THE HIMALAYAS IX E

It’s Basic Geographical Features are- The most characteristic features of the Himalayas are-  Great height  Complex geologic structure  Snow-capped peaks  Large valley glaciers  Deep river gorges  Rich vegetation

Geologically the Himalayas are relatively young folded mountains and are still undergoing the mountain-building process. The Himalayas’ largest peaks include Mount Everest Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat, and Annapurna all of whose summits are above 25,000 feets. Mount Everest

Mountain Ranges  The Himalayan range contains 100 of mountain peaks including the planet’s highest peaks, Mount Everest.  Indian Himalayan mountain ranges are the Karakoram range, Garhval Himalaya and Kanchanjunga range are home to tallest summit.  The greater Himalayas is further divided into 2 major sub ranges in India known as Sub-Himalayan ranges.

RiversRivers  The Himalayas contain the third-largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic.  The Himalayas are drained by 19 major rivers, of which the Indus and the Brahmaputra are the largest.  Its glaciers include the Gangotri and Yamunotri from where Ganga and Yamuna originates respectively.  Most of the other Himalayan rivers drain the Ganges – Bramhaputra Basin. Gangotri Glacier

LakesLakes The Himalayan 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.  Tilicho Lake in Nepal in the Annapurna massif is one of the highest lakes in the world.  Tarns are found mostly in the upper reaches of the Himalaya, above 5,500 metres. Some of the lakes present a danger of a glacial lake outburst flood.

Passes Passes Some of the major passes are-  Rohtang pass – It is a high mountain pass on the eastern Panjal range of the Himalayas around 51 kilometer from Manali.  Karakoram pass – It is between India and China in the Karakoram range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Laddakh and Yarkand in the Taxim basin.  Mana pass – Mana pass is a mountain pass in the Himalayas on the border between India and Tibet.

 Banihal pass – It crosses the Pirpanjal range at 2832m maximum elevation. This pass remains covered by heavy snow throughout the year.  Kora la pass – It is located on the Nepal-Tibet border at the upper and Mustang. Kora la is the lowest pass through both ranges between K2 and Everest. Karakoram Pass Rohtang Pass Banihal Pass

Tourism East Himalayas provides a wide potential in tourism that has yet largely remained unexploited.  Northeast India, just south of Sikkim, Darjeeling provides ambiance of a hill resort with its mild climate and laid back charm.  The Great Buddha Park is also a nice spot for tourists.  Rafting is also enjoyed by many tourists here.

Tourist places  The perenially snow capped mountains, lush green tropical and temperate forest, gurgling streams, rice flora and fauna is the main tourist attraction.  A true shangrila or “Nye-mae-el” which simply means ‘heaven’ situated in Sikkim in Northeast India is also a great tourist attraction.

Flora  The Shivalks are fringed with broad-leaved Sal and silk cotton, which give way to sheesham, kail and the long leaved cheer pine on the slopes of the foothills.  Pir Panjal ranges are covered with mossy oak and the West Himalayan fir.  The most found tree here is Deodar. The rare Himalayan blue poppy is also found here. Himalayan Blue Poppy

Fauna Fauna  The Himalayan Wild Habitat and Conservation provides shelter to India’s unique and rarest wild animals such as endangered snow leopard, Himalayan Tahr, beautiful Red panda and Himalayan Black Bear.  The bird of prey found in the region are the Golden Eagle, the Lammergeier vulture Mountain Hawk Eagle and majestic Himalayan Griffon Vulture, an Old World vulture.

Cities & Villages Cities & Villages Some major cites and villages which fall in Himalayan range are-  Manali – It is very famous hill station in Himmachal Pradesh.  Ladhak – It is also known as cold desert of India.  Darjeeling – It is a very beautiful for sight seeing. It is covered with emarald-green tea plantations.  Kullu - It is a cluster of beautiful valleys, located between the majestic Himalayas and river Beas and is known as 'Valley of Gods’. Manali

Economy & Livelihood Economy & Livelihood Himalayan communities are by and large self-reliant, and nature-dependent.  Communities that draw their livelihoods from agriculture and animal husbandry.  Hunting-gathering, however, continues to provide significantly for the Himalayan households to this day.  In most of the regions terrace farming and tea cultivation is practiced because of Suitable cliimate for growth of tea.

 As it is a rural and less populated section, education is not been taken as a serious subject. But nowadays NGO’s are supporting to improve education in These areas.  Other activities include traditional crafts and skills, casual labour, employment in the fruit processing industries, the tea gardens, in the tourism and in pilgrimage industry. Education in Himalayas

Global Warming  Global warming is caused due to increase in pollution and temperature.  The melting of the glaciers in the Himalayan region is leading to floods mostly in Sikkim and Tibet  Due to melting of glaciers in Himalayas the water level in the sea is increasing and coastal areas are getting submurged.

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