Where are the Himalayas located on the map. Where are the Himalayas located? On what continent are the Himalayas located?

The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on Earth, located between the Tibetan Plateau (in the north) and the Indo-Gangetic Plain (in the south). This majestic mountain system spreads across India, Nepal, China (Tibetan autonomous region), Pakistan, Bhutan. The Himalaya mountain system at the junction of Central and South Asia is over 2900 km long and about 350 km wide. The average height of the ridges is about 6 km, the maximum 8848 m is Mount Chomolungma (Everest). There are 10 eight-thousanders here - peaks over 8000 m above sea level.

The Himalayan mountain range, including the Karakoram Mountains (the second highest mountain system located in the northwest of the western Himalaya chain), stretches more than 2,414 km along the northern border of the Hindustan Peninsula, separating it from Asia to the north. Karakorum is home to the longest glacier outside the polar regions - Siyachen, stretching for 76 km.

Mount Rakaposhi (7788 m) has the steepest slope in the world. This mountain rises 6000 m above the Hunza Valley, and the length of the slope is almost 10 km; thus the total angle of inclination is 31°.

The Karakoram Mountains stretch from the northwest, from Northern Pakistan, to the southeast, through Kashmir in Northern India. The Himalayas turn to the east, capturing the mountain kingdoms of Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, and finally the province of Aru-Nachal Pradesh in the northeastern state of Assam. The northern borders of these countries lie along a mountainous watershed, to the north of which lie Chinese regions Tibet and Chinese Turkestan.

To the west of the Karakoram, the mountains divide into the Pamir and Hindu Kush, and to the east there is a sharp turn south towards the lower mountains of Northern Burma.

The peoples who inhabit the Himalayas have never particularly sought to explore the mountains, not dictated by their immediate needs of life; this “high” honor fell mainly to the more restless Europeans.

In the 19th century, as mountaineering pioneers began to scale the peaks of the European Alps, the Indian government's land management department calculated the location of a peak that appeared to be higher than the others. Completed in 1856, processing of theodolite surveys from 1849 and 1850 showed that the height of Peak XV on the Tibet-Nepal border is 8840 m, and therefore the highest peak in the world. It was named after Colonel Sir George Everest, former Surveyor General of India.

After the First World War, the efforts of climbers concentrated mainly on approaches to Everest from the Tibetan slopes, since Nepal was closed to any expeditions.

After World War II, Nepal opened its borders to researchers and surveying began southern slopes; however, the inaccessible peak was conquered only on May 29, 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

Currently, the Himalayas are an area of international mountaineering (mainly in Nepal).

The Himalayas rise above the Indo-Gangetic plain in 3 steps, forming the Shivalik mountains (Pre-Himalayas), the Lesser Himalayas (Pir Panjal, Dhaoladhar ridges and others) and separated from them by a chain of longitudinal depressions (Kathmandu Valley, Kashmir Valley and others) the Greater Himalayas, which are subdivided to the Assamese, Nepalese, Kumaon and Punjab Himalayas.

Peaks more than 8 km above sea level make up the Greater Himalayas, the lowest passes in them are located at altitudes of more than 4 km. The Greater Himalayas are characterized by alpine-type ridges, huge altitudinal contrasts, and powerful glaciation (an area of over 33 thousand km²). From the east this ridge is limited by the Brahmaputra valley, and from the west by the Indus (these powerful rivers cover the entire mountain system on three sides). The extreme northwestern peak of the Himalayas is Nanga Parbat (8126 m), the eastern one is Namcha Barwa (7782 m).

The peaks of the Lesser Himalayas reach an average height of 2.4 km, and only in the western part - 4 km above sea level.

The lowest ridge, the Shivalik, stretches along the entire mountain system from the Brahmaputra to the Indus, nowhere exceeding 2 km.

The main rivers of South Asia - the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra - originate in the Himalayas.

Highest peaks[edit | edit source text]

The Himalayas are home to 10 of the world's 14 eight-thousanders.

The highest peak on Earth is located on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet Autonomous Region). In Nepali she is called the King of Heaven - Sagarmatha, and in Tibetan - the Divine Mother of the Earth (Chomolungma). The name Everest was given to the mountain during the first measurement of its height in the middle of the 19th century in honor of George Everest (English George Everest, 1790-1866), the chief surveyor of the topographic survey of British India. The top of the mountain is at an altitude of 8848 m above sea level.

The world's highest mountains separate Hindustan from Asia.

