Incredible mountains of the Himalayas. The Himalayas are the highest mountains on Earth

I cannot boast that I have climbed one of the peaks of this great mountain system. But I was able to visit its foot. The feeling is simply indescribable.

The Himalayas are located in five countries at once

I was able to see the Himalayas in India, but in addition to this country, this mountain system“found its home” in Pakistan, Bhutan, China and Nepal. These greatest rivers are fed by Himalayan glaciers:

Ganges;
Brahmaputra.

Not only curious tourists, but also professional climbers come here in droves, most of whom want to conquer the peaks of Chomolungma or Everest (they belong to this mountain system). But with ski resorts Everything is bad here, or rather there are very few of them. The most famous one is called Gulmarg.

Just think, the area of this mountain system is 650,000 kilometers. This is more than anyone European country.

There are a lot of interesting parks here, some of them are under UNESCO protection. If possible, visit the Nanda Devi National Park. I also had the opportunity to spend one day in the Ladakh region. It was opened to tourists quite recently. Simply amazing people live here who honor Tibetan traditions and wear national clothes.

A little about tours to these places

So-called high season in the Himalayas lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October. The rest of the time it’s cold here and tourists don’t really want to come here. If we talk about classic tours, which include visiting all the iconic attractions, then the price tag starts from $1,200. Air tickets are not included in this price.

Nepal

This state is called the heart of the Himalayas. It is in this Federal Republic that the snow-capped peak of Chomolungma is located. To “climb” to the highest point on the planet, thousands of extreme sports enthusiasts and daredevils flock here every year like moths.

This peak was first conquered more than half a century ago. Of course, not all climbers manage to climb here safely; many people die here every year. But recently, one climber even skied down from here.

Himalayan mountains are the largest mountain formations on the entire globe. They are located in Asia and are the property of five different states. It is worth noting that this mountain formation is located on the continent called Eurasia. According to information from one of the Internet sources, the highest point of the Himalayas is Mount Everest, reaching a height of more than 8800 meters.

The Himalayas are a large mountain system south asia, which forms a barrier between the Tibetan plateau in the north and the alluvial plains of the Hindustan Peninsula in the south.

They are part of Nepal, India, Pakistan, Tibet and Bhutan. The mountains are the highest in the world, reaching almost 9000 meters above sea level, with more than 110 peaks rising to an altitude of 7300 meters or more above sea level. One of these peaks, Everest (Tibetan: Qomolangma; Chinese: Qomolangma Feng; Nepali: Sagarmatha), is the tallest in the world, at 8850 meters. The Himalayas separate the Indian subcontinent from the interior of Asia. The word Himalaya means home of snow.

The Himalayas are the largest mountain system on Earth. The Himalayas are located at the junction of Central and South Asia. The length of this system is 2900 km in length and 350 km in width. These mountains are located in Tibet autonomous region China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The question is very correct and necessary, now they give such an ugly education in schools that it is time to educate ourselves on the Big Question. The Himalaya mountain system is located in southern Asia and partly in Central Asia. These mountains are the ROOF OF THE WORLD because the highest peak there is Mt. EVEREST. Its height is 8848 meters.

If we talk about the continent where the Himalayas are located, then this continent is called Eurasia. To be more precise, these mountains are located in Asia, on the territory of five countries. The length of the Himalayan mountains is more than 2900 km and has an area of about 650 thousand square kilometers.

The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on Earth. It is located on the Eurasian mainland, between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The highest point of the Himalayas is Mount Everest (Chomolungma) - 8848 m above sea level.

The name Himalaya means Abode of Snows. The length of the mountain system reaches 2900 km, width - about 350 km.

The Himalayas are located on the lands of such powers as China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Coordinates: 2949?00? With. w. 8323?31? V. d.?

The Himalayas are an entire mountain system, the length of which is about three thousand kilometers. The Himalayas are located in Eurasia, they cover many powers, including China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. high mountain This mountain system contains Mount Everest.

The Himalayas, the abode of snow in Sanskrit, are located on the continent of Eurasia. The highest mountain system on Earth. The Himalayas separate the Tibetan Plateau in the north from the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the south. The Himalayas contain territories of China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, India, Sikkim and Ladakh.

Length mountain range about 3 thousand kilometers, width approximately 350 kilometers. In the west it passes into the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain systems.

