Himalayas location. Himalayas: where they are, the highest point, description

The types of landscapes and the possibility of conquering the mountains of eight-thousanders attract climbers from all over the world. Myths and legends envelop this piece of land, marked by the brightest spot (on a scale of heights) on physical map Eurasia. At the same time, the Himalayan system of hills is the youngest on the planet.

Supreme mountain range The Himalayas is located in South Asia, it stretches from west to east, its length is over 2400 km, its width is in the range of 180-350 km, and its area is about 650 km 2.

Relatively geographical objects the ridge is bordered by:

north - Tibetan Plateau;
south - Indo-Gangetic lowland;
east - the valley of the Brahmaputra river;
West - Indus Gorge.

The territory of the Himalayan mountains was divided among themselves by several Asian countries, the information is given in table 1.

Table 1.

No. p / p	State	Capital	Location on the Himalayan range
1.	Islamic Republic of Pakistan	Islamabad	West Side
2.	Republic of India	New Delhi	Western and central parts
3.	Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China	Lhasa PRC - Beijing	Northwestern part
4.	Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	Kathmandu	central part
5.	Kingdom of Bhutan	Thimphu	East End
6.	People's Republic Bangladesh	Dhaka	Eastern foothills

Origin of the Himalayas and Geology

Himalayan mountains on the map of geologists are marked as the youngest on Earth.

The age of the mountains is determined by their relief: the sharpness, the amplitude of the heights, the steepness of the slopes certifies their youth - the Himalayas belong to this type. The beginning of the formation of the system is about 38 million years ago. And in our time, tectonic movements do not stop, they just become less intense.

There is a historical and geological theory, according to which 200 million years ago there was one single continent on the globe. Under the influence of changes within the earth, it split into several continents.

Over time, they changed and collided with each other. So the Hindustan and Asian lithospheric plates collided, from this edge of both continents they deformed with the formation of high mountain ranges.

During formation, the massif was divided into 3 conditional steps, starting from the south:

The southern step of the Himalayas is the Sivalik Mountains. Its height does not exceed 1 km, width 10-50 km. There are several ranges and the Potvar Plateau in the mountain structure.
Small Himalayas. The width of the vast highlands is 80-100 km, the average height is 3.5-4 km, there are peaks, the highest is 6.5 km. The picturesque valleys of Kashmir and Kathmandu stretch between the Dauladar border range and the main Himalayan range.
Big Himalayas. The chain of ridges is broken into separate structures. The width reaches 90 km, the average height of the peaks is 5.5-6 km, it has 10 mountain ranges with peaks over 8 km.

Development and interesting facts

The development of mountains is associated with the desire to conquer the highest earthly peaks.

In total, there are 14 massifs on Earth with peaks above 8 km, the main share is in the Himalayas.

There are 10 mountain structures in which the heights of the peaks exceed this limit. Each of them was conquered by climbers more than once. But the most desirable goal of the climber is to conquer the highest peak of the planet - Chomolungma.

Some climbing facts:

The first summit of Annapurna was conquered in 1950 by the Frenchmen M. Erzog and L. Lachenal. It was the first world conquest of the eight-thousander peak.
The first ascent of Chomolungma in 1953 was made by New Zealander E. Hillary with Sherpa T. Norgay. Sherpas are the people of Nepal, the best guides in the mountains.
Japanese Junko Tabei in 1976 was the first woman to conquer Chomolungma. The first European in 1978 was the Pole V. Rutkevich.
The oldest person who conquered Chomolungma is 76-year-old Nepalese M.B. Shirchan in 2008. The youngest is 13-year-old Californian D. Romero in 2010.
A group of 11 Russians conquered Chomolungma for the first time in 1982. The first Russian woman E. Ivanova conquered the height in 1990.
The highest peak was conquered 3700 times, 570 climbers died during the ascents.

Peaks

Freestanding mountain structures may have several peaks over 8 km. A brief description is provided in Table 2.

Table 2.

No. p / p	Array name	Height, m	year of conquest	A country	Short description
1.	Chomolungma (Everest)	8848	1953	Nepal, Tibetan AR	It has 2 peaks above 8 km. Part of Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal)
2.	Kanchenjunga	8586	1955	Nepal, India	An array of 5 peaks, 4 of them are higher than 8 km. Part of a mountain in Kanchenjunga National Park
3.	Lhotse	8516	1956	Nepal, Tibetan AR	An array of 3 peaks, all above 8 km
4.	Makalu	8463	1955	Nepal, Tibetan AR	Consists of 2 peaks, both above 8 km
5.	Cho Oyu	8201	1954	Nepal, Tibetan AR	It is part of the Chomolungma massif. Part of Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal)
6.	Dhaulagiri	8167	1960	Nepal	An array of 11 peaks, 10 of which are higher than 7 km
7.	Manaslu	8156	1956	Nepal	An array of 3 peaks, one above 7 km, the other - 6 km
8.	Nanga Parbat	8126	1953	Pakistan	Consists of 4 peaks, 2 - from 7 km, 1 - from 6 km
9.	Annapurna	8091	1950	Nepal	The ridge has a length of 55 km, 13 peaks are distinguished above 7 km, and 16 - 6 km
10.	Shishabangma	8027	1964	Tibetan AR	It is part of the Langtang ridge, has 3 peaks, the height of two is above 8 km

Weather

The Himalayan mountains on the map are indicative and are a barrier that separates the southern Indian lowland from the northern Tibetan plateau.

On the slopes on the northern side, the climate is continental cold with rare precipitation barely reaching 100 mm per year. Monsoon winds blow in the south, bringing heavy rainfall. Behind summer period in the eastern part precipitation is up to 4 m, in the west it is less - more than 1 m.

At the tops of the system, the temperature in winter is up to -40°С, and in summer it is not higher than -25°С. Because of the constant winds weather can change drastically. Hurricane winds often blow, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 150 km/h.

On the southern slope, the weather has 4 seasons:

April-June is a cool spring with a lush growth of herbs and flowers.
July-August is the summer rainy season with fogs, the flora develops especially rapidly.
September-October - warm autumn, comfortable warm days come.
November-March - frosty winter with snowfalls and clear days.

Himalayan water system

The water system of the Himalayas is connected with the ice and snow caps of the mountain peaks. The snow border of the south begins from the east at an altitude of 4.5 and from the west - 5.1-5.3 km.

On the northern side, the border is higher - up to 1 km. Glaciers have formed on all high mountain peaks, in the west they have a valley character (the tongue of the glacier is located in the valley), in the east - dendritic (valley, formed from several tongues).

Glaciers give rise to numerous rivers and full-flowing rivers that pass through the next 2 steps of the Himalayas and flow down to the lowlands. Information about the most famous rivers are shown in table 3.

Table 3

river name	Length, km	Source	mouth	Through which countries does it flow
indus	3180	Tibetan Plateau	Arabian Sea	China (TAR), India, Pakistan
Sutlej	1536	Tibetan Plateau	Indus river	China (TAR), India, Pakistan
Brahmaputra	2896	Confluence of the Jangtsi and Chema-Yundung rivers	strait of bengal	China (TAR), India, Bangladesh
Ganges	2700	The confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers	strait of bengal	India, Bangladesh

The reservoirs for lakes are pits that appeared in the process of movement of ice masses. Another condition for the creation of lakes is the dams of mud masses during the movement of ice avalanches on rivers. Notable lakes systems are usually sacred and are symbols of religious worship. Table 4 presents brief information about some lakes.