Most travelers fly to India or Pakistan to reach the Himalayas and then travel north by train, highway and finally on foot. The path from the north, from Tibet, is more difficult.

Home to 96 of the world's 109 peaks over 7,300 m, the Himalayas are undeniably the greatest mountain range on Earth. And although the South American Andes form a longer (about 7,500 km) mountain range, they are not as high. But facts and figures are one thing, and the awe-inspiring view of the Himalayas is quite another.

Although the highest mountain on our planet is better known throughout the world under the English name Everest, its Nepalese name - Qomolungma - "Goddess Mother of Snow" - creates an image that can be applied to all the Himalayas.

The highest climb is on the southern slope of Annapurna I (8091 m), and the longest climb is on the Rupal-facing slope of Mount Nangaparbat in Karakoram with a climb height of 4482 m.

Among the highest peaks of the range, K2 in Karakoram (8661 m) and Kanchenjunga (8586 m) should be mentioned.

Solarshakti / flickr.com View of the snow-capped Himalayas (Saurabh Kumar_ / flickr.com) The Great Himalayas - view on the way to Leh from Delhi (Karunakar Rayker / flickr.com) You will have to cross this bridge if you are going to Everest Base Camp (ilker ender / flickr.com) The Great Himalayas (Christopher Michel / flickr.com) Christopher Michel / flickr.com Christopher Michel / flickr.com Sunset on Everest (旅者河童 / flickr.com) The Himalayas from a plane (Partha S. Sahana / flickr.com) Lukla Airport, Patan, Kathmandu. (Chris Marquardt / flickr.com) Valley of Flowers, Himalayas (Alosh Bennett / flickr.com) Himalayan Landscape (Jan / flickr.com) Bridge over the Ganges (Asis K. Chatterjee / flickr.com) Kanchenjunga, Indian Himalayas (A.Ostrovsky / flickr.com) Climber at sunset, Nepal Himalayas (Dmitry Sumin / flickr.com) Manaslu - 26,758 feet (David Wilkinson / flickr.com) Animal world Himalayas (Chris Walker / flickr.com) Annapurna (Mike Behnken / flickr.com) On the border of India and Tibet in Kinnaur Himachal Pradesh (Partha Chowdhury / flickr.com) A nice place in Kashmir (Kashmir Pictures / flickr.com) Abhishek Shirali / flickr.com Parfen Rogozhin / flickr.com Koshy Koshy / flickr.com valcker / flickr.com Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal (Matt Zimmerman / flickr.com) Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal (Matt Zimmerman / flickr.com)

Where are the Himalaya mountains, the photos of which are so amazing? For most people, this question is unlikely to cause difficulty, at least they will answer exactly on which continent these mountains stretch.

If you look at geographical map, then you can see that they are located in the northern hemisphere, in South Asia, between the Indo-Gangetic Plain (in the south) and the Tibetan Plateau (in the north).

In the west they pass into the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain systems.

Peculiarity geographical location The Himalayas are located in five countries: India, Nepal, China (Tibet Autonomous Region), Bhutan and Pakistan. The foothills also cross the northern edge of Bangladesh. The name of the mountain system can be translated from Sanskrit as “abode of snow.”

Height of the Himalayas

The Himalayas contain 9 of the 10 highest peaks on our planet, including the highest point in the world - Chomolungma, which reaches an altitude of 8848 m above sea level. Her geographical coordinates: 27°59′17″ north latitude 86°55′31″ east longitude. The average height of the entire mountain system exceeds 6000 meters.

Highest peaks of the Himalayas

Geographical description: 3 main stages

The Himalayas form three main stages: the Siwalik Range, the Lesser Himalayas and the Greater Himalayas, each higher than the previous one.

Siwalik Range– the southernmost, lowest and geologically youngest step. It stretches for approximately 1,700 km from the Indus Valley to the Brahmaputra Valley with a width ranging from 10 to 50 km. The height of the ridge does not exceed 2000 m. Siwalik is located mainly in Nepal, as well as in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The next step is the Lesser Himalayas, they run north of the Siwalik ridge, parallel to it. The average height of the ridge is about 2500 m, and in the western part it reaches 4000 m. The Siwalik Range and the Lesser Himalayas are strongly cut by river valleys, breaking up into separate massifs.
Greater Himalayas- the northernmost and highest step. The height of individual peaks here exceeds 8000 m, and the height of the passes is more than 4000 m. Glaciers are widely developed. Their total area exceeds 33,000 square kilometers, and their total fresh water reserves are about 12,000 cubic kilometers. One of the largest and most famous glaciers, Gangotri, is the source of the Ganges River.

