What is the height of the Himalayas. The Himalayas are the largest mountain range in the world.

The Himalayas in India and China are the highest mountains on Earth.

Where is it located and how to get there

Geographical coordinates:Latitude:29°14′11″N (29.236449), Longitude:85°14′59″E (85.249851)
Travel from Moscow-Come to China or India and there is a stone's throw. Don't Forget Your Mountain Equipment
Travel from St. Petersburg: You come to Moscow and then you come to China or India and there it's a stone's throw. Don't Forget Your Mountain Equipment
Distance from Moscow-7874 km., from St. Petersburg-8558 km.

Description in the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (published on the border of the 19th-20th centuries)

Himalayan mountains
(Himalaja, in Sanskrit - a winter or snow dwelling, among the Greeks and Romans Imans and Hemodus) - the highest mountains on Earth; separate Hindustan and the western part of Indochina from the Tibetan Plateau and extend from the place where the Indus exits them (at 73 ° 23 ′ E GMT) in a southeast direction to the Brahmaputra (at 95 ° 23 ′ E) over 2375 km with a width of 220-300 km. The western part of the Himalayas (hereinafter referred to as G.) at 36 ° N. sh. so closely connected in one mountain knot (the greatest on Earth) with the beginning of the Karakorum ridge (see), which is almost parallel to it, which stretches at an insignificant distance from it, with the Kuen-Lun ridge, which limits Tibet from the north, and with the Hinduku, that all these four mountain ranges are part of one hill. The mountains make up the southernmost and highest of these ranges. The eastern end of the G. mountains passes approximately 28 parallels to the north. parts of the British province of Assam and Burma into the Yun-Ling Mountains, which already belong to China. Both mountain masses are separated from each other by the Brahmaputra, which cuts the mountains here and makes a bend from N to SW. If we imagine a line running south from Lake Mansarovar, which lies between the sources of the Settlej and the Brahmaputra, then it will divide the G. mountains into the west. and east. half and at the same time will serve as an ethnographic boundary between the Aryan population of the Indus basin and the population of Tibet. The average height of a city is 6941 m; numerous peaks well above this line. Some of them are higher than all the peaks of the Andes and represent the highest points on the earth's surface. Up to 225 of these peaks have been measured; of these, 18 rise over 7600 m, 40 over 7000, 120 over 6100. The highest of all Gaurisankar, or Mount Everest (Mount-Everest), with a height of 8840 m, Kanchinjinga (Kantschinjinga) at 8581 m and Dhawalagiri at 8177 m. All of them lie in the eastern half of the G. mountains. The average height of the snow line in the G. mountains is approximately 4940 m to the south. slope and 5300 m to the north. Of the huge glaciers, some descend to 3400 and even 3100 m. The average height of the passages (Ghâts) leading through the mountains through G., of which 21 are known, is 5500 m; the height of the highest of them, the passage of Ibi Gamin, between Tibet and Garhwal, is 6240 m; the height of the lowest, Bara-Latscha, is 4900 m. The mountains do not constitute one completely continuous and continuous chain, but consist of a system of more or less long ridges; partly parallel, partly intersecting between which lie wide and narrow valleys. Real plateaus in G. mountains are not found. Generally southern. the G. side of the mountains is more fragmented than the northern side; there are more spurs and side ridges, between which lie the states of Kashmir, Gariwal, Kamaon, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, more or less dependent on the Indo-British government. To the south On the side of the G. mountains, the tributaries of the Indus originate: Dzhelam, Shenab and Ravi, the Ganges with its left tributaries and the Jamuni.
Mountains more than all other mountains on the globe are rich in the majestic beauties of nature; they present a particularly picturesque view from the south. As for the geological structure of the GG, sandstones and detrital rocks are predominantly visible near the sole. Above, up to approximately 3000-3500 m in height, gneiss, mica, chlorite and talc schist predominate, often cut through by thick veins of granite. Above - the peaks are composed mainly of gneiss and granite. Volcanic rocks are not found on the G. mountains, and in general there are no signs of volcanic activity at all, although there are various hot springs (up to 30 in number), the most famous of which are located in Badrinat (see). The vegetation is extremely diverse. At the southern sole of the east. half stretches unhealthy and unsuitable for settlement marshland, called Tarai, 15-50 km wide, overgrown with impenetrable jungle and giant grass. It is followed, up to an altitude of approximately 1000 m, by extremely rich, tropical and especially Indian vegetation, followed by forests of oaks, chestnuts, laurel trees, etc., up to an altitude of 2500 m. Between 2500 and 3500 m, the flora corresponds to that of southern and central Europe. ; conifers predominate, namely Pinus Deodora, P. excelsa, P. longifolia, Aties Webbiana, Picea Morinda, etc. The border of woody vegetation runs higher to the north. side (the last species of trees here is birch), than to the south. (here, one species of oak, Quercus semicarpifolia, rises above all). The next area of ​​shrubs then reaches the border of snow and sowing. side ends with one type of Genista, to the south. - several species of Rhododendron, Salix and Ribes. Grain cultivation on the Tibetan side rises to 4600 m, on the Indian side only up to 3700; grasses grow up to 5290 m on the first one, and up to 4600 m on the second. The mountain fauna is also extremely interesting and very rich. To the south side up to 1200 m it is specially Indian; its representatives are the tiger, elephant, monkeys, parrots, pheasants and beautiful types of chickens. In the middle region of the mountains there are bears, musk deer and various types of antelopes, and in the sowing. side adjacent to Tibet - wild horses, wild bulls (yaks), wild sheep and mountain goats, as well as some other mammals belonging to the fauna of Central Asia and especially Tibet. The G. mountains not only constitute the political boundary between the Anglo-Indian possessions and Tibet, but in general also the ethnographic boundary between the Hindu Aryans living south of the G. mountains and the inhabitants of Tibet belonging to the Mongol tribe. Both tribes spread through the valleys deep into the G. mountains and mixed with each other in various ways. The population is most dense in extremely fertile valleys, at an altitude of 1500 to 2500 m. At an altitude of 3000 it becomes already rare.
History of the name (toponym)
Himalayas, from the Nepalese himal, "snow mountain".

