The Himalayas mountain range spans across a distance of 1,550 mi (2,495 km) bordering five countries, China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan.The tallest peak of the Himalayan region, Mount Everest, lies in Nepal and is also the world’s highest peak with a height of 29,032 ft (8,849 m). In 1953, this mountain was climbed for the first time ever by humans, and it was Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay who achieved this feat, ever since then it has become a passion for a huge number of people to scale this mountain.The Himalayas has great geographical significance in the Asian region, they play a key role in separating the Tibetan Plateau from the Indian subcontinent. One can get an idea about the magnitude of the Himalayas as the highest mountain ranges from the fact that there exist more than 100 peaks in the Himalayas which have a height of more than 23600 ft (7193 m). As of this day, there are about 53 million people who reside in the Himalayan mountain ranges across all the countries but this hasn’t brought an end to the constant dispute among India, Pakistan, and China regarding the Kashmir region of the Himalayas.Different geographical entities border this mountain range on different sides. The Hindu Kush and the Karakoram mountain ranges border the Himalayan mountain range on the northwest. On its northern side, the Himalayan mountain range is bordered by the Tibetan Plateau and by the Indo-Gangetic Plain on the south. These mountains also give birth to some of the largest rivers in the world including the likes of the Ganges, the Indus, and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra. These mountain ranges have played a significant role in influencing the cultures and beliefs of not only the locals residing in the area but also of the entire Buddhist and Hindu community. They consider these mountains to be sacred and have their beliefs aligned with the Himalayan mountain range. Even its name has arrived from the Sanskrit word ‘Himalaya’ meaning ‘abode of the snow’. It is around 40-50 million years old, and yet is one of the youngest ranges in the entire world.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about the tallest mountain in Mexico, and the tallest mountain in Washington state here on Kidadl?Fun Facts About The Tallest Mountain RangeThe Himalayas, the tallest mountain range in the entire world are home to most of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Outside Asia, Mount Aconcagua in South America is the highest mountain peak in the world at a height of 22,837 ft (6,961 m). We have all heard about the various mountains which lie in the Himalayan range but what you might not know is that the Himalayan mountain ranges were formed owing to a collision between the Eurasian Plate and the Indian plate. Additionally, the Himalayan mountain ranges also have one of the most diverse ecological systems in the world for mountains.The entire Himalayan region is made up of multiple parallel mountain ranges which have been divided into several parts such as Outer Himalayas or Shiwalik, Middle Himalayas or Lesser Himalayas, the Greater Himalayas, Tibetan Himalayas or the Trans-Himalayas, and the Easter Hills, also known as The Purvanchal Hills. This might surprise you but unlike most other mountains in the world, the Himalayan mountain range increases in height every year by 0.8 in (20 mm) owing to a movement in the tectonic plates. The Karakoram ranges are not included within the Himalayan ranges due to which nine out of the 10 highest mountain peaks in the world lie in the Himalayan range. K2 is the only peak that does not lie in the Himalayan range and is among the top 10 highest peaks in the world. The K2 peak is located on the border of Pakistan and China.Mount Everest is renowned all across the world for being the highest peak in the world but hardly does anyone know about the story behind the name ‘Everest’. It was Sir Andrew Waugh who named the highest mountain as Mount Everest as a sign of respect to his predecessor and the then Surveyor General of India, Sir George Everest. After Antarctica and the Arctic, the Himalayan mountains are the third largest ice deposits in the world, some of the glaciers on this mountain range are around 47 mi (76 km ) long. The people who live in the Himalayan mountains use yaks as their main mode of transport, as well as, their source of fuel. The yak dung is often used as a source of fuel for fire by people living in the Himalayan mountains of China or India or Nepal. Moreover, the foothills of the Himalayan mountains also contain certain medicinal herbs which are extensively used for health treatments. Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Pamirs, Hengduan Mountains are some of the other tallest mountain ranges in the world.Geographical Facts About The HimalayasThe Himalayan mountain range runs from northern Pakistan to the northeastern parts of India, mainly Sikkim, and ultimately, northern Arunachal Pradesh. Throughout this distance of approximately 1400 mi (2253 km), it runs across the border of China and Nepal. The Himalayan mountains are also present in Bhutan. Numerous Buddhist monasteries present in Bhutan are located in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas.The Himalayan mountain range has an average elevation of 20000 ft (6096 m) and contains some of the highest mountains in the world including the likes of Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, and the iconic Mount Everest. The intervening valleys, steep peaks near the Everest region, and alpine glaciers are some of the most striking geographical features of the Himalayan mountains. We all know the story behind the formation of the Himalayan mountains - the collision between the Indian and Eurasian Plate had led to the formation of a number of elevation belts which now play a key role in depicting a varied form of flora and fauna of the Himalayan mountains.Now, all these Himalayan ranges are vastly spread across a number of countries and over a massive area, they are thus divided into various segments on two bases. First, from the west towards the east, the Himalayan mountain range is divided into three parts, namely, Western, Central, and Eastern mountain ranges. Next up, the Himalayan ranges have also been divided from south to north into four categories. These segments include the Outer Himalayas, also known as the Siwalik Range; the Lesser Himalayas; the Great Himalayan range, and the Tibetan Himalayas.The Everest base camp referred to by people is actually two base camps that are used by mountaineers to climb to the tallest mountain in the world. One base camp is in Nepal, on the south side of Mount Everest at a distance of 17,598 ft (5,364 m) from sea level and the other is on the northern side of the Everest summit in Tibet at a height of 16,896 ft (5,150 m). There is no other Everest base camp in India or China from which one can begin their expedition to the tallest mountain ranges of the world.Facts About People Living In The HimalayasA number of people from all across the world travel to Asia to visit the highest mountains in the world and also for spiritual purposes. Since time immemorial, people have often moved to some of the highest mountains of the Himalayas for multiple reasons. Some have been forced to take this decision due to regional issues and seek refuge in the mountains, whereas, others have traveled to test their will and endurance powers.Whatever be the reason, this has now led to a diverse ethnic population in the Himalayan mountains. On the basis of faith, the middle Himalayan valleys along with the sub-Himalayan valleys majorly consist of the Hindu population. This population flourishes from Nepal to eastern Kashmir. On the other hand, there is a dominance of the Islamic population towards western Kashmir as their cultures and practices are quite similar to the Afghan people. If we move towards the north, which is the Greater Himalayan region, we will find that it is largely dominated by Tibetan Buddhists who are also found in Nepal and northeast India. A large chunk of the population who live in the Himalayan mountain is found near its foothills owing to the fertile land credit to the various rivers which flow through the region. The population is relatively sparse in other areas Himalayan areas such as that of Leh in Ladakh owing to harsh weather conditions which make survival difficult.Facts About The Himalayas’ ClimateDifferent parts of the Himalayan mountain ranges experience varying climatic conditions primarily due to complex topography. The Tibetan side of the Himalayas experiences dry conditions similar to that of a cold desert, whereas, in the lower parts, the foothills of the Himalayan mountains experience humid or subtropical climatic conditions.Towards the south side of the mountains, the climate is entirely different as they experience a monsoon kind of weather that causes landslides and hindrances in transportation. Now as we move towards the western part of the largest mountain range in the world, the rainfall is a lot less in comparison to the rainfall in places like Kathmandu and Shimla. The western region receives moderate rainfall during the spring months. Change in climate and temperature is rapid in the Himalayas, with a rise of only 330 ft (100 m), the temperature falls by around 32-34 F (0.2-1.2 C). The Himalayas not only impact the climate of their own region but stop the cold winds from entering the subcontinent which keeps South-East Asia relatively warmer.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 125 facts about the tallest mountain range for your next expedition, then why not take a look at facts about the tallest mountain in Canada or the tallest mountain in Colorado?
The Himalayas mountain range spans across a distance of 1,550 mi (2,495 km) bordering five countries, China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan.