Rivers and lakes of the Himalayas

Three begin in the Himalayas largest rivers South Asia - Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. The rivers of the western tip of the Himalayas belong to the Indus basin, and almost all other rivers belong to the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin. The easternmost edge of the mountain system belongs to the Irrawaddy basin.

There are many lakes in the Himalayas. The largest of them are Lake Bangong Tso (700 km²) and Yamjo-Yumtso (621 km²). Lake Tilicho is located at an absolute elevation of 4919 m, which makes it one of the highest in the world.

Climate

The climate in the Himalayas is quite varied. The southern slopes are strongly influenced by the monsoons. The amount of precipitation here increases from west to east from less than 1000 mm to more than 4000 mm.

On the India-Tibet border in Kinnaur Himachal Pradesh (Partha Chowdhury / flickr.com)

The northern slopes, on the contrary, are in the rain shadow. The climate here is arid and cold.

In the highlands there are severe frosts and winds. In winter, temperatures can drop to minus 40 °C or even lower.

The Himalayas have a strong influence on the climate of the entire region. They act as a barrier to cold, dry winds blowing from the north, making the climate of the Indian subcontinent much warmer than neighboring regions of Asia at the same latitudes. In addition, the Himalayas are a barrier to the monsoons, which blow from the south and bring great amount precipitation.

High mountains prevent these moist air masses from flowing further north, making Tibet's climate very dry.

It is believed that the Himalayas played a significant role in the formation of the deserts of Central Asia, such as the Taklamakan and Gobi, which is also explained by the rain shadow effect.

Origin and geology

Geologically, the Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain systems peace; refers to the Alpine folding. It is composed mainly of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, folded and raised to a considerable height.

The Himalayas were formed as a result of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian lithospheric plates, which began approximately 50-55 million years ago. This collision closed the ancient Tethys Ocean and formed an orogenic belt.

Flora and fauna

The flora of the Himalayas is subject to altitudinal zonation. At the foot of the Siwalik range, the vegetation consists of swampy forests and thickets, locally known as “terai”.

Himalayan Landscape (Jan / flickr.com)

Higher up they give way to tropical evergreens, deciduous and coniferous forests, and even higher - alpine meadows.

Deciduous forests begin to prevail at absolute elevations of more than 2000 m, and coniferous forests - above 2600 m.

At an altitude of more than 3500 m, shrubby vegetation predominates.

On the northern slopes, where the climate is much drier, the vegetation is much poorer. Mountain deserts and steppes are common here. The height of the snow line varies from 4500 (southern slopes) to 6000 m (northern slopes).

Wildlife of the Himalayas (Chris Walker / flickr.com)

The local fauna is quite diverse and, like vegetation, depends mainly on the altitude above sea level. Animal world tropical forests southern slopes are typical for the tropics. Elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, leopards, and antelopes are still found here in the wild; monkeys are numerous.

Higher up you can find Himalayan bears, mountain goats and sheep, yaks, etc. In the highlands you can also find such a rare animal as the snow leopard.

There are many different protected areas located in the Himalayas. Among them it is worth noting national park Sagarmatha, within which Everest is partially located.

Population

Most of the population of the Himalayas lives in the southern foothills and intermountain basins. The largest basins are Kashmir and Kathmandu; these regions are very densely populated, and almost all the land here is cultivated.

Bridge over the Ganges (Asis K. Chatterjee / flickr.com)

Like many others mountain regions The Himalayas have great ethnic and linguistic diversity.

This is explained by the inaccessibility of these places, due to which the population of almost every valley or basin lived very separately.

Contacts even with neighboring areas were minimal, since in order to get to them, it is necessary to overcome high mountain passes, which in winter are often covered with snow, and they become completely impassable. In this case, some intermountain basin could be completely isolated until next summer.

Almost the entire population of the region speaks either Indo-Aryan languages, which belong to the Indo-European family, or Tibeto-Burman languages, which belong to the Sino-Tibetan family. Most of the population professes Buddhism or Hinduism.

The most famous people of the Himalayas are the Sherpas, who live in the highlands of Eastern Nepal, including the Everest region. They often work as guides and porters on expeditions to Chomolungma and other peaks.

Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal (Matt Zimmerman / flickr.com)

Sherpas have hereditary altitude adaptation, thanks to which even at very high altitudes they do not suffer from altitude sickness and do not need additional oxygen.

