Description:
Himalayas are a Sanskrit word meaning, "abode of snow", which is so true. The snowfields which dominate many of the peaks in the Himalayas are permanent. Yes, they never melt (not even in the summer). Himalayas have attracted, many adventurers, tourists and geographers with different aims and objectives. Some came here to reaffirm their superiority by climbing the highest range while some came to study the mysterious formation and some were here to just experience the majestic Himalayan panorama. Himalaya Mountain stretches from India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. It has 10 highest peaks of the world, out of which 8 are the part of Nepalese Himalayas. Five major mountains that form the main chunk of the Himalayan Mountains are K2 (Austin Godwin), Nanga Parbat Peak, Mount Everest, Annapurna and Kanchengunga.
The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, the Himalaya have also been personified as the god Himavat, the father of Shiva's consort, Parvati.
Lowland forests:
On the Indo-Gangetic plain at the base of the mountains, an alluvial plain drained by the Indus and Ganga-Brahmaputra river systems, vegetation varies from west to east with rainfall.
The Terai belt:
Above the alluvial plain lies the Terai strip, a seasonally marshy zone of sand and clay soils. The Terai has higher rainfall than the plains, and the downward rushing rivers of the Himalayas slow down and spread out in the flatter Terai zone.
Bhabhar belt:
Above the Terai belt is an upland zone known as the Bhabhar, a zone of porous and rocky soils, made up of debris washed down from the higher ranges. The Bhabhar and the lower Shiwalik ranges have a subtropical climate.
Shiwalik Hills:
Also called Churia or Margalla Hills, Sivalik Hills is Intermittent outermost range of foothills extending across Himalayan region through Pakistan, Indian, Nepal and Bhutan.
Inner Terai or Dun Valleys:
The Inner Terai Valleys are open valleys north of Shiwalik Hills or nestled between Shiwalik subranges.
Lesser Himalaya:
Prominent range 2,000 to 3,000 metres high forming along the Main Boundary Thrust fault zone with a steep southern face and gentler northern slopes.
Mildlands:
"Hilly" region averaging about 1,000 metres immediately north of the Mahabahrat Range, rising over about 100 km to about 4,000 metres at the Main Frontal Thrust fault zone where the Greater Himalaya begin.
Alpine shrub and grasslands:
Above the tree line are the Northwestern, Western, and Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, which yield to tundra in the higher Himalayan range.