On the territory of the Himalayas there is the highest mountain on the planet - 8848 meters - Qomolungma (Everest), which means in Nepali Goddess Mother of Snows.

Fossils of fossil fish are found in the mountains, which suggests that the mountains were once the bottom of an ancient ocean.

Himalayas is the highest mountain system on planet Earth. The Himalayas are located on the Eurasian continent, on the border of Central and South Asia. Countries where the Himalayas lie: China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan.

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 of mountainous regions. 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 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 to be 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 total space 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 of the world's major river systems.

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 the 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 highest 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.

general information

The Himalaya mountain system at the junction of Central and South Asia is over 2900 km long and about 350 km wide. The area is about 650 thousand km². The average height of the ridges is about 6 km, the maximum 8848 m is Mount Chomolungma (Everest). There are 10 eight-thousanders - peaks over 8000 m above sea level. In the northwest of the western chain of the Himalayas there is another highest mountain system - the Karakoram.

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture, although the climate allows for the cultivation of only a few types of cereals, potatoes and some other vegetables. The fields are located on sloping terraces.

Name

The name of the mountains comes from ancient Indian Sanskrit. "Himalaya" means "Abode of Snow" or "Kingdom of Snows".

Geography

All mountain range The Himalayas consists of three distinctive steps:

The first is the Pre-Himalayas (local name is the Shivalik Range) - the lowest of all, Mountain peaks which does not rise more than 2000 meters.
The second stage - the Dhaoladhar, Pir Panjal and several other smaller ranges - is called the Lesser Himalayas. The name is quite arbitrary, since the peaks already rise to respectable heights - up to 4 kilometers.
Behind them are several fertile valleys (Kashmir, Kathmandu and others), serving as a transition to the most high points planets - the Greater Himalayas. The two great South Asian rivers - the Brahmaputra from the east and the Indus from the west - seem to embrace this majestic mountain range, originating on its slopes. In addition, the Himalayas give life to the sacred Indian river - the Ganges.

Records of the Himalayas

The Himalayas are a place of pilgrimage for the strongest climbers in the world, for whom conquering their peaks is a cherished goal in life. Chomolungma did not conquer immediately - since the beginning of the last century, many attempts have been made to climb to the “roof of the world.” The first to achieve this goal was the New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary in 1953, accompanied by a local guide, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing. The first successful Soviet expedition took place in 1982. In total, Everest has been conquered about 3,700 times.

Unfortunately, the Himalayas also set sad records - 572 climbers died trying to conquer their eight-kilometer heights. But the number of brave athletes does not decrease, because “taking” all 14 “eight-thousanders” and receiving the “Crown of the Earth” is the cherished dream of each of them. The total number of “crowned” winners to date is 30 people, including 3 women.

Minerals

The Himalayas are rich in mineral resources. In the axial crystalline zone there are deposits of copper ore, placer gold, arsenic and chromium ores. The foothills and intermountain basins contain oil, flammable gases, brown coal, potassium and rock salts.

Climatic conditions

The Himalayas are the largest climate division in Asia. To the north of them, continental air of temperate latitudes predominates, to the south - tropical air masses. The summer equatorial monsoon penetrates all the way to the southern slope of the Himalayas. The winds reach such strength there that they make it difficult to climb the most high peaks, therefore, you can climb Chomolungma only in the spring, during a short period of calm before the onset of the summer monsoon. On the northern slope, winds from the northern or western directions blow throughout the year, coming from the continent, which is supercooled in winter or very warm in summer, but is always dry. From northwest to southeast, the Himalayas extend approximately between 35 and 28° N, and the summer monsoon almost does not penetrate into the northwestern sector of the mountain system. All this creates great climatic differences within the Himalayas.

The most precipitation falls in the eastern part of the southern slope (from 2000 to 3000 mm). In the west, their annual amounts do not exceed 1000 mm. Less than 1000 mm falls in the zone of internal tectonic basins and in internal river valleys. On the northern slope, especially in the valleys, the amount of precipitation decreases sharply. In some places, annual amounts are less than 100 mm. Above 1800 m, winter precipitation falls in the form of snow, and above 4500 m snow occurs throughout the year.

