sites are situated in the Himalaya, including the residence of the
Dalai Lama.
*The
Yeti is one of the most famous creatures in
cryptozoology. It is a large
primate-like creature that is supposed to live in the Himalaya. Most mainstream scientists and experts consider current evidence of the Yeti's existence unpersuasive, and the result of hoaxes, legend or misidentification of mundane creatures.
*
Shambhala is a mystical city in
Buddhism with various legends associated with it. While some legends consider it to be a real city where secret Buddhist doctrines are being preserved, other legends believe that the city does not physically exist and can only be reached in the mental realm.
*
Sri Hemkunt Sahib - Sikh Gurudwara where
Guru Gobind Singh was meditating and sent to Earth to help humanity.
*
Shangri-La is a fictional
utopia situated somewhere in the Himalaya, based on the legendary
Shambhala. It is described in the novel
Lost Horizon, written by the
British writer
James Hilton in
1933.
*
Tintin in Tibet is one of the series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring the young reporter Tintin investigating a plane crash in the
Gosain Than massif in the Himalaya. (
1960)
* The
Hollywood movie
Vertical Limit (2000), is set in the
K2 peak of the Himalaya.
* Several levels of
Tomb Raider 2 and one level in
Tomb Raider: Legend of the
Tomb Raider series are situated in the Himalaya.
*
List of highest mountains - all mountains over 7,200 meters
*
Eight-thousander - a list of peaks over 8,000 metres
*
List of mountains in Pakistan*
Mountain ranges of Pakistan*
Geography of China*
Trekking peak*
Ladakh*
Baltistan*
Michael Palin,
Himalaya, Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated (2004) ISBN 0297843710
*
John Hunt,
Ascent of Everest, Hodder & Stoughton (1956) ISBN 0898863619
*
Everest, the
IMAX movie (1998), ISBN 0788814931
The Himalayan Journal published by
Himalayan Club*
Harish Kapadia*
The making of the Himalaya and major tectonic subdivisions*
Geology of the Himalayan mountains*
Birth of the Himalaya*
Some notes on the formation of the Himalaya*
Guide to the 8000 m peaks*
Himalaya 2000*
Michael Palin - Himalaya*
Pictures and travelogues from the Himalayas*
Kiran Chakravadhanula - A Trek through the Himalaya*
Trekking in the Himalayas - link listing
