Give a detailed account of the Himalayas.

The Himalayas can be divided into four parts : 1. Northern Kashmir Himalayas, 2. Main Himalayas, 3. Offshoots of the Himalayas 4. Regional Divisions.

1. Northern Kashmir Himalayas : The north-western part of the Himalayas is known as the Kashmir Himalayas. Their breadh is about 40 to 50 kilometres.Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Kailash are the main ranges of the Kashmir Himalayas. There are many high peaks in these ranges.

2. Main Himalayas : The main Himalayas consist of three parallel mountain ranges. We can describe them as under :

(a) Greater Himalayas (Himadri) : This range spread in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. Mount Everest (8,848 metres), the highest peak of the world is in this range. Zojila, Jailpala and Lingshila are some of the important passes of this range. Many glaciers like Gangotri and Yamunotri originate from these snow-covered mountains. The Bhagirathi which further comes to be known as River Ganga originates from this (Gangotri) glacier.

(b) The Middle, Lesser or Himachal Himalayas : This range spreads in the south of the Greater Himalayas. It runs parallel to Himadri form east to the west. The average height of this range is 3500 to 4500 metres and its breadth is 60 to 80 kilometres. Hill stations of Shimla (H.P.), Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Kausani (all in Uttaranchal State) are located on this range.

(c) Siwaliks or the Outer Himalayas : The average height of this range is 900 to 1200 metres and breadh is 10 to 50 kilometres. Altitudinal variation exists here because this range is broader enough than average (i.e. 10-50 kms) in Himachal, Punjab and Kashmir states.

3. Offshoots of the Himalayas : The

Himalayas turn to the south on the eastern and western flanks. They are called eastern and western Himalayas.

(a) Eastern Himalayas : These consist of the famous hills of Patkai, Naga and Mizo. These form Purvanchal. These are very low hills and fully covered with forests and bushes.

At the extreme east, there are the Jaintia, the Khasi and the Garo hills.

(b) Western Himalayas : These consists of Suleman and Kirthar ranges. Khyber, Bolan and Tochi passes exist here.

4. Regional Divisions of the Himalayas :

Regionwise expansion of the Himalayas is classified as –the Himachal Himalayas, the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, the Nepal Himalayas and the Assam Himalayas.