Table 4

lake name	Location in countries	Height above sea level, m
Ansu	North Pakistan, Kaghan Valley	5027
Pangong Tso	North of India, southwest of Tibet AR	4334
Manasarovar	Tibet AR, southwestern region	4557
Gosaikund	Nepal, north central part, Rusawa district	4380
mebarzo	Butane, central District, on the Tang River in the Bumthang region	3000

Flora and fauna

On the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, altitudinal zonation is formed climatic conditions, the world of flora and fauna. The stages of the eastern and western zones are different; information is presented in Table 5.

Table 5

No. p / p	Belt height, km	Belt Description	Flora representatives	Fauna representatives
Eastern zone
1.	Up to 0.8-0.9	Terai - swampy jungle	Khair, sissu, bamboo, orchids, creepers, rattan	Rhinos, deer, fallow deer barasingi, crocodiles
2.	Up to 1-1.2	Tropical evergreen forests	Lianas, epiphytes, sal tree, shoreya
3.	Up to 2	Tropical, subtropical forests	Oaks, maples, magnolias, chestnuts, Nepalese alder
4.	Up to 2.5	Evergreen and deciduous forests	Oaks, longleaf pines, epiphytes	Wild boars, serows, Himalayan taras, red pandas, pheasants, Danfe pheasants, deer, bears
5.	Up to 3.2	Forests are evergreen with an admixture of deciduous	Himalayan spruce, Neapolitan cherry, Simon's multiflorum, maples, hemlock, rhododendrons
6.	Up to 4	evergreen forests	Himalayan fir, birch, rodendrons, junipers
7.	Up to 4.2		Rodendrons, junipers, honeysuckle	Himalayan marmots, snow leopards, snowcock, pika, snow partridges, redstarts, musky deer, wild yaks, llamas
8.	Up to 5.2		Alpine herbalists, flower beds, lichens, moss
Western zone
1.	Up to 1.5	Rainforests	Chestnuts and oaks, creepers, longleaf pine	Gauras, buffaloes, tigers, leopards, deer
2.	Until 3	subtropical evergreen forests	Cedars, Himalayan cedars, spruces, oaks, firs, cedar, neem, banyan tree	Wild boars, serau, bears, red panda, pheasants, gorals
3.	Up to 4.3	Subalpine, alpine stripes	Rare birches, pines, rodendrons, mostly shrubs, thickets of sedges, mosses, lichens	Marmots, deer, yaks, llamas, snow leopards, snow partridge, redstarts, woodpeckers, mountain pheasants

The inhabitant of the northern slopes of the Himalayan mountains is the snow leopard.

The northern slopes are distinguished by a harsh climate, where even in summer the above-zero temperature rarely occurs at noon, at night it falls into the minus zone. Therefore, the vegetation, the animal world is very scarce.

parks and valleys

Himalayan mountains (on the map you can see the presence of numerous national parks, reserves) have protective zones that are created to protect the unique wildlife.

They can be used for the purposes of scientific geographical and biological research. Some parks have become the property of the UNESCO lists. It is better to visit them in spring or autumn, the rest of the time there is heavy rainfall.

Most famous parks and valleys:

India. "Valley of Flowers" located at an altitude of 4 km, in the north-west of the country. A picturesque alpine meadow with flora unique to this area. It is forbidden to live here, you can only move on foot. It is adjacent to the Nanda Devi Alpine Park (the highest peak is 7816 m). In India, there are 2 more parks with UNESCO heritage status: the Great Himalayas and Kanchenjunga.

Nepal. "Valley of Kathmandu" located in the north-central part of the country. There are many historical and cultural international monuments on it. This sacred land has several pilgrimage centers on it. In the valley, 7 sites are on the UNESCO list. Another Sagarmatha park was created to protect the Chomolungma peak.

Butane. " royal park Manas" located in the south of the country, combined with the "biological corridors" of several reserves and national parks. The height of the park reaches the ice fields. Therefore, all the climatic zones of the Himalayas with many different species of plants, animals, birds, insects participate in it. 2 more reserves under the protection of UNESCO: "Bumdeling" and "Sakten".

In Pakistan, the Tibet Autonomous Region of the PRC, Bangladesh, there are also many national parks that do not have UNESCO heritage status.

Buddhist temples

Buddhism is an ancient world religion. Since ancient times, Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built, the oldest temple complexes have not been spared by time. Preserved mostly medieval temples. Numerous adherents of esotericism, Buddhism and Hinduism come to these holy places.

Temples:

Pakistan. Takht-i-Bahi- the complex was built in the 1st century. BC. near the city of Mardan in the north of the country. It was built in 4 stages, up to several centuries passed between the stages, the last extension was undertaken in the 6th-7th centuries. AD During the Hun invasion it was destroyed. It is on the UNESCO heritage list.
India. Thabo Gompa Monastery in northern India is located at an altitude of 3.2 km. Founded in 996 AD. Rinchen Japo. The monastery has 8 temples and 24 stupas (a cult monolithic structure with a hemispherical outline).

Tibetan AR. The oldest monastery in Tibet - Tholin located in the western part, built in 996. There are several halls on the territory, a group of 108 pagodas along the Sainchuan River. Excellent frescoes, a statue of Sakyamuni, paintings of King Atish have been preserved in the halls.
Nepal. Stupa Swayambhunath located in the suburbs of Kathmandu, erected in 460, by the 13th century. became largest center Buddhism. Throughout history, it has been destroyed, restored, re-equipped, in 2015 it was partially collapsed due to an earthquake. The stupa is located on the mountain, in order to climb it you need to overcome 365 steps, there are several monasteries around it.

Butane. Tamshing Lhakhang – temple complex near the city of Jakar in the Bumthang valley. The complex has a main temple and monastic hostels. Here, once a year, festivals are held in honor of Pema Lingla, the founder of the monastery, he erected it in 1501. The culture of temple dances, reflecting the era of the founder of the monastery, has been preserved. Heritage of UNESCO.

Himalaya resorts

The Himalayan highlands are the natural heritage of all the countries in which they are located. The highest peaks of the planet Earth are concentrated here, therefore this system of mountains is a Mecca for climbers and hunters of extreme tourism.

Most popular places:

In the Indian Himalayas most popular resort considered to be Gulmarg located on the slopes of the Pir Panjal mountains in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In the resort from December to March, developed winter activities: luge, skiing, snowboarding, freeride (skating outside the equipped area). The skiing area is 4-2 km above sea level. IN summer time mountain biking and golf. Nearby there are 40 hotels with various conditions residence.

Tibetan AR, the city of Purang in the Ngari region. This is an ancient center of trade and a transit point for pilgrims on their way to the sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. For tourists, the city is open only in the summer from July to October, in winter the paths are covered with snow. Tourists can admire the local attractions. You can stay at the hotel, but there are not many of them.
In Nepal, tourists appeared to ride ski equipment quite recently in the resort - Mount Annapurna by heli-skiing (landing at the base by helicopter). Skating is made from different heights from 3.4 to 5.5 km, descending to heights of 3.2-3.5 km. Accommodation or overnight stays are organized in nearby villages, where guesthouses (private households) are equipped.

In Bhutan, tourism has the character of excursion and pilgrimage.. Hiking expeditions are made to religious complexes, or long mountain hikes up to 1 month. In temples, you can heal your body and soul using non-traditional methods; they also help to achieve harmony, peace and tranquility that reign in the country. You can stay not only in the capital, but also in the city of Paro in hotels from 2-5 stars.