On southern slopes up to an altitude of 2000 m average temperature January is 6...7 °C, July 18...19 °C; up to an altitude of 3000 m, the average temperature of the winter months does not fall below 0 ° C, and only above 4500 m the average July temperature becomes negative. The snow line in the eastern part of the Himalayas passes at an altitude of 4500 m, in the western, less humidified part - 5100-5300 m. On the northern slopes, the height of the nival belt is 700-1000 m higher than on the southern ones.

Natural waters

High altitude and heavy precipitation contribute to the formation of powerful glaciers and a dense river network. Glaciers and snow cover all the high peaks of the Himalayas, but the ends of the glacial tongues have a significant absolute height. Most of the Himalayan glaciers belong to the valley type and reach no more than 5 km in length. But the further east you go and the more precipitation there is, the longer and lower the glaciers go down the slopes. The most powerful glaciation is on Chomolungma and Kanchenjunga, and the largest glaciers of the Himalayas are formed. These are dendritic type glaciers with several feeding areas and one main trunk. The Zemu glacier on Kanchenjunga reaches 25 km in length and ends at an altitude of about 4000 m. The Rongbuk glacier, 19 km long, slides down from Qomolungma and ends at an altitude of 5000 m. The Gangotri glacier in the Kumaon Himalayas reaches 26 km; one of the sources of the Ganges originates from it.

Especially many rivers flow from the southern slope of the mountains. They begin in the glaciers of the Greater Himalayas and, crossing the Lesser Himalayas and the foothills, reach the plain. Some large rivers They originate from the northern slope and, heading towards the Indo-Gangetic plain, cut through the Himalayas with deep through valleys. These are the Indus, its tributary the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo).

The Himalayan rivers are fed by rain, glaciers and snow, so the main maximum flow occurs in the summer. In the eastern part, the role of monsoon rains in nutrition is great, in the west - snow and ice of the high mountain zone. The narrow gorges or canyon-like valleys of the Himalayas are replete with waterfalls and rapids. From May, when the most rapid melting of snow begins, until October, when the summer monsoon ends, rivers rush down from the mountains in rapid streams, carrying away masses of debris that they deposit when leaving the Himalayan foothills. Monsoon rains often cause severe floods on mountain rivers, during which bridges are washed away, roads are destroyed and landslides occur.

There are many lakes in the Himalayas, but among them there are none that can be compared in size and beauty with the Alpine ones. Some lakes, for example in the Kashmir Basin, occupy only part of those tectonic depressions that were previously filled entirely. The Pir Panjal range is known for numerous glacial lakes formed in ancient cirques or in river valleys as a result of their damming by moraine.

Vegetation

On the abundantly moistened southern slope of the Himalayas, altitudinal zones from tropical forests to high-mountain tundras are exceptionally pronounced. At the same time, the southern slope is characterized by significant differences in the vegetation cover of the humid and hot eastern part and the drier and colder western part. Along the foot of the mountains from their eastern extremity to the course of the Jamna River stretches a peculiar swampy strip with black silty soils, called the Terai. The Terai are characterized by jungles - dense thickets of trees and shrubs, almost impenetrable in places due to vines and consisting of soap trees, mimosa, bananas, low-growing palm trees, and bamboos. Among the terai there are cleared and drained areas that are used for the cultivation of various tropical crops.

Above the terai, on the damp slopes of the mountains and along river valleys up to an altitude of 1000-1200 m, evergreen tropical forests grow of tall palms, laurels, tree ferns and gigantic bamboos, with many vines (including the rattan palm) and epiphytes. Drier areas are dominated by less dense forests of salwood, which loses its leaves during the dry season, with rich undergrowth and grass cover.

At altitudes above 1000 m, subtropical species of evergreen and deciduous trees begin to mix with the heat-loving forms of the tropical forest: pines, evergreen oaks, magnolias, maples, chestnuts. At an altitude of 2000 m, subtropical forests give way to temperate forests of deciduous and coniferous trees, among which only occasionally are representatives of subtropical flora, for example, magnificently flowering magnolias found. The upper border of the forest is dominated by conifers, including silver fir, larch, and juniper. The undergrowth is formed by dense thickets of tree-like rhododendrons. There are many mosses and lichens covering the soil and tree trunks. The subalpine belt replacing forests consists of tall grass meadows and thickets of shrubs, the vegetation of which gradually becomes lower and sparse as it moves to the alpine belt.

