The Himalayas
Himalaya is a Sanskrit word – Him+Alay, literally meaning the abode of snow. The Himalayan Mountain Range is a new fold mountain formed when two tectonic plates collided with each other. The Himalayas stretches over a distance of 2400 Kilometre in length and 400 Km-150Km in breadth and is home to some of the highest peaks of the world. There are a close to 100 peaks with an average height of more than 7200m. Standing tallest at 8848 m, the Mt Everest is the highest peak in the world. However, this peak is located in Nepal. On the Indian side, the highest peaks of the Himalayas include the Kanchenjunga, Nanda Devi, and the Kamet.
Kanchenjunga Peak is 8586 m high and is the third highest summit in the world. It is located in the Great Himalaya Range in Sikkim.
Nanda Devi is 7816 m high and is situated in the Garhwal Himalayas region in Uttarakhand. It is one of the highest peaks in the world.
Kamet is 7756 m high, and is the highest summit of the Zanskar range of Garhwal region and is also located in Uttarakhand.
The Himalayas are a very important feature of the geography of India.
- They help in regulating the weather of India by keeping out the cold Siberian air masses.
- The Himalayas are the source of many perennial rivers including the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Indus.