Historical and cultural attractions

Himalayan sights in all countries are associated mainly with the religious ways of the countries. The religion of the heavenly countries imposed certain rules, and they are closely associated with mountain peaks. On the territories of the countries there are many holy places, there are fortifications and cultural buildings worthy of research by tourists.

It is enough to look at the map with historical values and see that there are a lot of interesting places in this area of the Earth:

In Pakistan, one of the ancient monuments is the Altit Fort in the Hunza Valley. The fortress is built on a rock overlooking the valley. ancient tower The Shikari of the fort has reached the age of 1100 years. The fortress has small rooms with exquisitely carved wooden portals.

In India, this is the summer residence of the Viceroy of England in the city of Shimla, Himchal Pradesh state, northeast of the country. The residence was built in 1888 with British chic, in which there are local motifs. The museum has many exhibits.

In the Tibetan Autonomous Republic of China, they can offer a tour to the city of Burang. Above the city, on a mountain range, the Simbiling Monastery and the large Tegla Kar Fort were built - now the ruins of the fort remain, the monastery has been restored. Below them is a 9-storey ruined monastery of the Bon religion - Tsegu Gompa. Through Burang lies the path to the sacred lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash.

In Nepal, it is worth staying in Kathmandu, he himself ancient city, which has preserved many ancient buildings, there are palace complexes, museums and religious temples. There are about 50 historical and cultural monuments of the country on Durbar Square, the Hanuman Dhoka complex is especially interesting.

Butane. Among the sights of the country stands out the national library, created in 1967 to preserve historical property people. It is located in a beautiful octagonal building. In addition to books, ancient letters and historical documentation are stored there. There are other historical buildings around.

Tourists visiting the Himalayas

Tourists visit the Himalayan mountain system for different purposes:

mountaineering;
skiing;
pilgrimage;
physical and spiritual recovery.

Tourists flock here by the thousands, every year the flow is growing. The most suitable period is May-July and September-October. Summer and winter are rainy and snowy seasons. The Himalayas are located on the territories of 5 states, so how to get here, get a visa, what fees the trip will be subject to, you need to find out in advance from your operator, or find information on the Internet.

The scale of the Himalayan system of peaks attracts not only tourists, but also scientists. Due to the long political isolation of mountainous countries and the inaccessibility of their territories, this area of the Earth has not yet been sufficiently studied by biologists, geographers, geologists, and historians.

Although the study is gaining momentum, there is still an abundance of blank spots on all thematic maps of elevations.

Article formatting: Svetlana Ovsyanikova

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Geography

Himalayas - the highest mountain system of the globe, located in Asia (India, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bhutan), between the Tibetan Plateau (in the north) and the Indo-Gangetic Plain (in the south). The Himalayas range from 73°E in the northwest to 95°E in the southeast. The total length is more than 2400 km, the maximum width is 350 km. The average height is about 6000 m. The height is up to 8848 m (Mount Everest), 11 peaks are more than 8 thousand meters.

The Himalayas are divided into three levels from south to north.

Southern, lower step (Pre-Himalayas). Sivalik mountains, they are made up of the Dundva, Chouriagati (average height 900 m), Solya-Singi, Potvarskoe plateau, Kala Chitta and Margala ranges. The width of the step lies in the range from 10 to 50 km, the height is not more than 1000 m.

Kathmandu valley

Small Himalayas, second step. Extensive highlands 80 - 100 km wide, average height - 3500 - 4000 m. Maximum height - 6500 m.

Includes part of the Kashmir Himalayas - Pir-Panjal (Kharamush - 5142 m).

Between the outlying ridge of the second stage, called Dauladar "White Mountains"(average height - 3000 m) and the Main Himalayas at an altitude of 1350 - 1650 m lie the valleys of Srinagar (Kashmir Valley) and Kathmandu.

The third stage is the Great Himalayas. This step is strongly dissected and forms a large chain of ridges. The maximum width is 90 km, the height is 8848 m. The average height of the passes reaches 4500 m, some exceed 6000 m. The Great Himalayas are divided into Assam, Nepal, Kumaon and Punjab Himalayas.

- The main Himalayan range. The average height is 5500 - 6000 m. Here, on the site between the Sutlej and Arun rivers, there are eight out of ten Himalayan eight-thousanders.

Behind the gorge of the river Arun main ridge slightly lowers - Jonsang peak (7459 m), a branched spur with the Kanchenjunga massif extends south from it, four peaks of which exceed a height of 8000 m (maximum height - 8585 m).

Between the Indus and the Sutlej, the Main Range divides into the Western Himalayas and the Northern Range.

- Northern Ridge. In the northwestern part it is called Deosai, and in the southeastern part it is called Zanskar ("white copper") (the highest point is Kamet Peak, 7756 m). To the north is the Indus Valley, beyond which to the north is the Karakorum mountain system.

Himalayas: the highest mountains in the world

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The Himalayas consist of approximately 30 mountains, nine of which are the highest peaks on the planet, including Everest. Extreme lovers from all over the planet consider this place as a center of mountaineering. We will tell you the most interesting facts about the Himalayas.

Geographic location

The Himalayas are located on the territory of five states:

India;
Nepal;
Bhutan;
China;
Pakistan

The mountains have a total area of 153,295,000 sq. km, occupy 0.4% of the entire surface of the earth.

The mountain range of the Himalayas is the most impregnable region of the Earth.

If we do not take into account Antarctica and the Arctic, then the Himalayas are in the lead in terms of deposits of ice and snow. A great many glaciers contain enough water for rivers and lakes, which are here in considerable quantity.

Huge rivers originate in the Himalayas and highlands of Tibet:

Ganges;
Yamuna.

The tops of the mountains are unsuitable for human life due to the harsh climate: cold, lack of oxygen, and strong winds. In the valleys between the mountains there is a small number of settlements, with few inhabitants.

The local population lives off tourism and accompanying climbers who wish to see or conquer the mountain peaks.

Local religions and beliefs

The main religions of the Himalayan inhabitants are:

Islam;
Buddhism;
Hinduism.

Story about Bigfoot living somewhere in the mountains has become the most popular myth in the Himalayas.

According to Hindu mythology, this place is considered the refuge of Lord Shiva.

The highest mountains of the Himalayas:

Chomolungma, height 8,848 km.
Kangchenjunga, height 8,586 km.
Lhotse, height 8,516 km.
Makalu, height 8,463 km.
Cho Oyu, height 8,201 km.
Dhaulagiri, height 8,167 km.
Manaslu, height 8,156 km.
Nanga Parbat, height 8,126 km.
Annapurna, height 8091 km.
Shishabangma, height 8027 km.

Many people die every year trying to conquer the peaks of the Himalayas. But the danger does not stop real extreme sportsmen and travelers who cannot live without risk.

Mountains hold many dangerous surprises, such as rapidly changing weather conditions with gusty winds, or lack of oxygen.

Vegetation

Vegetation in the Himalayas varies with altitude:

swampy forest thickets predominate in the valleys;
green tropical jungle, coniferous and deciduous forests grow a little higher;
further on are alpine meadows;
at the level of 3500 m only bushes grow.

The purest plants for medicine grow exclusively in the foothills.

There are quite a lot of Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayas.