Recognized as the highest mountain system in the world. It separates the Hindustan Peninsula from the rest of Asia. In total, there are 109 peaks in the chain, most of which reach an altitude of 7300 m above sea level. The highest peak - Everest (in Nepalese "Chomolungma", which means "mother goddess of snows") - is recognized as one of the most beautiful mountains on our planet.

The length of the Himalayan mountain range along the northern border of Hindustan is more than 2414 km. The Karakoram Mountains included in it begin in the northwest of Pakistan and stretch to the southeast, passing through Kashmir to the northern region of India. And, turning to the east, they pass through the territories of several states (Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan), as well as through the territory of the province of Aru-nachal-Pradesh, located in the north-eastern part of the state of Assam. In the north of these regions lies a mountain watershed, beyond which the Chinese regions of the Tibetan mountains and Chinese Turkestan begin.

In 1856, interesting data were obtained in the department of land use of one of the countries located on the territory. An analysis of photographic documents taken in 1849-1850 showed that the height of peak number XV, located on the Tibetan-Nepalese border, was 8840 m above sea level. Then the peak with number XV was recognized as the highest and named after the chief topographer of India, George Everest. Now there are very few people who have never heard of the highest peak of our planet and do not know the name Everest.

general information

The mountain system of the Himalayas at the junction of Central and South Asia is over 2900 km long and about 350 km wide. The area is about 650 thousand km². The average height of the ridges is about 6 km, the maximum height is 8848 m - Mount Chomolungma (Everest). There are 10 eight-thousanders here - peaks with a height of more than 8000 m above sea level. In the northwest of the western chain of the Himalayas is another highest mountain system - the Karakorum.

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture, although the climate allows the cultivation of only a few types of cereals, potatoes and some other vegetables. The fields are located on sloping terraces.

Name

The name of the mountains comes from ancient Indian Sanskrit. "Himalaya" means "Snow Abode" or "Kingdom of Snows".