The high-mountain meadow vegetation of the Himalayas is unusually rich in species, including primroses, anemones, poppies and other brightly flowering perennial herbs. The upper limit of the alpine belt in the east reaches an altitude of about 5000 m, but individual plants are found much higher. When climbing Chomolungma, plants were discovered at an altitude of 6218 m.

In the western part of the southern slope of the Himalayas, due to lower humidity, there is no such richness and diversity of vegetation; the flora is much poorer than in the east. There is a complete absence of the Terai strip, the lower parts of the mountain slopes are covered with sparse xerophytic forests and thickets of bushes, higher up there are some subtropical Mediterranean species like evergreen holm oak and golden-leaved olive, and even higher up they dominate coniferous forests from pine trees and magnificent Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara). The shrub undergrowth in these forests is poorer than in the east, but the meadow alpine vegetation is more diverse.

The landscapes of the northern ranges of the Himalayas, facing Tibet, are approaching the desert mountain landscapes of Central Asia. The change in vegetation with height is less pronounced than on the southern slopes. From the bottoms of large river valleys up to the snow-covered peaks, sparse thickets of dry grasses and xerophytic shrubs spread. Woody vegetation is found only in some river valleys in the form of thickets of low-growing poplars.

Animal world

The landscape differences of the Himalayas are also reflected in the composition of the wild fauna. Diverse and rich animal world southern slopes has a pronounced tropical character. Many large mammals, reptiles, and insects are common in the forests of the lower slopes and in the terai. Elephants, rhinoceroses, buffalos, wild boars, and antelopes are still found there. The jungle is literally teeming with various monkeys. Particularly characteristic are macaques and thin-bodied animals. Of the predators, the most dangerous to the population are tigers and leopards - spotted and black (black panthers). Among the birds, peacocks, pheasants, parrots, and wild chickens stand out for their beauty and brightness of plumage.

In the upper mountain belt and on the northern slopes, the fauna is close in composition to that of Tibet. The black Himalayan bear, wild goats and sheep, and yaks live there. Especially a lot of rodents.

Population and environmental issues

Most of the population is concentrated in the middle zone of the southern slope and in intramountain tectonic basins. There is a lot of cultivated land there. Rice is sown on the irrigated flat bottoms of the basins; tea bushes, citrus fruits, and grapevines are grown on the terraced slopes. Alpine pastures are used for grazing sheep, yaks and other livestock.

Because of high altitude Passes in the Himalayas significantly complicate communication between the countries of the northern and southern slopes. Some passes are crossed by dirt roads or caravan trails; there are very few highways in the Himalayas. Passes are only available in summer time. In winter they are covered with snow and completely impassable.

The inaccessibility of the territory has played a favorable role in preserving the unique mountain landscapes of the Himalayas. Despite the significant agricultural development of low mountains and depressions, intensive grazing of livestock on mountain slopes and an ever-increasing influx of climbers from different countries world, the Himalayas remain a refuge for valuable plant and animal species. The real “treasures” are those included in the List of World Cultural and natural heritage National parks India and Nepal - Nan-dadevi, Sagarmatha and Chitwan.

Attractions

Kathmandu: temple complexes Budanilkantha, Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, National Museum Nepal;
Lhasa: Potala Palace, Barkor Square, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery;
Thimphu: Bhutan Textile Museum, Thimphu Chorten, Tashicho Dzong;
Temple complexes of the Himalayas (including Sri Kedarnath Mandir, Yamunotri);
Buddhist stupas (memorial or reliquary structures);
Sagarmatha National Park (Everest);
National parks Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers.

Spiritual and health tourism

Spiritual principles and the cult of a healthy body are so closely intertwined in various directions of Indian philosophical schools that it is impossible to draw any visible division between them. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the Indian Himalayas precisely to get acquainted with the Vedic sciences, the ancient postulates of the teachings of Yoga, and to improve the health of their body according to the Ayurvedic canons of Panchakarma.

The pilgrims' program necessarily includes visiting caves for deep meditation, waterfalls, ancient temples, and bathing in the Ganges, a river sacred to Hindus. Those suffering can have conversations with spiritual mentors, receive from them parting words and recommendations for spiritual and physical cleansing. However, this topic is so broad and versatile that it requires a separate detailed presentation.