Valley of Flowers is a national park. It is located in the western Himalayas and is included in the UNESCO heritage list.

The Himalayas are the largest mountain range in Asia. All the largest mountains, including Everest, are located here. This is some group

The Himalayas are the largest mountain range in Asia. All the largest mountains, including Everest, are located here. This is a certain group consisting of a certain number of mountainous regions. They are located in the territories of such countries as Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Tibet. The Himalayas contain 9 of the highest mountain peaks in the world and they consist of 30 mountains. The Himalayas stretch for a distance of 2400 kilometers. In mythology, the Himalayas occupy far last place. And how many times they are mentioned in the religion of the peoples of all South Asia, and do not count. Climbers from all over the world consider the Himalayas their center. This article invites you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting facts about the Himalayas.

The total area of the Himalayas is 153,295,000 square kilometers, and occupy 0.4 of the space of the entire globe.

The Himalayas include not only green valleys, which all artists strive to capture, but also winter peaks.

It is believed that the Himalayas are the most impregnable region in the whole world.

Every year people die trying to conquer Everest.

Oddly enough, it is the Himalayas that are the source of the three main river systems of the world.

The very word "Himalayas" has a literal translation, which sounds like "Abode of the snow."

The higher the Himalayas, the colder. Such is the climate in this area.

Hindu mythology says that the Himalayas are the home of the god Shiva.

The Himalaya region ranks third in the world in terms of the amount of snow. The first two places fall on the Antarctic and the Arctic.

The purest medicinal herbs grow in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Such large rivers as the Mekong, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Ing originate in the Himalayas or from the Tibetan plateau. It is worth noting that the age of these rivers far exceeds the age of the mountains themselves.

About 70 million years ago, the Eurasian and Indo-American plates collided. As a result of this collision, the Himalayan range was formed.

Plants do not grow on the peaks of the Himalayan mountains. This is due to the fact that there is a very harsh climate: cold, lack of oxygen, as well as strong winds.

The highest peak was first climbed on May 29, 1953. The first to be at the top were Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.

Between the ridges of the Himalayas there are several settlements consisting of the local population. It should be noted that it is very small.

Sadly, all the animals that live in the Himalayas are under constant threat. This happens because people constantly cut down forests, thereby inexorably reducing their habitat areas.

Himalayas

There are no higher mountains on Earth than the Himalayas and the Karakorum, and in no other mountain there are such sharp contrasts of nature as in the Himalayas.

It should be noted that the Himalayas are still very little explored and even in our time they keep a lot of unknown and unexplored. This is explained not so much by the vast territory occupied by this mountain system, but by the difficulty of penetrating into it due to the complexity of the terrain and the lack of roads.

The inaccessibility of the territory played a favorable role in preserving the unique mountain landscapes of the Himalayas. Despite the significant agricultural development of low mountains and hollows, intensive grazing on mountain slopes and an ever-increasing influx of climbers from different countries world, the Himalayas remain a haven for valuable plant and animal species.

The Himalayas are not only one of the most beautiful places created by nature. This is a sacred land, a place where, according to legend, Buddhist and Hindu deities live. Once upon a time, these mountains were an insurmountable barrier between the states located to the south of them, and the fabulously rich cities lying to the north, on the Great Silk Road - Samarkand, Bukhara, Kashgar and Kotan.

Geographic location of the Himalayan mountains

From french alps to South Vietnam stretches through Eurasia the longest mountainous belt of the Earth. On Earth there is no more mountains similar to those of Central Asia. Six mountain systems meet here. The largest and highest mountain system of the six is the Himalayas. Translated from Sanskrit, this word means "abode of snows."

The Himalayas border the Hindu Kush in the northwest and the Sino-Tibetan Mountains in the southeast. Total length mountain system- more than 2400 km, width - 200-350 km, area about 650 thousand km2. The Himalayas are part of China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan. The Himalayas are the most important geomorphological, climatic and floristic frontier. The physical-geographical and geomorphological boundaries of the mountain system itself are clearly expressed. In the north, these are the longitudinal intermountain valleys of the Indus and Brahmaputra, in the south - the edge of the Indo-Gangetic plain, in the northwest and southeast - the transverse valleys of the Indus and Brahmaputra.

Geologists associate the formation of the Himalayan mountainous country with the split of a single southern continent - Gondwana into several plates. One of them, the Indian one, began to move north and collided with the Eurasian plate. At the point of collision, the earth's crust shrunk and formed a giant fold - the Himalayas.

The fossilized skeletons of fish and other marine animals found in the Himalayas indicate that these giant mountains were once marine sediments. Between 570 and 65 million years ago they were the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean. When the Indian tectonic plate, drifting north, collided with the Asian mainland, the Himalayan mountain range shot up. The growth process of the Himalayas took many millions of years, and not a single mountain system in the world can compare with them in terms of the number of peaks - "seven-thousanders" and "eight-thousanders".

Geologists have established that the emergence of the Himalayan mountains took place in at least three stages. The Great Himalayas were the first to form, about 38 million years ago. Then, between 26 and 7 million years ago, the Lesser Himalayas arose. At the third stage, about 7 million years ago, the Sivalik Mountains appeared. Movement at the junction of two tectonic plates is a continuous process. Over the past one and a half million years, mountains have grown by 1370 m.

The uplift of the Himalayas has not ended even now, as evidenced by frequent earthquakes and the high position of the Early Quaternary deposits above sea level. Every year, the Himalayas grow three to ten millimeters higher.

Geological structure and relief of the Himalayas

The structure of the mountains involves crystalline, metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic rocks of various ages, from Archean to Quaternary, crumpled into intense folds, complicated in the central parts by powerful thrusts and splits.

Features of the geological structure - the predominance of Precambrian rocks similar to the complexes of the Indian Platform, a very limited distribution of marine sedimentary strata and the presence of continental sediments close to Gondwanan - give reason to consider the Himalayas as a mountain system that arose on the site of the outskirts of the Indian Platform, which underwent tectonic activation in the Neogene-Quaternary time in connection with the attachment of the Hindustan plate to the rest of Eurasia and the closure of Tethys. The Himalayas do not form ridges stretched over long distances, but break up into separate massifs, separated from one another by deep transverse river valleys. This is due to the fact that the valleys of the largest rivers - the Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra - were laid down before the start of the general grandiose uplift of the mountains. The uplift was accompanied by the incision of rivers and the formation of epigenetic valleys of the Himalayas.

In its form, the Himalayas resemble a grandiose petrified wave, which to the south, towards the Indo-Gangetic lowland, falls in three successively decreasing steep ledges, and to the north, towards Tibet, only one more gentle one. The foothills of the Himalayas are composed of young deposits, collected in folds in the middle of the Quaternary. They are collectively known as the Sivalik Mountains; their height in Nepal is about 1000 m. In some places they are pressed close to the ridges of the Himalayas proper, in others they are separated by a strip of wide tectonic valleys - duns. The Sivalik Mountains drop steeply to the north and south. The width of this step varies along its length and varies from 10 to 50 km. The Sivalik Mountains consist of parallel folds, transformed in separate areas due to the erosive activity of mountain rivers into a chain of hills. This applies especially to the interfluve of the Ganges and the Beas. The Sivalik mountains make up the Dundva, Chouriagati and Solya-Singi ranges, as well as the highlands - the Potvar plateau, Kala Chitta and Margala. Their average height does not exceed 600 m. Only Chouriagati reaches an average height of 900 m.