Most of the Himalayan population is employed in agriculture. If there is a sufficiently flat surface and water, people cultivate rice, barley, oats, potatoes, peas, etc.

In the foothills and in some intermountain basins, more heat-loving crops are grown - citrus fruits, apricots, grapes, tea, etc. In the highlands, breeding of goats, sheep and yaks is common. The latter are used as a beast of burden, as well as for meat, milk and wool.

Sights of the Himalayas

The Himalayas are home to a wide variety of attractions. This region has a huge amount Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples, as well as simply places considered sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism.

Valley of Flowers, Himalayas (Alosh Bennett / flickr.com)

In the foothills of the Himalayas lies the Indian city of Rishikesh, which is sacred to Hindus and is also widely known as the yoga capital of the world.

Another sacred Hindu city is Hardwar, located at the point where the Ganges descends from the Himalayas to the plain. In Hindi, its name can be translated as “gateway to God.”

Among the natural attractions, it is worth mentioning the Valley of Flowers National Park, located in the Western Himalayas, in the Indian state of Uttarkhand.

The valley fully lives up to its name: it is a continuous carpet of flowers, completely different from ordinary alpine meadows. Together with the Nanda Devi National Park, it is a UNESCO heritage site.

Tourism

Mountaineering and mountain hiking are popular in the Himalayas. From walking routes the most famous trek around Annapurna, passing along the slopes of the same name mountain range, in north-central Nepal.

Climber at sunset, Nepal Himalayas (Dmitry Sumin / flickr.com)

The length of the route is 211 km, and its altitude varies from 800 to 5416 m.

Sometimes tourists combine this trek with a hike to Lake Tilicho, located at an absolute elevation of 4919 m.

Another popular route is the Manaslu Trek, which runs around the Mansiri Himal mountain range and overlaps with the Annapurna Circuit.

How long it will take to complete these routes depends on the person’s physical fitness, time of year, weather conditions and other factors. In high altitude areas, you should not gain altitude too quickly to avoid symptoms of altitude sickness.

Conquering the Himalayan peaks is quite difficult and dangerous. It requires good preparation, equipment and requires mountaineering experience.

Travel to the Himalayas

The Himalayas attract numerous tourists from Russia and other countries of the world. A trip to the Himalayas can be made at any time of the year, however, it is worth remembering that in winter many passes are covered with snow and some places become extremely inaccessible.

The most favorable time for trekking along the most popular routes is spring and autumn. In summer there is a rainy season, and in winter it is quite cold and there is a high probability of avalanches.

The name Himalayas comes from the Sanskrit words hima and alaja, which mean “abode of snow.” The highest mountains on earth occupy 80% of Nepal's area. The average height of the Himalayas is 6,000 meters above sea level. The length of these high mountains is 2,500 km. But it is on the territory of Nepal that there are eight eight-thousanders - the highest mountain, whose height is more than 8,000 meters. Therefore, all climbers in the world dream of climbing the Himalayas at least once in their lives. Neither the danger to life, nor the cold, nor the financial costs stop them. At the same time, the financial costs are quite significant. After all, if you want to conquer the peak, then in Nepal just for the right to climb you will have to pay a fairly serious amount, which amounts to more than one thousand dollars. Here this fee is called royalty. If you want to conquer Everest, you will also have to stand in line, maybe even for two years. With so many people wanting to conquer the Himalayas, there remain peaks that are not popular.

For tourists eager to challenge the mountains, special routes have been laid at an altitude of 5.5 thousand meters. Those who manage to make the climb will receive a well-deserved reward - unforgettably beautiful landscapes of dangerous and deep gorges with lush vegetation and lush greenery or snow-capped rocky peaks. The route around Annapurna is considered the most popular among simple tourists without special training. During the days of travel, those who decide to take such a trip can, in addition to the excellent landscapes of mountainous Nepal, also observe the life of the local residents.

The highest mountain in the Himalayas is Everest Peak (8848 meters). Every schoolchild knows about this. In Tibet she is called Chomolungma, which means “Mother of the Gods”, and in Nepal – Sagarmakhta. All climbers dream of conquering Everest, but only climbers of the highest class can conquer it.

The Himalayas arose during the period of orogenesis - the Alpine tectonic cycle and, by geological standards, very young mountains. The Himalayas arose in the place where the collision of the Eurasian and Indian subcontinental plates occurred. Mountain building continues here today. The average height of mountains increases annually by an average of 7 mm. This is why earthquakes are so frequent here.