Geography

The entire mountain range of the Himalayas consists of three peculiar steps:

• The first is the Pre-Himalayas (locally called the Shivalik Range) - the lowest of all, the mountain peaks of which do not rise more than 2000 meters.
• The second step - the Dhaoladhar, Pir-Panjal and several other, smaller ridges, is called the Small Himalayas. The name is rather conditional, since the peaks are already rising to solid heights - up to 4 kilometers.
• Behind them are several fertile valleys (Kashmir, Kathmandu and others), serving as a transition to the highest points on the planet - the Great Himalayas. Two great South Asian rivers - the Brahmaputra from the east and the Indus from the west, seem to cover this majestic mountain range, originating on its slopes. In addition, the Himalayas give life to the sacred Indian river - the Ganges.

Himalaya records

The Himalayas are a place of pilgrimage for the strongest climbers in the world, for whom conquering their peaks is a cherished life goal. Chomolungma did not submit immediately - since the beginning of the last century, many attempts have been made to climb the "roof of the world". The first to achieve this goal was in 1953 the New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary, accompanied by a local guide, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing. The first successful Soviet expedition took place in 1982. In total, Everest has already conquered about 3,700 times.

Unfortunately, the Himalayas also set sad records - 572 climbers died while trying to conquer their eight-kilometer heights. But the number of brave athletes does not decrease, because "taking" all 14 "eight-thousanders" and getting the "Crown of the Earth" is the cherished dream of each of them. The total number of "crowned" winners to date is 30 people, including 3 women.

Minerals

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.

Climatic conditions

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 they make it difficult to climb the highest peaks, so you can climb Chomolungma only in the 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, 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, the average temperature in January is 6 ... 7 ° C, in July 18 ... 19 ° C; 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.

natural waters

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 height. 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 reaches 25 km in length and ends at an altitude of about 4000 m. from it originates one of the sources of the Ganges.

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 large 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-like 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 cirque funnels or in river valleys as a result of their damming by moraine.

Vegetation

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. 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 - dense tree and shrub thickets, in places almost impassable due to vines and consisting of soapwood, mimosas, bananas, stunted palms, and bamboos. Among the Terai, there are cleared and drained areas that are used for the cultivation of various tropical crops.

Above the terai, on the damp slopes of the mountains and along the river valleys, up to a height of 1000-1200 m, evergreen tropical forests grow from tall palms, 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. At an altitude of 2000 m, subtropical forests are replaced by temperate forests of deciduous and coniferous trees, among which only occasionally representatives of the 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, 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.

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, higher there are some subtropical Mediterranean species such as evergreen holm oak and golden olive, coniferous forests of pines and magnificent Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) predominate even higher. The shrub undergrowth in these forests is poorer than in the east, but the alpine meadow vegetation is more diverse.

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.

Animal world

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 the forests of the lower parts of the 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.

Population and environmental issues

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.

Due to the high height of the passes in the Himalayas, communication between the countries of the northern and southern slopes is significantly complicated. 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.

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 the national parks of India and Nepal - Nan-dadevi, Sagarmatha and Chitwan, included in the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Attractions

• Kathmandu: temple complexes of Budanilkanth, Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, National Museum of Nepal;
• Lhasa: Potala Palace, Barkor Square, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery;
• Thimphu: Bhutan Textile Museum, Thimphu Chorten, Tashicho Dzong;
• Temple complexes of the Himalayas (including Sri Kedarnath Mandir, Yamunotri);
• Buddhist stupas (memorial or reliquary structures);
• Sagarmatha National Park (Everest);
• National parks Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers.

Spiritual and health tourism

The spiritual principles and the cult of a healthy body are so closely intertwined in various directions of Indian philosophical schools that it is impossible to draw any visible division between them. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the Indian Himalayas precisely to get acquainted with the Vedic sciences, the ancient postulates of the teachings of Yoga, and improve their body according to the Ayurvedic canons of Panchakarma.

The program of pilgrims necessarily includes visiting caves for deep meditation, waterfalls, ancient temples, bathing in the Ganges - a sacred river for Hindus. Those who suffer can have conversations with spiritual mentors, get parting words and recommendations from them on spiritual and bodily cleansing. However, this topic is so extensive and versatile that it requires a separate detailed presentation.