The next highest step in the Himalayas is the Lesser Himalayas; they are composed of crystalline Precambrian rocks, as well as highly metamorphosed sedimentary deposits of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Paleogene. This band is characterized by intense folding, faults and volcanism. The height of the ridges reaches an average of 3500-4500 m, and individual peaks rise to 6000 m. In the northwest, the Pir-Panjal ridge stretches over 6000 m high, further to the southeast it is replaced by the Small Himalayas proper, which merge with the Big Himalayas (Main Himalayan range) high-mountainous powerful massif Dhaulagiri (8221 m). Further to the east, the entire system of the Himalayas narrows, the zone of the Lesser Himalayas presses against the Main Range, forming the medium-altitude Mahabharat Mountains, and even to the east, the high and heavily dissected Duara Mountains.

Between the Lesser and Greater Himalayas stretches a strip of tectonic basins, which in the recent past were occupied by lakes and processed by glaciers. The most famous in the west is the Kashmir Basin at an altitude of 1600 m, with the main city of Kashmir, Srinagar. The existence of a lake, which used to fill the basin, is evidenced by terraces well expressed on the slopes. Several residual lakes have been preserved on the surface of the flat bottom. The second large basin of the central part of the Himalayas - Kathmandu in Nepal - is located at an altitude of about 1400 m; most of the population of this mountainous country is concentrated in it. Snow-capped mountain peaks, deep rocky gorges, turbulent waterfall rivers and blue lakes surrounded by picturesque forests make these valleys the most beautiful corners of the globe.

To the north of the basins rise the Great Himalayas, reaching an average height of 6000 m. The Great Himalayas are the basis of the entire system. They reach their maximum height in Nepal. There, in a small space, there are 9 of the 14 highest peaks. This is a well-defined alpine ridge. At the western end of the Main Range, this is the grandiose Nanga Parbat massif (8126 m), then there is a series of peaks exceeding 6000 and 7000 m, then eight thousandth giants covered with snow and ice rise: Dhaulagiri (8167), Kutang (8126 m), Annapurna (8078 m ), Gosaintan (8013 m), and others. Among them, the highest peak in the world, Everest, with a height of 8848 m7, does not even stand out. Nepal is called Sagarmatha - "Lord of the sky", and in Tibet they call Chomolungma - "Goddess - mother of the world"). Gorgeous and majestic, only slightly inferior to her Kanchenjunga (8598 m). Four more "eight-thousanders" are located in the north-western continuation of the Himalayas - the Karakorum ridge.

The northern slope of the Greater Himalayas is flatter and more accessible than the southern one. Along it stretches the Ladakh Range up to 7728 m high. Many rivers originate on its slopes, then crossing the Main Range. To the north of Ladakh, behind the wide longitudinal valleys of the Indus and the Brahmaputra, the outlying ranges of the Tibetan Plateau (Trans-Himalayas) rise.

The Himalayas are rich in minerals. In the axial crystalline zone there are deposits of copper ore, alluvial gold, arsenic and chromium ores. Oil, combustible gases, brown coal, potash and rock salts occur in the foothills and intermountain basins.

Now in the Himalayas there are 75 peaks more than seven kilometers "growth". Dozens of peaks reach 7000 m, 11 peaks exceed 8000 m, the passes are on average at an altitude of 5000 m, which exceeds the maximum height of the Alps.

climate, glaciation and water resources Himalayan mountains

The Himalayas are the largest climate divide in Asia. To the north of them, continental air of temperate latitudes prevails, to the south - tropical air masses. Up to the southern slope of the Himalayas, the summer equatorial monsoon penetrates. The winds there are so strong that it is difficult to climb the highest peaks. Therefore, you can climb Chomolungma only in spring, during a short period of calm before the start of the summer monsoon. On the northern slope throughout the year, the winds of the northern or western rhumbs blow, coming from the continent supercooled in winter or very warm in summer, but always dry. From the northwest to the southeast, the Himalayas stretch approximately between 35 and 28 ° N. sh., and the summer monsoon almost does not penetrate into the northwestern sector of the mountain system. All this creates great climatic differences within the Himalayas. Most precipitation falls in the eastern part of the southern slope (from 2000 to 3000 mm). In the west, their annual amounts do not exceed 1000 mm. Less than 1000 mm falls in the band of internal tectonic basins and in internal river valleys. On the northern slope, especially in the valleys, the amount of precipitation decreases sharply. In some places, annual amounts are less than 100 mm. Above 1800 m, winter precipitation falls in the form of snow, and above 4500 m, snow occurs throughout the year.

On the southern slopes up to a height of 2000 m average temperature January is 6-7 °С, July 18-19 °С; up to a height of 3000 m, the average temperature of the winter months does not fall below 0 ° C, and only above 4500 m does the average July temperature become negative. The snow limit in the eastern part of the Himalayas passes at an altitude of 4500 m, in the western, less humid, - 5100-5300 m. On the northern slopes, the height of the nival belt is 700-1000 m higher than on the southern ones. There is little precipitation on the northern slopes (about 100 mm), and temperature differences during one day can be 45 degrees.

High altitude and abundant rainfall contribute to the formation of powerful glaciers and a dense river network. Glaciers and snow cover all the high peaks of the Himalayas, but the ends of the glacial tongues have a significant absolute altitude. Most of the Himalayan glaciers belong to the valley type and reach no more than 5 km in length. But the farther to the east and more precipitation, the longer and lower the glaciers go down the slopes. On Chomolungma and Kanchenjunga, the most powerful glaciation, the largest glaciers of the Himalayas are formed.

These are dendritic-type glaciers with several feeding areas and one main shaft. The Zemu glacier on Kangchenjunga is 25 km long and ends at an altitude of about 4000 m. from it originates one of the sources of the Ganges. The total area of glaciers here is 33 thousand km².

The Himalayan glaciers differ from the glaciers of other mountain systems in terms of surface structure and ice properties. On high altitudes the snow is very dry. Sharp temperature changes often contribute to the formation of the thinnest crust of ice on the surface of the snow cover. Under it, active sublimation of snow occurs (transition of a substance from a solid state to a gaseous state without prior transformation into a liquid), in which the snow evaporates and water vapor settles on the lower surface of the ice crust, thickening it and forming a crust. And under it the emptiness grows. As a result, the adhesion of the snow layer to the slope is broken and the snow cover is actually held on it only due to the strength of this crust (ice crust). Any disturbance of this crust (damage by a falling stone, etc.) is enough to create a favorable condition for the formation of snow avalanches, which are very characteristic of the Himalayas.

At lower altitudes, the influence of high daily temperatures leads to a rapid process of firnization of snow and further transformation of firn into ice. At the same time, another process takes place - the rapid evaporation of snow from the surface (especially on the northern slopes) due to the great dryness of the air. This causes the fragility of fresh snow cover in the valleys and on the lower slopes. As a result, glaciers are almost always open; snow or firn cover is rare on them. The movement of people on such a surface is not difficult. Only during periods of heavy snowfalls can mountain slopes and glaciers be covered with a significant layer of fresh dry snow, and then the passage of snow-covered slopes and glaciers requires great care.

The Himalayas are characterized by powerful glaciation, which has not yet been fully determined, despite the large number of scientific and mountaineering expeditions. But there are no huge valley glaciers here, as, for example, in the Karakorum. To some extent, this is due to the greater straightness of the Himalayan ranges and the absence of side spurs that extend over long distances.

