Portal:Himalaya region

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The Himalaya region

Shortcut: WP:HIM

The Himalayan region is characterized by the massive mountain ranges of the Himalaya, the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush and a host of minor ranges extending from the Pamir Knot. The region is home to the nations of Nepal, Bhutan, the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and the regions of Tibet and Kashmir. The name is from Sanskrit himālaya, a tatpurusa compound meaning "the abode of snow" (from hima "snow", and ālaya "abode"; see also Himavat). Together, the Himalaya mountain system is the planet's highest and home to all fourteen of the world's highest peaks: the Eight-thousanders, including Mount Everest. The mountain ranges are the source of three of the world's major river systems, the Indus Basin, the Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin and the Yangtze Basin. The people of the Himalayan region are largely of Indo-Tibetan descent and distinctive religions include Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.

Arunachal Pradesh • Bhutan • Buddhism • Himachal Pradesh • Himalaya • Hindu Kush • Hinduism • Karakoram • Kashmir • Nepal • Sikkim • Tibet • Uttarakhand

Selected article

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Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, in the Shiwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of 2,134 m (6,982 ft). The name "Darjeeling" is a combination of the Tibetan words Dorje ("thunderbolt") and ling ("place"), translating to "The land of the thunderbolt." During the British Raj in India, Darjeeling's temperate climate led to its development as a hill station (hill town) for British residents to escape the heat of the plains during the summers. Darjeeling is internationally famous for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tea plantations date back to the mid 1800s as part of a British development of the area. The tea growers of the area developed distinctive hybrids of black tea and fermenting techniques, with many blends considered among the world's finest. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 and is one of the few steam engines still in service in India. Darjeeling has several British-style public schools, which attract students from many parts of India and neighbouring countries. The town, along with neighbouring Kalimpong was a major centre for the demand of a separate Gorkhaland state in the 1980s, though the separatist movement has gradually decreased over the past decade due to the setting up of an autonomous hill council. In the recent years the town's fragile ecology is threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources, stemming from growing tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation. (more...)

Selected picture of the week

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Pangong Tso the largest Himalayan lake located at an altitude of 4,600 m.
Photo credit: Abhi182

Did you know?

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...that the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage Railway?
...that the fort at Arki, India was captured by Gurkhas in 1806 and used as their stronghold till 1815, when they ceded it during the Gurkha War?

...that the original tunnel built to connect the Kalka-Shimla Railway at Barog (pictured), Himachal Pradesh was abandoned as the two constructed ends did not meet?
...that Baba Kanshi Ram swore in 1931 to wear black clothes till India achieved independence and wore them without exception for twelve years till his death in 1943 ?
...that Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini in Nepal?
...that King Birendra was considered an avatara of Vishnu?

Highest peaks of the Himalayas

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Peak Name	Other names and meaning	Elevation (m)	Elevation (ft)	First ascent	Notes
Everest	Sagarmatha -"Forehead of the Sky", Chomolangma or Qomolangma -"Mother of the Universe"	8,848	29,028	1953	World's highest mountain.
K2	Chogo Gangri	8,611	28,251	1954	World's 2nd highest. Located on the border between China and Pakistan. World's toughest mountain to climb.
Kanchenjunga	Kangchen Dzö-nga	8,586	28,169	1955	World's 3rd highest. Located on the border between India and Nepal.
Lhotse	-	8,501	27,939	1956	World's 4th highest and close to Mt Everest. Located on the border between China and Nepal.
Makalu	-	8,462	27,765	1955	World's 5th highest. Located on the border between China and Nepal.
Cho Oyu	Mt. Zhuoaoyou	8,201	26,906	1954	World's 6th highest. Located on the border between China and Nepal.
Dhaulagiri	White Mountain	8,167	26,764	1960	World's 7th highest. Located in Nepal.
Manaslu	Kutang - "Mountain of the Spirit"	8,163	26,758	1956	World's 8th highest. Located in Nepal.
Nanga Parbat	Nangaparbat Peak or Diamir, "Naked Mountain"	8,125	26,658	1953	World's 9th highest. Located in Pakistan. Considered one of the world's most dangerous mountains to climb.
Annapurna	"Goddess of the Harvests"	8,091	26,545	1950	World's 10th highest. Located in Nepal.
Gasherbrum I	Hidden Peak (Khumbu Gangri) or K5	8,068	26,470	1958	World's 11th highest. Located on the border between China and Pakistan.
Broad Peak	K3 (Phalchen Gangri)	8,047	26,400	1957	World's 12th highest. Located on the border between China and Pakistan.
Gasherbrum II	K4	8,035	26,360	1956	World's 13th highest. Located on the border between China and Pakistan.
Shishapangma	"Crest above the grassy plains" Gosainthan -Sanskrit for "place of the saint",	8,027	26,289	1964
Gyachung Gangri	-	7,922	26,089	1964
Nanda Devi	"Bliss-Giving Goddess"	7,817	25,645	1936
Kamet	-	7,756	25,447	1931
Kabru	-	7,338	24,258	1935
Bumo Gangri	"Unmarried Daughter"	7,161	23,494	1962	Popular climbing peak.