The natural grandiosity and highly spiritual atmosphere of the Himalayas fascinates the human imagination. Anyone who has ever come into contact with the splendor of these places will always be obsessed with the dream of returning here at least once.

• About five or six centuries ago, a people called Sherpas moved to the Himalayas. They know how to provide themselves with everything necessary for life in the highlands, but, in addition, they are practically monopolists in the profession of guides. Because they are really the best; the most knowledgeable and the most enduring.
• Among the conquerors of Everest there are also "originals". On May 25, 2008, the oldest climber in the history of ascents, a native of Nepal, Min Bahadur Shirchan, who at that time was 76 years old, overcame the path to the top. There were times when very young travelers took part in the expeditions. The last record was broken by Jordan Romero from California, who climbed in May 2010 at the age of thirteen (before him, the fifteen-year-old Sherpa Tembu Tsheri was considered the youngest guest of Chomolungma).
• The development of tourism does not benefit the nature of the Himalayas: even here there is no escape from the garbage left by people. Moreover, in the future, severe pollution of the rivers that originate here is possible. The main trouble is that it is these rivers that provide millions of people with drinking water.
• Shambhala is a mythical country in Tibet, which is described in many ancient texts. The followers of the Buddha believe in its existence unconditionally. It fascinates the minds of not only lovers of all kinds of secret knowledge, but also serious scientists and philosophers. The most prominent Russian ethnologist L.N. Gumilev. However, there is still no irrefutable evidence of its existence. Or they are irretrievably lost. For the sake of objectivity, it should be said: many believe that Shambhala is not located in the Himalayas at all. But in the very interest of people in the legends about it lies the proof that we all really need faith that somewhere there is a key to the evolution of mankind, which is owned by the forces of light and wise. Even if this key is not a guide on how to become happy, but just an idea. Not yet open...

Himalayas in art, literature and cinema

• Kim is a novel written by Joseph Kipling. It tells the story of a boy who looks on with delight at British imperialism while surviving the Great Game.
• Shangri-La is a fictional country located in the Himalayas, described in the novel "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton.
• Tintin in Tibet is one of the albums by the Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé. Journalist Tintin investigates a plane crash in the Himalayas.
• The film "Vertical Limit" describes the events taking place on Mount Chogori.
• Several levels in Tomb Raider II and one level in Tomb Raider: Legend are located in the Himalayas.
• The film "Black Narcissus" tells the story of an order of nuns who founded a monastery in the Himalayas.
• The Realm of the Golden Dragons is a novel by Isabel Allenda. Most of the events take place in the Forbidden Kingdom - a fictional state in the Himalayas.
• Drachenreiter is a book by German writer Cornelia Funke about a brownie and a dragon traveling to "Edge's Edge" - a place in the Himalayas where dragons live.
• Expedition Everest is a themed roller coaster at Walt Disney World.
• Seven Years in Tibet is a film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Heinrich Harrer, describing the adventures of an Austrian mountaineer in Tibet during World War II.
• G.I. Joe: The Movie is an animated film that tells the story of the Cobra-La civilization that escaped the Himalayas after the Ice Age.
• Far Cry 4 - A first-person shooter that tells the story of a fictional region of the Himalayas, dominated by a self-proclaimed king.

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 are far from the 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.

In this article I will tell you about the most beautiful, most bewitching and most stunning

mountains of our vast planet. This - Majestic Himalayas .

There are no such mountains anywhere else in the world.

Himalayas - this is a harsh edge of snowy peaks towering above the ground. The mighty peaks of the Himalayas are in the zone of eternal snows. During the day, in the rays of the bright sun, their snow-white hats sparkle, at sunset their peaks are painted with a soft red color, where on the pink crests of the mountains you can observe a bizarre play of light and shadow. With the advent of night, peaked peaks are drawn against the background of a blue-black starry sky.

Himalayasis not only one of the most beautiful places, created by nature itself, this is a sacred land, on inhabited by Buddhist and Hindu deities. Himalayan mountains – it is the largest mountain system, with a length of 2400 kilometers. From cold white pyramid of Namcha Barwa in the forests of northern Assam in the east, this "abode of snow" stretches west along the border of the Tibetan Plateau through Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Ladakh.

