Himalaya" and "Imaus" redirect here. For the genus of moth, see Imaus (moth). For other uses, see Himalaya (disambiguation). Himalayas Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006 edit 1.jpg The north face of Mount Everest seen from the path to the base camp in Tibet Autonomous Region, China Highest point Peak Mount Everest (Nepal & China) Elevation 8,848 m (29,029 ft) Coordinates 27°59′17″N 86°55′31″ECoordinates: 27°59′17″N 86°55′31″E Dimensions Length 2,400 km (1,500 mi) Geography Himalaya Map.jpg General reference map of the Himalayas. Countries List[show] NASA Landsat-7 imagery of Himalayas The Himalayas or Himalaya (/ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə/ or /hɪˈmɑːləjə/; Sanskrit: हिमालय, Nepali: हिमालय, Hindi: हिमालय, Urdu: ہمالیہ‎; from Sanskrit hima (snow) + ālaya (dwelling), literally meaning "abode of snow"[1]) is a mountain range in South Asia which separates the Indo-Gangetic Plain from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia. Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The Himalayas are bordered on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain, on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges, and on the east by the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The western anchor of the Himalayas — Nanga Parbat — lies just south of the northernmost bend of the Indus River, while the eastern anchor — Namcha Barwa — is situated just west of the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The Himalayas span five countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China (Tibet), and Pakistan, with the first three countries having sovereignty over most of the range.[2] Lifted by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian Plate,[3] the Himalayan range runs northwest to southeast in a 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) long arc. The range varies in width from 400 kilometres (250 mi) in the west to 150 kilometres (93 mi) in the east. Besides the Greater Himalayas, there are several parallel lower ranges. The southernmost of these, located along the northern edge of the Indian plains and reaching about a thousand meters in altitude, are called the Sivalik Hills. Further north is a higher range, reaching two to three thousand meters, known as the Lower Himalayan Range. Three of the world's major rivers — the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra — arise in the Himalayas. While the Indus and the Brahmaputra rise near Mount Kailash in Tibet, the Ganges rises in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Their combined drainage basin is home to some 600 million people. The greater Himalaya range runs west to east, from the Indus river valley in northern Pakistan to the Brahmaputra river valley in northern India and Tibet, forming an arc 2,400 km long, which varies in width from 400 km in Northern Pakistan to 150 km in the eastern Tibet. Map Himalaya Range Map Himalaya Range The name comes from the Sanskrit word, meaning "snow land". The Western Himalayas are situated in Kashmir valley and Northern Pakistan, to the south and east of Indus River, and is dominated by Nanga Parbat massif with highest peak rising 8125 metres above the sea level, Pakistan’s 2nd and world’s 9th highest peak. Nanga Parbat peak is also famous for its unique Rupal Face which rises 4,600 meters straight above its base and the mountain is considered as one of the most difficult and dangerous to climb, nick named as Killer Mountain. Nanga Parbat Pakistan Nanga Parbat Pakistan, ninth highest peak in world The Himalaya range occupies in Pakistan the regions of Kashmir, Kaghan, Kohistan, Deosai and Chilas. The western Himalya is also dominated by Deosai plains situated at the average height of about 4114 m and covering an area more than 3000 square kilometres. The place can be accessed from Skardu and is so well known for its rich flora and fauna including summer flowers and endangered wild life species like brown bears. The Himalayas are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and consist mostly of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock. According to the modern theory of plate tectonics their formation is a result of a continental collision along the boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

• published: 19 Aug 2015
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