In the sky-soaring Himalayan mountains, fossilized marine organisms can often be found. They are called saligrams. According to scientists, their age is about 130 million years. Saligrams are like messages from the Ice Age. They are the best proof that the Himalayas “grew” from water. The Nepalese consider them to be the earthly incarnation of their god Vishnu. For Nepalese, saligrams are sacred. Their export from Nepal is prohibited.

Video: “Climbing the top of Tulagi in Nepal (7059 m) in 2010.”

Film: "Road to the Himalayas"

You can also watch the 1999 Nepali film Himalaya (dir. Eric Valli) and the 2010 film NANGA PARBAT.

Finally, a few more photos of the Himalayas:

Throughout Asia, the Himalayas are the largest mountain range. All the most big mountains, including Everest, are here. This is a certain group

Throughout Asia, the Himalayas are the largest mountain range. All the largest mountains, including Everest, are located here. This is a certain group consisting of a certain number mountainous areas. They are located in countries such as Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Tibet. The Himalayas contain 9 of the highest mountain peaks in the world and they consist of 30 mountains. The Himalayas stretch over a distance of 2,400 kilometers. In mythology, the Himalayas occupy far last place. And it’s impossible to count how many times they are mentioned in the religions of the peoples of all South Asia. Mountaineers from all over the world consider the Himalayas their center. This article invites you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting facts about the Himalayas.

The total area of the Himalayas is 153,295,000 square kilometers, and they occupy 0.4 of the entire globe.

The Himalayas include not only the green valleys that all artists strive to capture, but also winter peaks.

It is believed that the Himalayas are the most inaccessible region in the whole world.

Every year people die trying to conquer Everest.

Oddly enough, the Himalayas are the source of three major river systems in the world.

The word “Himalaya” itself has a literal translation, which sounds like “Abode of Snow.”

The higher you go to the peaks of the Himalayas, the colder it gets. This is the climate in this area.

Hindu mythology says that the Himalayas are the abode of the god Shiva.

The Himalayan region has the third highest amount of snow in the world. The first two places fall on Antarctica and the Arctic.

The purest medicinal herbs grow in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Such large rivers as the Mekong, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Ing originate in the Himalayas or from Tibetan plateau. It is worth noting that the age of these rivers is much greater than the age of the mountains themselves.

About 70 million years ago, the Eurasian and Indo-American plates collided. As a result of this collision, the Himalayan range was formed.

No plants grow on the peaks of the Himalayan mountains. This is due to the fact that the climate there is very harsh: cold, lack of oxygen, and strong winds.

The most high peak was first conquered on May 29, 1953. The first to reach the top were Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.

Between the ridges of the Himalayas there are several settlements consisting of the local population. It is worth noting that it is very minor.

It's sad, but all the animals that live in the Himalayas are under constant threat. This happens because people are constantly cutting down forests, thereby inexorably reducing their habitat areas.

The Himalayas in India and China are the highest mountains on Earth.

Where is it located and how to get there

Geographical coordinates:Latitude:29°14′11″N (29.236449), Longitude:85°14′59″E (85.249851)
Directions from Moscow-You come to China or India and it’s just a stone’s throw away. Don't forget your mountain gear
Travel from St. Petersburg: You come to Moscow and then come to China or India and it’s just a stone’s throw away. Don't forget your mountain gear
Distance from Moscow - 7874 km, from St. Petersburg - 8558 km.

Description in the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (published at the border of the 19th-20th centuries)

