The mountain structure of the Himalayas is undoubtedly the highest in the world. It stretched at a distance of 2,400 meters from the northwest towards the southeast. Its western part reaches 400 kilometers in width, the eastern - about 150 kilometers.
In the article, we will consider where the Himalayas are located, in the territory of which states the mountain range stretches, and who lives in this territory.
Kingdom of the Snows
Pictures of the Himalayan peaks are fascinating. Many will easily answer the question of where in these planets these giants are located.
The map shows that they are located on a vast territory: starting from the northern hemisphere and ending with the Tibetan plateau, they cross South Asia and the Indo-Gangetic Plain along the way. Further, they smoothly grow into other mountain systems.
The unusual location of the mountains lies in the fact that they are located in 5 countries. The Himalayas can boast of Indians, and Nepalese, and Chinese, and residents of Bhutan, and Pakistan, and the northern side of Bangladesh.
How the Himalayas appeared and developed
This system of mountains, from the point of view of geology, is quite young. It was attributed to alpine folding. Himalaya coordinates: 27 ° 59′17 ″ north latitude and 86 ° 55′31 ″ east longitude
There are two phenomena that influenced the appearance of mountains:
- The system was formed mainly from sediments and rocks interacting in the earth's crust. First, they folded into a kind of folds, and then rose to a certain height.
- The formation of the Himalayas was influenced by the merger of two lithospheric plates, which began about 50 million years ago. Because of this, the ancient Tethys Ocean disappeared.
Dimensions of the Himalayan peaks
This mountain system includes 10 of the 14 highest mountains on Earth, which exceeded the 8 km mark. The highest of them is Mount Jomolungma (Everest) - 8,848 meters up. On average, all the Himalayan mountains exceed 6 km.
In the table you can see what peaks the system of mountains includes, their height and the location of the Himalayas by country.
Three main steps
The Himalayan mountains formed 3 main levels, each of which is higher than the previous one.
Description of the Himalayan steps, starting with the lowest in height:
- The Sivalik Range is the southernmost, lowest and youngest level. Its length is 1 km 700 meters between the lowlands of the Indus and Brahmaputra, and in width - from 10 to 50 km. The elevation of Sivalik does not exceed 2 km. This mountain range is located mainly on the land of Nepal, capturing the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- Small Himalayas - the second step, going in the same direction as Sivalik, only closer to the north. On average, their height is about 2.5 km and only in the west they reach 4 km. These two Himalayan steps have many river valleys that divide the massif into isolated sections.
- The Great Himalayas - the third level, which is much north and higher than the previous two. Some peaks here are much more than 8 km in height. And the depressions in the mountain ridges amount to more than 4 km. Multiple glacial clusters are located on an area of more than 33 thousand km 2 . They have fresh water in the amount of about 12 thousand km 3 . The largest and most famous glacier - the Gangotri - the beginning of the Indian Ganges River.
Himalayan water system
The three largest South Asian rivers - Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganges - begin their journey in the mountains of the Himalayas. The Western Himalayan rivers are included in the catchment of the Indus River, and all others are adjacent to the Brahmaputra Ganga basin. The easternmost side of the Himalayas belongs to the Irrawaddy River system . Also in this mountain structure there are many naturally occurring bodies of water that do not have connections with other rivers, seas and oceans. For example, Bangong-Tso and Yamdzhoyum-Tso lakes (700 and 621 km 2 respectively). And there is Lake Tilicho, which is located very high in the mountains - at the level of 1919 m, and is considered one of the highest in the world.
Vast glaciers are another feature of the mountain system. They cover an area of 33 thousand km 2 and store about 7 km 3 of snow. The largest and longest glaciers are Zema, Gangotri and Rongbuk.
Weather
The weather in the mountains is changeable, it is influenced by the geographical position of the Himalayas, their vast territory.
- On the south side under the monsoon influence in the summer there is a lot of rainfall - in the east up to 4 meters, in the west up to 1 meter per year, and in winter there is almost none.
- In the north, on the contrary, there is almost no rain, the continental climate prevails here, cold and dry. High in the mountains, severe frosts and increased winds occur. Air temperature is below -40 .
The temperature in summertime reaches -25 ° C, and in winter - up to -40 ° C. In mountainous areas, winds are often found at speeds of up to 150 km / h. In the Himalayas, the weather changes quite often.
