The Himalayas include the highest mountains in the world , and are known for their soaring heights, steep-sided jagged peaks, valleys, and alpine glaciers, deep river gorges, and a series of elevational belts that display different ecological associations of flora, fauna, and climate.
What are 5 interesting facts about the Himalayas?
The Himalayas are home to the third largest ice deposits in the world , after the Arctic and Antarctica. Some of the Himalayas’ glaciers are as long as 43 miles. There are medicinal herbs found in the foothills of the Himalayas considered to be the purest in the world. The Himalayas cover 75% of Nepal’s area.
Why are the Himalayas so special?
The Himalayas are the result of tectonic plate motions that collided India into Tibet . Because of the great amount of tectonic motion still occurring at the site, the Himalayas have a proportionally high number of earthquakes and tremors. The Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain ranges on the planet.
How are the Himalayas fascinating?
But what’s fascinating is that there are 30 peaks towering over 24,000 feet , and of the 10 highest peaks in the world, nine are located in the Himalayas (Nepal Himalayas). ... The Himalayas have the third largest deposit of ice and snow on the planet, behind Antarctica and the Arctic.
What are the unique features of Himalayas?
The most characteristic features of the Himalayas are their soaring heights, steep-sided jagged peaks, valley and alpine glaciers often of stupendous size, topography deeply cut by erosion , seemingly unfathomable river gorges, complex geologic structure, and series of elevational belts (or zones) that display different ...
Are the Himalayas beautiful?
The beauty of the Himalayas is in their unique rustic, calm, tranquility ; an unperturbed natural aura – it’s no wonder then, that tests show this mountain range is geographically alive, growing a quarter of an inch every year!
Are the Himalayas safe?
Stay safe[edit]
In general the Himalayas have fewer dangers than the more densely populated plains around them. Malaria is only an issue in the areas of low elevation, as the mosquito that carries the disease is not able to live at higher elevations.
Why does Himalayas have snow?
The name Himalaya means “abode of snow” in Sanskrit. ... The moisture for snowfall in this part of the range is delivered primarily by the summer monsoon . The mountains form a natural barrier that blocks monsoonal moisture from reaching the Tibetan Plateau to the north.
Are the Himalayas growing or shrinking?
The Himalaya ‘breathes,’ with mountains growing and shrinking in cycles . ... Yet even as mountains rise, they also periodically sink back down when the stress from tectonic collisions triggers earthquakes.
How many animals live in the Himalayas?
Himalayan Biodiversity
The eastern Himalayas alone are home to more than 300 species of mammals , nearly 1,000 species of birds and hundreds of reptile, amphibian and fish species.
Was Himalayas underwater?
The Himalayas were once under water , in an ocean called the Tethys Ocean.
Who lives on the Himalayas?
Sherpas are people who live in the northeastern part of Nepal, in the valleys of the Himalaya Mountains. There are about 40,000 sherpas , many of which live near Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
What is the Himalayas made of?
The sedimentary rocks of the Himalayas include shale and limestone . Metamorphic rocks of the region include schist and gneiss. Dikes of igneous rock also intrude throughout the rock formations of the Himalayas. The Andes are the world’s longest mountain chain.
What are the four features of the Himalayas?
They are folded mountains. (ii) They run along the northern border of India and form an arc which is around 2,400 km long. (iii) Their width is up to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh and 400 km in Kashmir. (iv) They are the loftiest and the most rugged mountains.
How many types of Himalayas are there?
The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges , the Greater Himalayas known as the Himadri, the Lesser Himalayas called the Himachal, and the Shivalik hills, which comprise the foothills. Mount Everest at a height of 8848m is the highest peak followed by the Kanchanjunga at 8598 m.
What are the three characteristics of Himalayas?
- Himalayan mountains are spread over 2,400 km from west to east direction.
- The Himalayan ranges are endowed with wide and unique varieties of flora and fauna.
- The Himalayas are geological young folding mountains with rough ranges.