Himalayan mountains
(Himalaja, in Sanskrit - winter or snow dwelling, among the Greeks and Romans Imans and Hemodus) - highest mountains on the ground; separate Hindustan and the western part of Indochina from the Tibetan Plateau and extend from the exit point of the Indus (at 73°23′E Greenwich) in a south-easterly direction to the Brahmaputra (at 95°23′E) for 2375 km with a width of 220-300 km. West Side Himalayas (hereinafter G.) at 36° N. w. so closely tied into one mountain node(the greatest on Earth) with the beginning of the Karakoram ridge (see), almost parallel to it, which stretches at an insignificant distance from it, with the Kuen-Lun ridge, limiting Tibet from the north, and with the Hindu Ku, which are all four mountain range are part of the same hill. The G. Mountains make up the southernmost and highest of these ranges. The eastern end of the G. mountains passes approximately to the 28th parallel to the northern. parts of the British province of Assam and Burma into the Yun Ling Mountains already belonging to China. Both mountain masses are separated from each other by the Brahmaputra, which cuts the mountains here and makes a bend from N to SW. If we imagine a line running south from Lake Mansarovar, which lies between the sources of the Settlej and the Brahmaputra, then it will divide the G. mountains into the west. and east half and at the same time will serve as an ethnographic border between the Aryan population of the Indus basin and the population of Tibet. The average height of the city is 6941 m; numerous peaks are well above this line. Some of them are higher than all the peaks of the Andes and represent the most high points earth's surface. Up to 225 of these peaks have been measured; of which 18 rise above 7600 m, 40 above 7000, 120 above 6100. The highest of all are Gaurizankar, or Mount Everest, at 8840 m, Kantschinjinga at 8581 m and Dhawalagiri at 8177 m. All of them lie in the eastern half of the G. mountains. The average height of the snow line on the G. mountains is approximately 4940 m in the south. slope and 5300 m to the north. Of the huge glaciers, some descend to 3400 and even 3100 m. The average height of the passages (Ghâts) leading through the mountains, of which 21 are known, is 5500 m; the height of the highest of them, the Ibi-Gamin pass, between Tibet and Garhwal, is 6240 m; the height of the lowest, Bara-Latscha, is 4900 m. The mountains do not form one completely continuous and continuous chain, but consist of a system of more or less long ridges; partly parallel, partly intersecting, wide and narrow valleys lie between them. There are no real plateaus in the Georgian mountains. Generally southern. the G. side of the mountains is more fragmented than the northern side; there are more spurs and side ridges, between which lie the states of Kashmir, Gariwal, Kamaon, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, more or less dependent on the Indo-British government. To the south On the G. side of the mountains, tributaries of the Indus originate: Jhelum, Shenab and Ravi, the Ganges with its left tributaries and the Jamuni.
G. mountains are larger than all other mountains on globe rich in majestic beauties of nature; They present a particularly picturesque view from the south. Concerning geological structure G. g., then at the base predominantly sandstones and clastic rocks are visible. Higher up, to approximately 3000-3500 m altitude, gneiss, mica, chlorite and talc schist predominate, cut through often by thick veins of granite. The higher peaks consist mainly of gneiss and granite. Volcanic rocks does not occur on the G. mountains and in general there are no signs at all volcanic activity, although there are various hot springs here (up to 30 in number), the most famous of which are located in Badrinath (see). The vegetation is extremely diverse. At the southern base of the east. Half of it stretches out into an unhealthy and unsuitable swampland called Tarai, 15-50 km wide, overgrown with impenetrable jungle and giant grass. It is followed, up to an altitude of approximately 1000 m, by extremely rich tropical and especially Indian vegetation, followed up to an altitude of 2500 m by forests of oaks, chestnuts, laurel trees, etc. Between 2500 and 3500 m the flora corresponds to the flora of southern and central Europe ; conifers predominate, namely Pinus Deodora, P. excelsa, P. longifolia, Aties Webbiana, Picea Morinda, etc. The tree line lies higher in the north. side (the last tree species here is birch) than on the south. (one species of oak, Quercus semicarpifolia, rises highest here). The next area of bushes reaches the snow line and to the north. side ends with one species of Genista, on the south. - several species of Rhododendron, Salix and Ribes. Cultivation on the Tibetan side goes up to 4600 m, on the Indian side only to 3700; grass on the first grows up to 5290 m, on the second - up to 4600 m. The fauna of the mountains is also extremely interesting and very rich. To the south on the side up to 1200 m it is specially Indian; its representatives are the tiger, elephant, monkeys, parrots, pheasants and beautiful views chickens In the middle region of the mountains there are bears, musk deer and various species of antelope, and in the north. on the side adjacent to Tibet - wild horses, wild bulls (yaks), wild sheep and mountain goats, as well as some other mammals belonging to the fauna Central Asia and especially Tibet. The G. mountains not only constitute the political border between the Anglo-Indian possessions and Tibet, but in general also the ethnographic border between the Hindu Aryans living south of the G. mountains and the inhabitants of Tibet belonging to the Mongolian tribe. Both tribes spread through the valleys deep into the mountains and mixed with each other in various ways. The population is densest in extremely fertile valleys, at an altitude of 1500 to 2500 m. At an altitude of 3000 it becomes rare.
History of the name (toponym)
Himalayas, from the Nepalese himal - “snowy mountain”.

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