The natural grandeur and highly spiritual atmosphere of the Himalayas captivate the human imagination. Anyone who has at least once come into contact with the splendor of these places will always be obsessed with the dream of returning here at least once more.

About five or six centuries ago, a people called the Sherpas moved to the Himalayas. They know how to provide themselves with everything necessary for life in the highlands, but, in addition, they are practically a monopoly in the profession of guides. Because they are truly the best; the most knowledgeable and the most resilient.
Among the conquerors of Everest there are also “originals”. On May 25, 2008, the oldest climber in the history of climbing, a native of Nepal, Min Bahadur Shirchan, who was 76 years old at that time, overcame the path to the summit. There have been cases when very young travelers took part in expeditions. The latest record was broken by Jordan Romero from California, who climbed in May 2010 at the age of thirteen (before him, fifteen-year-old Tembu Tsheri Sherpa was considered the youngest guest of Chomolungma).
The development of tourism does not benefit the nature of the Himalayas: even here there is no escape from the garbage left by people. Moreover, in the future there may be severe pollution of the rivers that originate here. The main problem is that these rivers provide millions of people with drinking water.
Shambhala is a mythical country in Tibet, about which many ancient texts tell. Buddha's followers believe in its existence unconditionally. It captivates the minds of not only lovers of all kinds of secret knowledge, but also serious scientists and philosophers. In particular, the most prominent Russian ethnologist L.N. had no doubt about the reality of Shambhala. Gumilev. However, there is still no irrefutable evidence of its existence. Or they are irretrievably lost. For the sake of objectivity, it should be said: many believe that Shambhala is not located in the Himalayas at all. But in the very interest of people in the legends about her lies proof that we all really need the belief that somewhere there is a key to the evolution of humanity, which is owned by bright and wise forces. Even if this key is not a guide on how to become happy, but just an idea. Not yet open...

The Himalayas in art, literature and cinema

Kim is a novel written by Joseph Kipling. It tells the story of a boy who admires British imperialism while surviving the Great Game.
Shangri-La is a fictional country located in the Himalayas, described in the novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton.
Tintin in Tibet is one of the albums of the Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé. Journalist Tintin investigates a plane crash in the Himalayas.
The film "Vertical Limit" describes the events taking place on Mount Chogori.
Several levels in Tomb Raider II and one level in Tomb Raider: Legend are located in the Himalayas.
The film "Black Narcissus" tells the story of an order of nuns who founded a monastery in the Himalayas.
The Kingdom of the Golden Dragons is a novel by Isabel Allenda. Most of the events take place in the Forbidden Kingdom, a fictional state in the Himalayas.
Drachenreiter is a book by German writer Cornelia Funke about Brownie and a dragon traveling to the "Edge of Heaven" - a place in the Himalayas where dragons live.
Expedition Everest is a themed roller coaster at Walt Disney World Resort.
Seven Years in Tibet is a film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Heinrich Harrer, which describes the story of the adventures of an Austrian mountaineer in Tibet during the Second World War.
G.I. Joe: The Movie is an animated film that tells the story of the Cobra-La civilization, which survived the Ice Age in the Himalayas.
Far Cry 4 is a first-person shooter story that tells about the fictional region of the Himalayas, dominated by a self-proclaimed king.

The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on earth. About a third of all animal species living here - more than in other areas of India - belong to protected areas.
Basic data:
The Himalayan mountain system is one of the natural landscapes that are destroyed more quickly. Due to economic activity Humans are rapidly reducing the area of virgin corners of nature. Vacant lands are being developed, polluted and destroyed. Certain measures were taken to preserve this extremely valuable region, but obviously this was done too late. The cautious snow leopard (irbis), covered with beautiful thick yellow-gray spotted fur, light on the sides and white on the belly, became the object of hunting by hunters - sportsmen, poachers and fur traders.
Musk deer in the past lived everywhere in the Himalayan mountains. Musk, the secretion of the musk glands of male deer, has long been used in the perfume industry. As a result of active extermination, through human pursuit of profit, this animal found itself on the verge of extinction. In order to protect the musk deer, several reserves were organized, in particular, Kedernath and national park Sagarmatha.
Threatened species found in the Himalayas also include the brown bear, the white-breasted or Himalayan bear, the red panda and the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Black-necked cranes were discovered by zoologist and traveler N. M. Przhevalsky. The Marco Polo sheep is a subspecies of argali, one of the largest Himalayan sheep.
People practice ecological agriculture.
The Chinese, earlier than others, began to use musk - the secretion of the musk deer's musk gland - in the production of fragrances.
The Himalayas are the natural border between the Tibetan Plateau and India, Bhutan and Nepal, connecting in the northwest with the Hindu Kush ranges.
Do you know that…
96 of the 109 peaks higher than 7315 m belong to the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain systems.
Mount Qomolungma (Everest), whose height is 8848 m, is named after the English general George Everest (1790-1866), a geodesist and explorer of the topography of India.
The length of the horns of the markhor, or markhor, living in the Himalayas (Capra falconeri) reaches 1.65 m.