Glaciers of the Turkestan type are characterized by a very limited supply basin. They are formed mainly due to snow avalanches from the surrounding steep slopes, ice, avalanches from the higher-lying hanging glaciers, and only partially due to snow masses falling or swept by winds from the surrounding slopes. An example of such glaciers in the Himalayas is the Annapurna South Glacier.

Especially many rivers flow down from the southern slope of the mountains. They start in the glaciers of the Greater Himalayas and, crossing the Lesser Himalayas and the foothill zone, come out onto the plain. Some major rivers originate from the northern slope and, heading towards the Indo-Gangetic plain, cut through the Himalayas with deep through valleys. This is the Indus, its tributary Sutlej and Brahmaputra (Tsangpo).

The Himalayan rivers are fed by rain, ice and snow, so the main flow maximum occurs in summer. In the eastern part, the role of monsoon rains in nutrition is great, in the west - snow and ice of the high-mountain zone. The narrow gorges or canyon-shaped valleys of the Himalayas abound with waterfalls and rapids. From May, when the most rapid snowmelt begins, until October, when the action of the summer monsoon ends, rivers rush down from the mountains in violent streams, carrying away masses of detrital material that they deposit when they leave the Himalayan foothills. Often monsoon rains cause severe floods on mountain rivers, during which bridges are washed away, roads are destroyed and landslides occur.

There are many lakes in the Himalayas, but among them there are none that could be compared with the Alpine ones in size and beauty. Some lakes, for example in the Kashmir Basin, occupy only a part of those tectonic depressions that were previously filled entirely. The Pir-Panjal ridge is known for numerous glacial lakes, formed in ancient crater funnels or in river valleys as a result of their damming by moraine. Many of the lakes are located at high altitudes (up to 3500 m). The Srinagar (Kashmir) valley once served as the bottom of a huge lake that existed here. At present, the remains of this lake are scattered over the lowest parts of the valley in the form of small lakes - Vular, Anchar, Dal and others. Of interest on these lakes are floating islands formed from dense thickets of aquatic plants.

In a vast mountain valley Kathmandu, as well as in Srinagar, has many lakes and even more residual lake valleys, which the locals call "tal".

Researchers of the Himalayas explain their formation in this way. In former times, there were many dammed lakes on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Stormy mountain streams and rivers gradually applied to them the products of the destruction of rocks. Gradually accumulating, the water broke through the dam, rushing down in a mighty stream, washing away everything in its path.

So, for example, as a result of the earthquake of 1841, a large collapse blocked the Indus River in the Ramgat region. The height of the blockage reached several hundred meters. Above it, a huge dammed lake was formed.

Soon the Indus broke through the dam. Masses of water, gushing through the gorge, washed away many villages, tore off not only vegetation, but also soil from the slopes. Water destroyed the roads passing through the gorge. The local population suffered huge material damage.

Altitudinal zonality, vegetation and animal world Himalayas

On the abundantly moistened southern slope of the Himalayas, altitudinal belts from tropical forests to high mountain tundra are exceptionally pronounced. At the same time, the southern slope is characterized by significant differences in the vegetation cover of the humid and hot eastern part and the drier and colder western part. Forests approach the foot of the mountains only in the Eastern Himalayas. Along the foot of the mountains from their eastern extremity to the course of the Jamna River stretches a kind of marshy strip with black silty soils, called terai. Terai are characterized by jungles - typical tropical rainforests - dense tree and shrub thickets, in places almost impassable due to vines and consisting of ferns, teak, soapwood, mimosas, bananas, undersized palms, bamboos. Among the Terai, there are cleared and drained areas that are used for the cultivation of various tropical crops. This is the kingdom of tigers and wild elephants, snakes and monkeys. Zoologists believe that it is here that the highest density of the elephant population in the world. Animals feel completely safe in the jungle, even more so than in African reserves. After all, according to Buddhist laws, killing any living being is a mortal sin.

Above the terai, on the wet slopes of the mountains and along the river valleys up to a height of 1000-1200 m, evergreen tropical forests grow from tall palm trees, laurels, tree ferns and gigantic bamboos, with many lianas (including rattan palm) and epiphytes. The drier areas are dominated by less dense forests of sal tree, which lose their leaves during the dry period, with rich undergrowth and grass cover.

At altitudes of more than 1000 m, subtropical species of evergreen and deciduous trees begin to mix with the heat-loving forms of the tropical forest: pines, evergreen oaks, magnolias, maples, chestnuts, birches. At an altitude of 2000 m, subtropical forests give way to temperate forests of deciduous and coniferous trees, among which only occasionally representatives of subtropical flora, such as magnificently flowering magnolias, come across. At the upper border of the forest, conifers dominate, including silver fir, larch, and juniper. The undergrowth is formed by dense thickets of tree-like rhododendrons. Lots of mosses and lichens covering the soil and tree trunks. The subalpine belt that replaces forests consists of tall grass meadows and thickets of shrubs, the vegetation of which gradually becomes lower and more sparse when moving to the alpine zone. The alpine meadow vegetation of the Himalayas is unusually rich in species, including primroses, edelweiss, anemones, poppies and other brightly flowering perennial herbs. The upper limit of the Alpine belt in the east reaches a height of about 5000 m, but individual plants are found much higher. When climbing Chomolungma, plants were found at an altitude of 6218 m. And, finally, from a height of five and a half kilometers, the realm of snow begins.

In the western part of the southern slope of the Himalayas, due to less humidity, there is no such richness and diversity of vegetation, the flora is much poorer than in the east. There is absolutely no strip of terai there, the lower parts of the slopes of the mountains are covered with sparse xerophytic forests and thickets of shrubs. Only on the slopes of the foothills do rare groups of dry-loving plants appear, such as oleander or tree-like milkweed, very similar to a cactus from a distance. And only from a height of a thousand meters do luxurious pine forests begin with an undergrowth of prickly jasmine. Higher, in the zone from 1800 to 2500 meters, there are some subtropical Mediterranean species such as the evergreen holm oak and golden olive, even higher dominated by coniferous forests of pines and the magnificent Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara), a brother of the Lebanese cedar known since biblical times. The shrub undergrowth in these forests is poorer than in the east, but the alpine meadow vegetation is more diverse. And having risen to a height of two and a half kilometers, you find yourself in the zone of spruce forests. Only these shrubs, and ivy entwining tree trunks, together with climbing roses, remind us of the subtropics. Spruce forests are replaced with height by a real mountain desert, where even stunted grass comes across only in places. And all this is crowned, as always in the Himalayas, by snow and glaciers.

The landscapes of the northern ranges of the Himalayas, facing towards Tibet, are approaching the desert mountain landscapes of Central Asia. The change in vegetation with height is less pronounced than on the southern slopes. From the bottoms of the large river valleys up to the snow-covered peaks, sparse thickets of dry grasses and xerophytic shrubs spread. Woody vegetation is found only in some river valleys in the form of thickets of low-growing poplars.

The landscape differences of the Himalayas are also reflected in the composition of the wild fauna. The diverse and rich fauna of the southern slopes has a pronounced tropical character. In forests lower parts slopes and in the Terai, many large mammals, reptiles, and insects are common. There are still elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, wild boars, antelopes. The jungle is literally teeming with various monkeys. Macaques and thin-bodied are especially characteristic. Of the predators, the most dangerous for the population are tigers and leopards - spotted and black (black panthers). Among birds, peacocks, pheasants, parrots, wild chickens stand out for their beauty and brightness of plumage.

