Himalayas of India

A great wall of mountains curves across north India from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east which are called as The Himalayas. They are made up of several parallel  ranges. They  form a natural boundary between India and the Tibetan area of China. Two of India's neighbours, Nepal and Bhutan, are situated in these mountains.

• The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world and the highest peaks are found in these mountains— Mt Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga, Nanda Devi and Annapurna.
• In the east to the mountains curve to the south and become lower hills.The lower ranges are not so cold.Peoplecanlive there and crops can be grown. These hills have different names such as the Mizo Hills or the Jaintia Hills.
• Beautiful hill stations are located in these ranges.
• Beyond the highest regions, the cold desert that gets no rain as It is ithe rain shadow of the Himalayas.
• The Himalayas greatly influence climate and therefore the life of the people of India.

DESCRIPTION

The northern mountains are made up of different regions. These are:

The Lower Himalayas or the Shiwalik range: If you were to travel from the plains towards the Himalayan ranges, you would first reach the Shiwalik Range. These are not so high. They have thick forests and the climate is suitable for growing crops. Many areas here have orchards that grow fruit. People are able to live in the lower ranges of the Himalayas.

The Lesser Himalayas: After the lower Himalayas you would reach the Lesser Himalayas, which are higher than the Shiwaliks. These too have thick forests. Some areas have grassy slopes. Though there is snow in the winter, the summer is cool and pleasant. Many beautiful hill stations, such as Shimla, Darjiling, Nainital and Mussoorie are located here.

 The Greater Himalayas:These are the highest mountains that lie beyond the Lesser Himalayas. They are always covered in snow. It is very cold here, both in summer and winter. As the mountains get higher, it becomes increasingly difficult for people and animals to live there and there is no plant or animal life on the highest mountains  

The Trans Himalayas(Trans = beyond): The Trans Himalaya is the region that is beyond the Greater Himalayas. Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh are in this region. This area is a cold desert. There arc no forests, and greenery is only found along riverbanks and valleys. Life is not easy for the people who live here. The Mt Everest, which is located in Nepal and is the highest peak in the world. K2, the second highest mountain in the world, is on the western edge of the Himalayas in the region called the Karakoram.

The North-Eastern ranges: There are several different hill ranges here. These hills of northeast India do not have snow-covered mountains, because they are lower. They are covered with forests and greenery. The lovely hill station, Shillong, is located in these hills. Water in Ladakh only comes from the melting snow. This is also used to water crops. Where there is no water, the land is barren.

How do Himalayas Impact India?

• The land north of the Himalayas is extremely cold and windy. The Himalayas stand as a great barrier or wall and prevent the cold winds from blowing into India. They also do not let warm and rain-bearing winds blow out of our country into Tibet or even into some regions of India, like Ladakh.
• The Himalayas help rainfall in the subcontinent. The Himalayas block the path of rain-bearing clouds during the monsoon. When this happens, the clouds rise up into colder regions. On meeting the cold air here, the moisture in the clouds ti into water and falls down as rail The side of the mountain that receives rain is called the windward side. The area on the other side, where rain does not fall, is called the leeward side of the rain shadow area. 
• The snow in mountains melts in the summer and fills our rivers. Many of the huge rivers of north and east India, like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna and the Satluj, are snow-fed rivers. Because of this,they have water even in the hottest summer months.   

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