Himalaya Mountains - A Quick Introduction
From the Sanskrit words, meaning "abode of snow", the Himalaya mountains are home to some of the world's highest snowy peaks.
Stretching across the countries of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Tibet, the Himalayas have over 100 mountains exceeding 23,622 feet in elevation. By comparison, Aconcagua in the Andes is the highest mountain peak outside of Asia and it only rises to 22,841 feet in elevation.
While the Himalayan range covers the entire northern part of India, it is mainly located in Nepal and Tibet. This is a main attraction for visitors who come to these regions just for the chance to experience the spiritually enriching atmosphere that the Himalayans foster so effortlessly.
Major rivers such as the Indus, Ganga, and Yangtze originate in the Himalaya mountains and the drainage basin alone is home to at least 1.6 billion people.
Located on the border of Nepal and Tibet is Mount Everest, or to the Tibetans, Mt Chomolangma – meaning Goddess Mother of the World. It is the world's highest mountain, and it is the crown jewel of this wondrous mountain range.
The first published height was in 1856 at 8840 meters (29,000 ft) by the Great Trigonometrical Survey, and was so known as Peak XV. In 1865 the Surveyor General of India, Andrew Waugh, proposed to name the peak after the head of the Great Trigonometrical Survey, Sir George Everest.
In Tibetan scripture, the mountain is named Chomolangma, and the Goddess who lives there is a Tibetan Deity called Miyo Langsangma.
In the early 1950's, Sir Edmund Hillary and his teammates climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest with heavy oxygen tanks strapped to their backs. At that time, Sir Hillary estimated the height of the majestic peak at 29,000 feet.
Modern day scientists, with the aid of GPS technology, have now calculated its height at 29,035 feet. This is less than 12 yards away from the original estimation. Of the approximately 6,000 climbers who have attempted to reach Everest's summit, only 2,249 have succeeded.
* Me and Mount Everest
The Himalaya mountains have a profound effect on the region's climate, most notably the northern portion of India and the Tibetan plateau. The range acts as a shield to prevent the dryer, frigidly cold Arctic winds from blowing into the south.
This natural barricade keeps the southern portion of Asia much warmer than similar temperate regions on other continents. In addition, the range forms a barrier to prevent monsoon winds from traveling to the north and the chain of mountains also keeps winter disturbances from Iran from pushing in from the west.
This geographical phenomenon results in snow in the Kashmir valley area of northwest India and rainfall for parts of Punjab and northern India.
While acting as a barrier for Mother Nature, the Himalaya mountains have also prevented the migration of some people for tens of thousands of years. Significant differences in language, customs, and culture exist between the people from northern India and those from China and Mongolia.
Travel routes and military movements were likewise, similarly restricted. Genghis Khan could not expand his empire to the south of the Himalayas because of the impossibly rugged terrain.
* Everest Valley
Read these travel tips if you want to visit the Himalaya mountains.
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