They end in Pakistan with the powerful western bastion of Nanga Parbat. The peaks of the southern Sivalik Mountains rise a maximum of 1520 meters above sea level. On to the north they border small Himalayas, their average height is 4,570 meters.

The basis of the whole system is Great Himalayas, reaching their highest height in Nepal. There, in a small space, there are 9 of the 14 highest faiths. tires, including Everest (8846 m), Kangchen Junga with a height of 8598 m, and Annapurna (8078 m). North of the Greater Himalayas, lies a mountain range called the Tibetan Himalayas (called Tethys), with the vast Tibetan Plateau. Geologists have established that the emergence of the Himalayan mountains occurred in at least three stages. The Great Himalayas were the first to form (about 38 million years ago); followed by the Lesser Himalayas (about 26 and 27 million years ago); and finally, in the third stage, the Sivalik Mountains appeared (approximately 7 million years ago). Over the past 1,500 million years, mountains have grown by 1,370 meters. In Hindu mythology, this region is called Deviabhuni - the land of the gods. According to legend, the great god Shiva and his wife De lived on the top of Gaurishankar. vi and Himawat's daughter. Shiva - one of the supreme gods included in the divine trinity, "master of animals." Therefore, his dwelling is located among the eternal snows of the Himalayas and three great rivers of Asia flow from it - Indus, Brahmaputra and ganges. However, judging by the ancient Hindu and Buddhist legends, the god Shiva and his wife are not the only deities inhabiting the Himalayan mountains.

The legends say that here, in the center of the Earth, stands Mount Meru, around which the Sun, Moon and stars revolve. And it is here that Kubera lives - the god of wealth, the owner of earthly treasures and the lord of supernatural beings called yakshas. Also (according to legend) on Mount Meru lives the most important of the early Hindu gods, the Thunderer. The god Indra who gives rain and fructifies the earth. In 400 B.C. In search of religious truth, the Chinese monk Fa Xian came to the Himalayas. And the French geographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Harville compiled the oldest accurate map in the 30s of the 18th century. However, at that time, Baptiste was not able to correctly determine the height of many mountain peaks.

Early X
In the 9th century, the British, hunters of large animals (tigers and bears), returning from the Himalayas, retold local legends about strange footprints in the snow. This was the first mention of the existence of Bigfoot. In the 50s of the 19th century, the highest top of the world was known to the West simply as Peak XV. The Indians called it Sagarmatha - "heavenly peak"; for the Tibetans it was Chomolungma - i.e. "Mother Goddess of the Earth". In 1862, the peak was named Everest by the British, in honor of Sir John Everest, Governor General of India. Six years earlier, Sir J. Everest had led an expedition to map Himalayan mountains.

By the end of the 19th century Tibet and Nepalclosed their borders to Europeans. And in 1921, with the permission of the Dalai Lama, one expedition did visit the country. But, they could only get to the foot of Everest and mapped only its lower slopes. Three years later, in 1924, George Mallory (participant in the last expeditions) undertook

desperate attempt to climb the highest peak in the world. Mallory and his friend Andrew Irwin were perhaps the first people to stand on the summit of Everest. They were almost at their peak when the cloud covered them. After that, they were never seen again.

30 years later, Everest was conquered by the British
expedition led by John Hunt. But, he did not manage to reach the top.

The last assault was made by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Norgay Tenzing. They were the first to stand where no man had stood before them.

The attractiveness of Everest for climbers is undeniable, althoughmany attempts to reach the summit ended in failure, and sometimes the death of expedition members. However, nothing stops climbers. And to this day they continue to storm the highest peak. But so far, only 400 of them have been able to reach the top and stand on the "roof of the world."

Himalayas and Everest carefully guard their secrets, and today they remain the only snow kingdom of its kind - the abode of the gods.

And man will never comprehend these mysteries.

The greatest mountains of the world will forever remain a mystery to mankind ...

However, these unique mountains are inhabited by some creatures that are not afraid to settle on the snowy peaks of the Himalayas.

Watch an amazing documentary about the inhabitants of the Himalayan peaks.