The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world, the name of which in Sanskrit literally means "the place where the snow lives." Located in South Asia, this mountain range separates the Indo-Gangetic plain and the plateau of Tibet. Here is the majority of the points closest to the sky on planet Earth, including Everest, the highest point (the Himalayas are called the "roof of the world" for good reason). He is known under another name - Chomolungma.
Mountain ecology
The Himalayan mountains are characterized by a wide variety of landscape forms. The Himalayas lie on the territory of as many as five states: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan. In the mountains originate three large and powerful rivers - Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. The flora and fauna of the Himalayas is directly dependent on climate, precipitation, mountain heights and soil conditions.
The surrounding foothills of the mountains are characterized by a tropical climate, while on the peaks are eternal ice and snow. The annual rainfall increases from west to east. The unique natural heritage and the height of the Himalayan mountains are subject to modification due to various climatic processes.
Geological features
Himalayas - mountains in South Asia, consisting mainly of sedimentary and mixed rocks. A distinctive feature of the mountain slopes is their steepness and peaks in the form of a peak or ridge, covered with eternal ice and snow and occupying an area of about 33 thousand km². The Himalayas, whose height in places reaches almost nine kilometers, are relatively young, compared with other, more ancient mountain systems of the Earth.
Like 70 million years ago, the Indian plate still continues to move and moves up to 67 millimeters per year, and over the next 10 million years it will advance 1.5 km in the Asian direction. Active from the point of view of geology of the peak also makes the fact that the height of the Himalayan mountains increases, gradually increasing by about 5 mm per year. Such insignificant, at first glance, processes over time have a powerful effect in geological terms, in addition, the region is unstable from a seismic point of view, sometimes earthquakes occur.
Himalaya river system
The Himalayas are the third largest ice and snow deposits in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic. In the mountains there are approximately 15 thousand glaciers, which contain about 12 thousand cubic kilometers of fresh water. The highest areas are covered in snow all year round. Originating in Tibet, Indus is the largest and most full-flowing river, into which many smaller ones flow. It flows southwest through India, Pakistan and flows into the Arabian Sea.
The Himalayas, whose height at the highest point reaches almost 9 kilometers, are characterized by great river diversity. The main water sources of the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin are the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yamuna rivers. The Brahmaputra connects with the Ganges in Bangladesh, and together they flow into the Bay of Bengal.
Mountain lakes
The highest Himalayan lake, Gurudongmar in Sikkim (India), is located at an altitude of about 5 kilometers. In the vicinity of the Himalayas there are a huge number of picturesque lakes, most of which are located at an altitude of less than 5 kilometers above sea level. Some lakes are considered sacred in India. Nepalese Lake Tilicho in the vicinity of the Annapurna mountain landscapes is one of the highest mountains on the planet.
The large Himalayan mountain ranges contain hundreds of beautiful lakes in India and neighboring Tibet and Nepal. Himalayan lakes give a special appeal to the magnificent mountain landscapes, many of them are fanned with ancient legends and interesting stories.
Climate Impact
Himalayas have a great influence on climate formation. They impede the flow of cold dry winds in a southerly direction, which allows a warm climate to reign in South Asia. A natural barrier is formed for monsoons (causing heavy rains), preventing their movement in the north. The mountain range plays a certain role in the processes of formation of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts.
The main part of the Himalayan mountains falls under the influence of subequatorial factors. It is quite hot in the summer and spring season: the average air temperature reaches 35 ° C. At this time of the year, the monsoons bring with them a large amount of rainfall from the Indian Ocean, which then falls on the southern mountain slopes.
People and culture of the Himalayas
Due to the climatic features of the Himalayas (mountains in Asia) are quite sparsely populated region. Most people live in the lowlands. Some of them make a living as guides for tourists and accompanying climbers who come to conquer some mountain peaks. Mountains have been a natural barrier for many thousands of years. They stopped the assimilation of the population of China and the interior of Asia with the Indian peoples.
Some tribes are based in the Himalayan mountain range, namely in the territory of North-East India, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, parts of West Bengal and others. In Arunachal Pradesh alone, more than 80 tribes live. The Himalayan mountains are one of the largest places in the world with a large number of endangered species of animals, since hunting is a very popular activity in the vicinity of the Himalayas. The main religions are Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. The famous Himalayan myth was the story of a bigfoot who lives somewhere in the mountains.
Himalayan mountains
The Himalayas rise almost 9 kilometers above sea level. They extend to a distance of about 2.4 thousand kilometers from the Indus Valley in the west to the Brahmaputra Valley in the east. Some mountain peaks are considered sacred among the local population, and many Hindus and Buddhists make pilgrimages to these places.
On average, the height of the Himalayan mountains in meters together with glaciers reaches 3.2 thousand. Mountain climbing, which gained popularity at the end of the 19th century, has become the main activity of extreme tourists. In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and the Sherpas Tenzing Norgay were the first to conquer Everest (the highest point).
Everest: mountain height (Himalayas)
Everest, also known as Chomolungma, is the highest point on the planet. What is the height of the mountain? The Himalayas, famous for their inaccessible peaks, attract thousands of travelers, but their main goal is the Chomolungma with a height of 8.848 kilometers. This place is just a paradise for tourists who cannot imagine their life without risk and extreme sports.
The height of the Himalayan mountains attracts a large number of climbers from around the globe. As a rule, there are no significant technical difficulties with climbing certain routes, but Everest is fraught with many other dangerous factors, such as fear of heights, a sharp change in weather conditions, lack of oxygen and a very strong gusty wind.
Scientists have precisely established the height of each mountain system on Earth. This was made possible through the use of NASA's satellite surveillance system. Having measured the height of each mountain, we came to the conclusion that 10 of the 14 highest mountains on the planet are in the Himalayas. Each of these mountains belongs to a special list of eight-thousanders. The conquest of all these peaks is considered the peak of the mountaineer's skill.
Natural features of the Himalayas at different levels
The Himalayan swampy jungle located at the foot of the mountains is called the Terai and is characterized by a wide variety of vegetation. Here you can find 5-meter thickets of grass, palm trees with coconuts, ferns and bamboo thickets. At an altitude of 400 meters to 1.5 kilometers there is a strip of moist forests. In addition to numerous species of trees, magnolias, citrus fruits and camphor laurel grow here.
At a higher level (up to 2.5 km) the mountain space was filled with evergreen subtropical as well as deciduous forests, here you can find mimosa, maple, bird cherry, chestnut, oak, wild cherries, alpine mosses. Coniferous forests extend to a height of 4 km. At this height, the trees are getting smaller, they are being replaced by field vegetation in the form of grass and shrubs.
Starting from 4.5 km above sea level, the Himalayas are a zone of eternal glaciers and snow cover. The animal world is also diverse. In different parts of the mountains, you can encounter bears, elephants, antelopes, rhinos, monkeys, wild horses, goats and many other mammals. There are many snakes and reptiles that pose a great danger to people.
The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on Earth. To date, the peak of the Jomolungma (Everest) has already been conquered about 1200 times. In particular, a man of 60 years old and a thirteen-year-old teenager managed to climb the peak, and in 1998 the first person with disabilities conquered the summit.