Himalayas in Nepal, Mountains, Travel Destinations
The Himalayas, which means "Abode of Snow", is the highest and most continuous mountain range in the world. This awe-inspiring range of mountains has attracted many climbers and explorers over the years and continues to mesmerize people through its immense beauty. Nepal's Himalayas also contain nine of the fourteen highest peaks in the world, which includes the highest peak ever recorded - Mount Everest.
The Himalayas can be found located in South Asia crossing over a large geography of land covering a distance of 1550 miles or 2500 kilometers in total. Parts of the Himalayas can be found situated in Afghanistan, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Pakistan, the Tibetan Plateau and covers a number of states in India. The Himalayas are broken up into three parts, the Western Himalayas, the Inner or Central Himalayas and the Eastern Himalayas. The mountains can also be classified into four mountain belts, the Outer Himalayas, Lesser Himalayas, the Greater Himalayas and the Tibetan Himalayas.
The mountains that make up the Himalayas are considered young fold mountains in comparison to other mountain ranges that are much older. Here you will find located in amongst the boulders and rocks small villages made up of groups of people who have frozen time while the rest of the world has continued to progress. Most of Nepal is made up of the harsh and remote Himalayan Mountain range. Astonishingly this all changes when you go down to 18,000 feet – instead of snow, climbers are met with thriving lush forests, icy cold water falls and rivers, which encompass an array of flora and fauna.
There are a number of lowland, monsoon forests like the Northwestern thorn scrub forests found in Pakistan that can be found at the base of most parts of the mountain range. Then there is the Terai strip, which is made up of sand and clay and in some parts grassland where you will find the Indian Rhinoceros. Above this is land that is called the Bhabhar zone where subtropical pine forests can be found growing in the subtropical climate experienced here. Further up you get broad leaf forests and Alpine shrub and grasslands, which is inhabited by the rare Snow Leopard.