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The Himalayas The Himalayas are the world's tallest mountain range and form the border between India and the rest of Asia. The name Himalaya translates as 'abode of snow' due to th fact that the majority of the mountains are covered in snow all year round. The Himalayas are the home of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world which is in Nepal and rises to 29,028 Feet.
The Himalayan mountain range covers which includes a few smaller subranges, stretches across six countries, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Some of the world's major rivers including the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Yangtze, rise in these mountains and stretch out in various directions before becoming home to nearly 1.3 Billion people who live next to and depend on the rivers for their food and lively hoods. The flora and fauna of that inhabits these mountains is as varied as its altitude. Climate, rainfall, altitude, and soil determine what wildlife and plants choose to live here. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest peaks. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the front of the range. The Indian subcontinent keeps on moving and forcing its way north at around 2cm a year which means that the mountains are still growing at a steady rate of about 5mm a year. It's nothing like the rate it was when they where just emerging but as a consequence the mountains are structurally unsound and earthquakes along the the entire length of the mountain range are a frequent occurrence.
Return from the Himalayas to the Geography of India
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