Extent of the Himalayas is about 2500 km, the width in some places reaches 400 km. The Himalayan mountains are predominantly located in Nepal and Bhutan, between Tibetan plateau and the Indo-Gangetic plain. This mountain system is elongated and crosses several climatic zones, has a rich fauna and flora.
Insects
The jungles in the foothills of the Himalayas provide a favorable environment for many different insects. In higher areas, most insects have a dark body color, which allows them to accumulate solar heat during the day. Butterflies are amazing for their ability to live at high altitudes, flying at an altitude of 4500 m above sea level.
Relief formation
formed about 70 million years ago as a result of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian crustal platforms with subsequent deformation and uplift. The rich Himalayan flora and fauna includes South Asian, African and Mediterranean species.
In the east of the Himalayas, species native to Western China can still be observed today, and European Mediterranean species are found in the western part. Fossils indicate that typical African animals once lived here.
Vegetation
The Himalayas are divided into four vegetation zones: tropical, subtropical, temperate and alpine. All of them are located on different heights and are characterized by different amounts of precipitation. Siwalik Mountains (Fore-Himalayas) covered tropical forests, consisting mainly of bamboo, oaks and chestnuts. IN westward, with increasing altitude, the forests thin out, evergreen oaks, cedars and pines begin to dominate here.
At an altitude of 3700 m, the belt of alpine vegetation begins with its inherent rhododendrons and junipers.
Mammals
The uniqueness of the fauna of Tibet lies in the small number of species and the abundance of individuals, mainly ungulates - wild yaks, antelopes, mountain sheep. In cold, long winter conditions, many animals - foxes, martens, weasels, hares, marmots, pikas - dig deep holes. Typical inhabitants of the Himalayas are various types of mountain sheep. There are more of them here than in any other mountains in the world. A subspecies of the mountain sheep, the Marco Polo sheep, lives here. Hunters, harvesting its beautiful spiral horns, destroyed them almost completely. Another subspecies of argali lives here - the Tibetan argali, which can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations: both heat and winter cold. The following representatives of the bovid family also live in the Himalayas: the bearded goat, the mark-horned goat and the blue ram, the Himalayan goral, the tahr and the Takin, which is depicted on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The Himalayan tahr lives on rocky slopes in forested strands of mountains; females rise above the forest line in summer. Kak is the largest mammal in this region. Thanks to its long, felt-like fur, it survives in the highest and most inhospitable mountainous areas. Animals domesticated by mountaineers are reliable and hardy companions for humans. Brown and Himalayan bears feed on carrion and are very fond of sweet fruits and roots. Perhaps the legend of Bigfoot, the Yeti, was inspired by the paw prints of the Himalayan bear.
The snow leopard, covered with thick fur, is not afraid of frost. The Himalayan bear is a shy animal.
Birds
The Himalayan feathered fauna includes Asian, European and Indo-Chinese species. Local forests are inhabited by numerous woodpeckers. In the mountains, birds live even above the forest limit - among them the Himalayan snowcock.
Himalayas - real paradise for birds of prey. Himalayan or snowy vultures, bearded vultures and golden eagles, soaring high in the sky, look out for small animals and birds on the ground. The golden eagle occasionally attacks lambs and musk deer calves. Many local birds are characterized by bright, multi-colored colors. In the pheasant family, the Himalayan pheasants are the most distinguished by their plumage. The Himalayan pheasant lives in the eastern part of the Himalayas.
Himalayan vultures feed on the carcasses of deer and other large mammals.

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