In the upper belt of mountains and on the northern slopes, the fauna is close in composition to the Tibetan. The black Himalayan bear, wild goats and rams, yaks live there. Especially a lot of rodents.

Most of the population is concentrated in the middle belt of the southern slope and in intramountain tectonic basins. There is a lot of cultivated land there. Rice is sown on the irrigated flat bottoms of the basins, and tea bushes, citrus fruits, and vines are grown on terraced slopes. Alpine pastures are used for grazing sheep, yaks and other livestock.

Because of high altitude The passes in the Himalayas significantly complicate communication between the countries of the northern and southern slopes. Dirt roads or caravan trails pass through some passes, there are very few highways in the Himalayas. The passes are only accessible during the summer. In winter, they are covered with snow and completely impassable.

Himalayas as the center of cultural and natural heritage and pilgrimage center

The inaccessibility of the territory played a favorable role in preserving the unique mountain landscapes of the Himalayas. Despite the significant agricultural development of the low mountains and basins, intensive grazing on the mountain slopes and the ever-increasing influx of climbers from around the world, the Himalayas remain a refuge for valuable plant and animal species. The real "treasures" are included in the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage National parks India and Nepal - Nanda Devi, Sagarmatha and Chitwan.

The parks were created to help the rare animals of the Himalayas survive in the face of an ever-increasing influx of tourists, including many poachers. Deforestation by the local population harms the animals even more. Already, only twenty-five wild elephants have survived in all of Nepal. Just a few dozen left here tigers and rhinos. Live on protected lands and such rare animals as the snow leopard and the Himalayan black bear, the musk deer and the inhabitant of bamboo forests - the red panda.

This beast (also called a cat bear) is probably the most charming inhabitant of the Himalayan forests. During the day, he sleeps, wrapping his round, eared head with a fluffy tail, and at night he grazes in bamboo thickets, eating young shoots, as well as berries and acorns that have fallen to the ground.

To truly appreciate the beauty of the nature of the Himalayas, one must overcome the temptation to get by air directly to Kathmandu or another city in the depths of the mountains. It is better to climb to the snowy ridges by car along the winding mountain roads through Sivalik and Mahabharat. Only then can one appreciate all the diversity of the Himalayas, all the charm of its forests and meadows, rocky gorges and mountain lakes, the blinding whiteness of the snowy slopes and the jade transparency of glacial cliffs.

The Himalayas are one of the centers of pilgrimage in the world, especially for adherents of Buddhism and Hinduism. In most cases, in the holy Himalayan places there are temples to the glory of the deities, with whose deeds this or that place is associated. So, the temple of Sri Kedarnath Mandir is dedicated to the god Shiva, and in the south of the Himalayas, at the source of the Jamuna River, in the 19th century. A temple was built in honor of the goddess Yamuna (Jamuna). Many people are drawn to the Himalayas by their diversity and uniqueness. natural features. One of the most important and at the same time the most difficult - national park Sagarmatha. Everest is located on its territory. In the western region of the Himalayas, the possessions of the Nanda Devi reserve stretch, which since 2005 has included the Valley of Flowers, which enchants with a natural palette of colors and shades. It is kept by vast meadows full of delicate alpine flowers. Among this splendor, far from human eyes, rare species of predators live, including snow leopards (in wild nature there are no more than 7,500 individuals of these animals left), Himalayan and brown bears.

High impregnable mountains have long evoked two feelings in people: fear and reverence. The Hindus called this area Deviabhuni - "the land of the gods." Here, in their opinion, was the center of the Earth, designated sacred mountain The measure around which the sun, moon and stars revolve. Meru in India was identified with Mount Kailash in the Tibetan Trans-Himalayas. Next to it, at the sacred lake Manasarovar, as the locals believe, lives the main of the three supreme gods of the Hindu pantheon - Indra, the thunderer, who gives rain and fertility to the fields. At the top of Gaurishankar lived the great god Shiva with his wife Devi, the daughter of Himavat, who himself is the personification of the Himalayas. Shiva is one of the supreme gods included in the divine triad, the "master of animals." Therefore, it is quite logical that from his dwelling, located among the eternal snows of the Himalayas, the life-giving waters of the three great rivers of Asia - the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Ganges - flow. And only Rama settled closer to the people, in the valley.

The founder of another powerful religion - Buddhism, Prince Gautama himself (the future Buddha) was also born here, in Nepal, 2500 years ago. Therefore, many pilgrims come every year here, to the shrine of Buddhism, the Muktinath temple, where an eternal flame burns in memory of the birth of a deity.

Thus, the Himalayas are not only one of the most beautiful places created by nature. This is a sacred land, a place where, according to legend, Buddhist and Hindu deities live. Once upon a time, these mountains were an insurmountable barrier between the states located to the south of them, and the fabulously rich cities lying to the north, on the Great Silk Road - Samarkand, Bukhara, Kashgar and Kotan.

The history of the exploration and assault of the Himalayan mountains

The first Himalayan traveler mentioned in the chronicles, the Chinese monk Fa Xian, came here in 400 AD. e. in search of religious truth. The oldest accurate map of these places was compiled in the 30s of the 18th century by the French geographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Arville, who, however, could not correctly determine the height of many mountain peaks. At the beginning of the 19th century, the British, hunters of large animals, went here from India in search of tigers and bears.Returning from the Himalayas, they recounted local legends about strange footprints in the snow. This was the first hint of the existence of Bigfoot.

Already in the 7th century, the first trade routes appeared in the rugged Himalayas, connecting China and India. Some of these routes still play an important role in the trade of these two countries (of course, these days we are not talking about multi-day foot crossings, but about road transport). In the 30s. 20th century the idea was to make transport connection more convenient for what you need to pave railway through the Himalayas, but the project was never implemented.

However, serious exploration of the Himalayan mountains began only in the period of the 18th-19th centuries. The work was extremely difficult, and the results left much to be desired: for a long time, topographers could neither determine the height of the main peaks, nor draw up accurate topographic maps. But the ordeal only fueled the interest and enthusiasm of European scientists and researchers. In the middle of the 19th century, attempts began to conquer the highest peak in the world - Everest (Chomolungma). But great mountain, towering above the ground at 8848 m, could give victory only to the strongest.

In the 50s 19th century the world's highest peak was known in the West simply as Peak XV. It was not until 1852 that English topographers established the exact height of Peak XV. The Indians called it Sagarmatha - "heavenly peak", and for the Tibetans it was Chomolungma - "mother-goddess of the earth." It was named Everest by the British in 1862 in honor of Major Sir George Everest, Governor General of India, who had led an expedition to map the Himalayan Mountains six years earlier. So the highest mountain in the world lives now under three names.

It is clear that the climbers of the late XIX - early XX century, who have already managed to conquer the Matterhorn in the Alps (in 1865), Chimborazo and Aconcagua in the Andes (in 1880 and 1897), McKinley in Alaska (in 1913) and Kilimanjaro in Africa (in 1889), were eager to climb Chomolungma. But the Tibetan and Nepalese authorities until 1921 did not allow foreigners to disturb the peace of the sacred mountains.

By the end of the 19th century, Tibet and Nepal closed their borders to Europeans. And although in 1921 the Dalai Lama allowed one expedition to visit the country, she had only enough time to get to the foot of Everest and map its lower slopes. The famous English climber George Mallory was a member of this expedition.

