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The
Himalayas
The Himalayas or "abode of snow" is in fact the youngest
and highest mountain system in the world. It extends
over 2,400kms as a vast south-facing area between the
Indus and Brahmaputra rivers with Nanga Parbat (8,125m)
and Namcha Barwa (7,755m) as its terminal high points.
Fully a third of 800kms of its central section traverses
Nepal and is known as the Nepal Himalayas, Here
congregate more than 250 peaks that exceed 6,000m in
height-a unique concentration of lofty dazzling summits.
Of the thirty one Himalayan peaks over 7,600m,
twenty-two like in Nepal Himalayas including eight of
the world's fourteen highest giants. These are:
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Sagarmatha(Mt. Everest) |
8,848m |
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Kanchenjunga |
8,586m |
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Lhotse |
8,516m |
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Makalu |
8,463m |
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Cho Oyu |
8,201m |
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Dhaulagiri |
8,167m |
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Manaslu |
8,163m |
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Annapurna |
8,091m |
The Himalayan range within Nepal fits into a geographic
pattern as the culmination of a series of parallel
ranges. The main mountain region, represented by the
eternal ranges, lies about 90kms north of the Mahabharat
Lekh. The intervening space between the two parallel
ranges is made up of the lower belt of the low hills (Pahar)
and the higher belt of elevated ridges (Lekh) that
provide the first intimation of the high snow continuous
range but rather a chain of lofty ridges separated by
deep gorges. Each of these mountain chains or Himals in
turn sends out a maze of spurs studded with numerous
peaks.
In the western and central Nepal, there is yet another
mountain range that defines the boundary between Nepal
and China. This border range has elevations ranging from
5,000 to 6,000m with comparatively less rugged relief
but a harsh climate. Between the main Himalayan range
and these border ranges lie some of the elevated Bhot
Valleys.
Much of the high country above 5,000m is under the realm
of snow and ice although the permanent snow line may
vary according to aspect and gradient. Winter snowfall
occurs up to an elevation of 2,000m and is much heavier
in the western part. While winter is harsh and bitter,
summer is the season of alpine flowers and is the time
of the year when the high pastures teem with grazing
animals from lower valleys. For the mountain
communities, it is the time for harvesting their main
crop before their winter migration to warmer climates.
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