The Himalayan mountain structure also affects the weather of the entire region. The mountains act as protection against the chilling arid gusts of wind that blow from the north, so the climate in India is warmer than in Asian countries, which, incidentally, are in the same latitudes.
In Tibet, the weather is very arid, since all the monsoon winds blowing from the south and bringing a lot of precipitation cannot cross the high mountains. All moisture-containing volumes of air settle in them.
There is an assumption that the Himalayas also took part in the formation of the desert plains of Central Asia, since they prevented the passage of rainfall.
Flora and fauna
Flora directly depends on the height of the Himalayas.
- The base of the Sivalik Range is covered with swampy forests and terai (a kind of shoots).
- A little higher, green dense forests with high stand begin, deciduous and coniferous plants are found. Further down are mountain meadows covered with dense grass.
- Forests, which consist of deciduous trees and small shrubs, prevail at an altitude of more than 2 km. And coniferous forests - more than 2 km 600 meters.
- Above 3 km 500 meters begins the kingdom of shrubs.
- On the slopes from the north, the weather is drier, so there is much less vegetation. Mostly mountainous deserts and steppes prevail.
The fauna is very diverse and depends on where the Himalayas are located and their position above sea level.
- Wild elephants, antelopes, tigers, rhinos and leopards, a very large number of monkeys live in the southern tropics.
- Famous Himalayan bears, mountain sheep and goats, yaks live a little higher.
- And even higher, snow leopards are sometimes found.
There are many reserves in the Himalayas. For example, Sagarmatha National Park.
Population
A significant part of people lives in the southern Himalayas, the height of which does not reach 5 km. For example, in the basins of Kashirskaya and Kathmandu. These areas are quite densely populated, almost all land plots
In the Himalayas, the population is divided into ethnic groups. It so happened that it’s hard to get to these places, for a long time people lived in separate tribes that had little contact with neighboring ones. Often in the winter, the inhabitants of a hollow were completely divorced from the others, because it was impossible to reach their neighbors because of snow blockages in the mountains.
It is known where the Himalayas are located - on the territory of five countries. Residents of the region communicate in two languages: Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burmese.
Religious beliefs also vary: some praise the Buddha, while others worship Hinduism.
Himalayans - Sherpas - live high in the mountains of East Nepal, including the Everest region. Often work as assistants in expeditions: show the way and carry things. They are perfectly adapted to the height, so even at the highest points of this mountain system do not suffer from a lack of oxygen. Apparently, they indulge in them at the genetic level.
The inhabitants of the Himalayas are mainly engaged in agricultural work. If the land is relatively flat and there is enough water in stock, the peasants successfully grow potatoes, rice, peas, oats and barley. Where the climate is warmer, such as in basins, lemons, oranges, apricots, tea and grapes grow. High in the mountains, the inhabitants contain yaks, sheep and goats. Yaks transport goods, but they are still kept for meat, wool and milk.
The special values of the Himalayas
There are many attractions in the Himalayan mountains: these are Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, temples, relics. At the foot of the mountains is the city of Rishikesh - a sacred place for Hindus. It was in this city that yoga was born, this city is considered the capital of harmony of body and soul.
The city of Hardwar or “Gateway to God” is another sacred place for locals. It is located on the descent from the mountain of the Ganges River, which flows into the plain.
You can stroll through the Valley of Flowers National Park, which is located on the western side of the Himalayas. This area strewn with beautiful flowers is a national heritage of UNESCO.
Tourist travel
In the Himalayan mountain system, sports such as climbing the peaks and hiking along mountain trails are very popular.
The most popular tracks include:
- The famous path near Annapurna passes by the slopes of the mountain range of the same name in northern Nepal. The length of the trip is about 211 km. In height, it varies from 800 m to 5 km 416 meters. Along the way, tourists can admire the high mountain lake Tilicho.
- You can see the area near Manaslu, which is located around the Mansiri-Himal mountains. It partially coincides with the first route.
The travel time of the tourist, the time of year, and the weather affect the travel time of these paths. It is dangerous for an untrained person to immediately climb to a height, since "mountain sickness" can begin. Moreover, it is unsafe. You need to prepare well, to purchase special equipment for mountaineering.
Almost everyone knows where the Himalayas are, and wants to go there. A trip to the mountains attracts tourists from different countries, including Russia. Remember that climbing is best done in the warmer months, best in autumn or spring. In the summer in the Himalayas it rains, and in winter it is very cold and impassable.