In 1921-1924, Mallory made three expeditions to the sky-high peak, hoping to become its winner. In his last attempt, in 1924, he and his companion Andrew Irwin apparently reached the highest point on the planet. The members of their expedition who remained below noticed the brave deuce through binoculars just two hundred meters from the top, after which they were hidden by fog. No one else saw the pioneers of Chomolungma alive. They did not return back. And only seventy-five years later, in 1999, Mallory's body was found in the snow not far from the summit. In all likelihood, on the descent, the climbers got into a snowstorm and froze. The first reliable conquest of Everest was carried out by a British expedition led by John Hunt 30 years later. After countless unsuccessful expeditions, on May 29, 1953, man finally managed to reach the summit of Everest.

The last assault was made by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Sherpa Norgay Tenzing. Hillary later wrote of what he thought as he stood where no one was known to have stood before him: for success. I looked at Tenzing... and he couldn't hide his infectious, enthusiastic smile."

Thus, the "high-altitude pole" of our planet turned out to be the toughest nut to crack from all the cherished and hard-to-reach points of the earth's land, taken by storm in the 20th century. Recall that the North and South Poles were conquered by man more than forty years earlier, and the Arctic Pole of Inaccessibility five years before Chomolungma.

The attraction of Everest for climbers is undeniable, and the climbing season is short; unless of course they want to avoid low temperatures, hurricane winds and deep snow. Many attempts to reach the summit ended in failure, and sometimes the death of expedition members, but nothing stops climbers. Behind last years climbers from all over the world have made successful ascents.

Climbers continue to storm the highest peak, but so far only about four hundred of them have managed to stand on the "roof of the world." The Himalayas in general, and Everest in particular, carefully guard their secrets. Even today they remain the only snow kingdom of its kind - the abode of the gods.

In general, the history of the assault on the Himalayan "eight-thousanders" is a whole epic that lasted fifteen years, starting in 1950, when the brave Frenchmen Erzog and Lachenal climbed the first of them - Annapurna, and ending with a successful ascent to the most difficult of these peaks - Mount Shisha Pangma - Chinese expedition in 1964. Many tragic pages are inscribed in the history of Himalayan ascents. Dozens of climbers remained forever on the slopes of the Abode of Snows. And yet every year new high-altitude expeditions go to the Himalayas. And to the question of what drives them to this most difficult and dangerous business, Mallory answered wonderfully. When asked why he was so eager to climb Everest, he simply said: “Because he is!”

There are peaks in the Himalayas that are more difficult than Chomolungma. Such, for example, is impregnable Kanchenjunga, the easternmost and second highest of the Himalayan "eight-thousanders", which rises to 8585 meters at the very border of Nepal and India. This most difficult peak for climbers gave up only by the fifth expedition, which stormed it in 1955. In the same year, the fifth highest peak in the world, Makalu (8470 meters), was also conquered. Its name translates as "Black Giant". Indeed, Makalu is so steep that ice and snow practically do not linger on the black slopes of this giant rock pyramid. Therefore, its black and gray silhouette stands out sharply against the background of the rest of the Himalayan peaks, wrapped in snow-white cloaks and covered with glacier caps.

And twenty-five kilometers northwest of Makalu there are four eight-kilometer peaks at once, like a guard of honor surrounding their ruler - Chomolungma. This gigantic mountain range resembles a frozen foamy surf of grandiose stone shafts rushing towards the sky. Moreover, the “smaller” mountains in this massif sometimes pose the most difficult tasks for climbers. So, at Mount Rapakosi, 7788 meters high, the steepest slope in the world. It rises six thousand meters above the Hunza valley, and the length of its slope is about ten kilometers. It is easy to calculate that the angle of elevation in this case is thirty-one degrees.

In the very north of Nepal, between the eight-kilometer massifs of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, there is the high-altitude Mustang Valley - the most important ancient caravan route from India and Nepal to transcendental Tibet. Through the giant gap between the mountains, as if into a wind tunnel, bursts strong wind from the north, from the Brahmaputra valley. The “draft” begins like clockwork every day at noon and ends after sunset, when the air temperature from the south and north sides of the Mustang is equal. Living in a constant wind, of course, creates terrible discomfort for the inhabitants of the valley. They have to build houses with very narrow windows, and even these are covered with oiled paper from the inside for warmth. And on north side there are no windows at all in houses, otherwise it is impossible to keep the heat in the rooms.

Conclusion

The study of the physical and geographical characteristics of the Himalayas made it possible to draw the following conclusions:

1. The Himalayas are located between the Tibetan Plateau in the north and the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the south of Eurasia and stretch for 2,400 km.

3. The relief is represented by a system of ridges and intermontane depressions (hollows). The mountains have steep slopes and pointed or ridge-shaped peaks, covered with eternal snow and glaciers. The total area of glaciers here is 33 thousand km². highest peak Himalayas - Mount Everest (8848 m), the highest mountain in the world. It was first conquered in 1953.

4. Most of the Himalayan mountains are located in a subequatorial climate. Climate formation occurs here under the condition of positive temperatures, but with a rather noticeable difference in the height of the sun according to the seasons. Summer and spring are hot here (up to 35°C). At this time of the year, the monsoon winds come here, which bring an abundance of precipitation from indian ocean, they fall mainly on the southern slopes of the mountains (more than 3000 mm). The air temperature near the northern slopes of the Himalayas is lower in winter, since precipitation from the Indian Ocean does not penetrate here, which has a softening effect.

5. Most of the rivers flowing from the Himalayan mountains are tributaries of the Indus and the Ganges. Their food is ice-rain. The flood is in the summer.

1). At the foot and in the foothills of the Himalayas are swampy jungles - terai. They are very rich in vegetation: grasses up to 5 m high, fan and coconut palms, bamboo.

2). At an altitude of 400 to 1500 m, there is a belt of subequatorial humid forests. This belt is characterized by magnolias, citrus fruits, camphor laurel.

3). Above, humid subequatorial forests are replaced up to 2000 m by evergreen subtropical forests, represented by mimosa thickets.

4). From altitudes of 2000 to 2500 m, evergreen forests begin to give way to deciduous forests dominated by maple, bird cherry, chestnuts, oaks, and cherries.

5). Above 2500 m, coniferous forests begin to predominate, which are located up to a height of 3500-4000 m.

6). Approximately from a height of 3500 m, woody vegetation begins to disappear, giving way to meadow vegetation with large herbs.

Through the mountains to the sea with a light backpack. Route 30 passes through the famous Fisht - this is one of the most grandiose and significant natural monuments in Russia, the highest mountains closest to Moscow. Tourists travel lightly through all the landscape and climatic zones of the country from the foothills to the subtropics, spending the night in shelters.

Such a density of tourist facilities, as in Bakhchisarai region, nowhere in the world! Mountains and sea, rare landscapes and cave cities, lakes and waterfalls, secrets of nature and mysteries of history. Discoveries and spirit of adventure... mountain tourism here it is not difficult at all, but any trail pleases with clean springs and lakes.

Adygea, Crimea. Mountains, waterfalls, herbs of alpine meadows, healing mountain air, absolute silence, snowfields in the middle of summer, the murmur of mountain streams and rivers, stunning landscapes, songs around the fires, the spirit of romance and adventure, the wind of freedom are waiting for you! And at the end of the route, the gentle waves of the Black Sea.