MOUNTAIN RANGES OF INDIA- THE HIMALAYAN RANGES

MOUNTAIN RANGES OF INDIA

THE HIMALAYAN RANGES:

            The Himalayas not only form a Physical Barrier between the Indian Subcontinent               and the Central and East Asian Countries but also a climatic, drainage and cultural divide

                The Himalayas are Young and Fold Mountains. They are spread over a distance of nearly 2400km and form an Arc.

Their width varies from 400km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh. The altitudinal variation is greater in the eastern half in comparison to the western half.

                The Himalayan Ranges is made up of Three Parallel Ranges. The Himalayan Mountain range is the division between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indian subcontinent in Asia.

                The Himalayas are divided into three ranges

1.       The Inner Himalayas/ Greater Himalayas/ The Himadri

2.       The Middle Himalayas/ Himachal/ Lesser Himalayas

3.       The Outer Himalayas/ Shiwaliks.

 States in Himalayan Ranges of India:                                                 

S No	State/ Region	% Share of geographical area in the Indian Himalayan Region
1	Jammu & Kashmir	41.65
2	Arunachal Pradesh	15.69
3	Himachal Pradesh	10.43
4	Uttarakhand	10.02
5	Meghalaya	4.2
6	Manipur	4.18
7	Mizoram	3.95
8	Nagaland	3.11
9	Assam hills	2.87
10	Tripura	1.97
11	Sikkim	1.33
12	West Bengal hills	0.59

1.                           The Inner Himalayas/ Greater Himalayas/ The Himadri:

·         Inner Himalaya, Central Himalaya, and Himadri are all names for the same mountain range.

·         The Great Himalayan folds are asymmetrical in form. Granite makes up the core of this Himalayan region.

·         A number of glaciers drop from this mountain, which is perpetually snowbound.

·         The average elevation is 6,100 metres above sea level, with a breadth of around 25 kilometres.

·         It's mostly made up of core crystallines (granites and gneisses) with metamorphosed sediments [limestone] on top.

·         The folds of this range are asymmetrical, having a steep south slope and a mild north slope, resulting in topography known as hog back (a long, steep hill or mountain ridge).

·         Like the other two, this mountain arc convexes to the south.

·         At the syntaxial bends, it abruptly terminates. One is in the northwestern Nanga Parbat while the other is in the north-eastern Namcha Barwa.

·         This mountain range has the world's highest peaks, most of which are always covered with snow. 

Important peaks in the Great Himalayas

The Greater Himalayas range includes Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, as well as other "nearest" peaks including Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Nanga Parbat.

Mount Everest

• Mount Everest, located in the Mahalangur Himalaya sub-range of the Himalayas, is the world's highest peak above sea level.
• The border between China and Nepal goes across its highest point.
• Everest is also known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in China as Mount Qomolangma.
• The mountain is located on the Nepal-Tibet border, and the peak is accessible from both sides.
• The new height of 8,848.86 metres supplanted the previously related height of 8,848 metres, which was measured by the Survey of India in 1954.
• Indigenous peoples have long lived in the valleys of the Himalayan highlands.
• The Sherpa people are the most well-known of them. Although the term "Sherpa" is commonly used to refer to a mountain guide, it actually refers to an ethnic group.

Mount Everest

Kangchenjunga:

• Kanchenjunga is the world's third tallest peak and India's first.
• It lies at an altitude of 8,586 metres (28,169 ft).
• Kanchenjunga means "The Five Treasures of Snows'' in Tibetan (namely gold, silver, gems, grain, and holy books).

• The Kangchenjunga portion features five peaks above 7,000 metres, while the area has a total of 12 peaks over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).
• Kanchenjunga is located on the border of India and Nepal in the enormous Himalayan range of Sikkim.
• The Teesta River is fed by the Zemu glacier in the northeast and the Talung glacier in the southeast; the Arun and Kosi rivers are fed by the Yalung glacier in the southwest and the Kangchen glacier in the northwest. 

Nanga Parbat:

• Nanga Parbat, also known as Diamir, is one of the world's highest mountains, standing at 26,660 feet (8,126 metres) in the western Himalayas.
• The steep south wall of the mountain climbs almost 15,000 feet (4,600 metres) above the valley below, while the north side lowers approximately 23,000 feet (7,000 metres) to the Indus River.
• Nanga Parbat is the Himalayas' westernmost main peak, and in the conventional conception of the Himalayas as limited by the Indus and Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra rivers, it serves as the mountain range's western anchor.
• Nanga Parbat is also the Himalayas' second most conspicuous peak, after Mount Everest.
• Zoji La in Kashmir Valley is a vital pass for Nanga Parbat, since it connects it to higher peaks in the remaining Himalaya-Karakoram range.
• Due to the mountain’s jagged edges, little snow can be stored there the mountain peaks look to be bare because of this.
• Rahikot, Diamir, and Rupal are its three faces. Because of the prior tragedies, it is regarded as a highly dangerous mountain.
• It is situated at Latitude 35.10 and Longitude 74.35

Mt. Nanga Parbat

 Mt Lhotse

• Mt Lhotse, after Mt Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga, is the world's fourth tallest peak.
• It may be found on the boundary between Tibet and Nepal's Khumbu area.
• Lhotse is the peak of the huge horseshoe-shaped arc of the Everest massif, with Everest to the north and Nuptse to the west.
• Due to the immense height of the South Col between it and Everest, it is the least noticeable of the eight-thousanders, despite the remarkable vertical relief of its South and Northeast Faces.

 

Mt Lhotse

Important Passes in the Great Himalayas 

S No	Pass	Location	Significance
1	Burzil Pass	Jammu and Kashmir	This pass connects Kashmir's Astore Valley to Ladakh's Deosai Plains. It is the most well-known route that connects Gilgit with Skardu and Srinagar across the Deosai Plateau. During the summer, the pass's top is broad and lush with alpine grass flora. The Astore River flows down the western slopes of the Burzil Pass.
2	Zoji La	Jammu and Kashmir	Zoji La is a high mountain pass in Ladakh's Kargil area. The pass connects Leh and Srinagar and serves as a vital link between the Union Territories of Ladakh and Kashmir. Due to excessive snowfall, the Zojila pass stays blocked during the winter, shutting off the Ladakh area from Kashmir.
3	BaraLacha La	Himachal pradesh	The Bara-lacha la, also known as the Bara-lacha Pass, is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range that connects Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh and is located along the Leh–Manali Highway. The Bhaga river, a tributary of the Chenab river, flows from Surya taal lake, which is located a few kilometres from the Manali pass. The pass also serves as a water boundary between the Bhaga and Yunam rivers.
4	Shipki La	Himachal pradesh	Shipki La is a mountain pass and border checkpoint on the India-China border with a dozen large structures. The Sutlej River, known as the Langqen Zangbo in Tibet, enters India (from Tibet) near this crossing. Along with Nathu La in Sikkim and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand, the pass serves as one of India's trading border posts with Tibet. The pass lies near the town of Khab.
5	Lipu Lekh	Uttarakhand	Lipulekh is a Himalayan pass on the boundary of India's Uttarakhand state and China's Tibet province, near their intersection with Nepal. This pass connects the Byans Valley in Uttarakhand, India, to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and is the final point of Indian territory. This pass is traversed during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar.
6	Nathu La	Sikkim	Nathu La, one of the world's highest motorable highways, is a mountain pass in the Himalayan ranges on the Indo-Tibetan boundary 14450 feet above sea level. Nathu is an abbreviation for 'listening ears,' while La is an abbreviation for 'pass.' It serves as an open trading station between India and China.
7	Jelep La	Sikkim	Jelep La is a high mountain pass that connects the East Sikkim District of Sikkim, India, with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is located on the road that links Lhasa to India. The Menmecho Lake is located beneath the Jelep La.

                 Dhaulagiri Mountain

·         It is the seventh-highest mountain in the world and is situated on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet in Eastern Nepal. Meaning “white mountain,” Dhaulagiri.

·         The highest mountain in Nepal is situated there. The peak’s 30-mile length is made up of icefalls, glaciers, and jagged ridges.

·         Several more pyramid-shaped peaks rise along the main peak. From east to west, four of these summits go above 25,000 feet.

·         It is situated at latitude 28.42 and longitude 83.30.

 

Manaslu

·         The 8,156-meter-high Manaslu mountain is situated in Nepal about forty miles to the east of Annapurna. The mountain is the eighth-highest in the world.

·         The Gurkha plateau’s highest mountain is Manaslu. The Sanskrit term “Manasa,” which means “Mountain of the Spirit” in English, is the source of the name Manaslu.

·         Its coordinates are 84.33 latitude, 28.33 longitude.

 

Annapurna

·         The Annapurna range is a significant Himalayan range among the other well-known Himalayan peaks. It is 8,091 metres above sea level and situated in the centre Nepal Himalayas.

·         The mountain is the tenth highest in the globe.

·         It is situated to the east of the Kali Gandaki River, which carves a large gap in the Himalayas. The glaciers on the river’s western and northern sides pour into this gorge.

·         The two highest peaks on Annapurna, located at its western and eastern ends, are Annapurna I and Annapurna II. 

Significance of the Great Himalayas (Himadri)

• Himadri is the Himalayan range's northernmost range, which is always covered with snow throughout the year.
• It is the Himalayan Mountain range's northernmost range, often known as the inner Himalayas, which includes the Himalayan mountain's most notable peak.
• It may be found in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and other mountainous areas.
• These areas are primarily important for providing water to a vast portion of the Indian subcontinent, as well as having a diverse flora and fauna. It's also known as the Himalayan interior.
• The Himalayan Mountain range is the world's tallest, with a population of around 52.7 million people divided over five countries: India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan.
• Its name comes from the Sanskrit word Himalaya, which refers to the Himalayan mountains. 

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