Portal:Himalaya region

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Himalaya region

Shortcut: WP:HIM

The Himalayan region is characterized by the massive mountain ranges of the Himalaya, the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush and a host of minor ranges extending from the Pamir Knot. The region is home to the nations of Nepal, Bhutan, the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and the regions of Tibet and Kashmir. The name is from Sanskrit himālaya, a tatpurusa compound meaning "the abode of snow" (from hima "snow", and ālaya "abode"; see also Himavat). Together, the Himalaya mountain system is the planet's highest and home to all fourteen of the world's highest peaks: the Eight-thousanders, including Mount Everest. The mountain ranges are the source of three of the world's major river systems, the Indus Basin, the Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin and the Yangtze Basin. The people of the Himalayan region are largely of Indo-Tibetan descent and distinctive religions include Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.

Arunachal Pradesh • Bhutan • Buddhism • Himachal Pradesh • Himalaya • Hindu Kush • Hinduism • Karakoram • Kashmir • Nepal • Sikkim • Tibet • Uttaranchal

News

edit

July 22, 2006: The U.N. sends a high-level team to assist in forging a peace agreement between the government and the Maoists.[1]
June 11, 2006: The Parliament of Nepal declares Nepal a secular state.[2] and approves stripping the King's powers.[3] Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala enlarges coalition government and begins talks with rebel leader Prachanda.[4]

Selected article

edit

Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, in the Shiwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of 2,134 m (6,982 ft). The name "Darjeeling" is a combination of the Tibetan words Dorje ("thunderbolt") and ling ("place"), translating to "The land of the thunderbolt." During the British Raj in India, Darjeeling's temperate climate led to its development as a hill station (hill town) for British residents to escape the heat of the plains during the summers. Darjeeling is internationally famous for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tea plantations date back to the mid 1800s as part of a British development of the area. The tea growers of the area developed distinctive hybrids of black tea and fermenting techniques, with many blends considered among the world's finest. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 and is one of the few steam engines still in service in India. Darjeeling has several British-style public schools, which attract students from many parts of India and neighbouring countries. The town, along with neighbouring Kalimpong was a major centre for the demand of a separate Gorkhaland state in the 1980s, though the separatist movement has gradually decreased over the past decade due to the setting up of an autonomous hill council. In the recent years the town's fragile ecology is threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources, stemming from growing tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation. (more...)

Selected picture of the week

edit


Pangong Tso the largest Himalayan lake located at an altitude of 4,600 m.
Photo credit: Abhi182

Did you know?

edit

...that the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage Railway?
...that the fort at Arki, India was captured by Gurkhas in 1806 and used as their stronghold till 1815, when they ceded it during the Gurkha War?

...that the original tunnel built to connect the Kalka-Shimla Railway at Barog (pictured), Himachal Pradesh was abandoned as the two constructed ends did not meet?
...that Baba Kanshi Ram swore in 1931 to wear black clothes till India achieved independence and wore them without exception for twelve years till his death in 1943 ?
...that Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini in Nepal?
...that King Birendra was considered an avatara of Vishnu?

Highest peaks of the Himalayas

edit

Peak Name	Other names and meaning	Elevation (m)	Elevation (ft)	First ascent	Notes
Everest	Sagarmatha -"Forehead of the Sky", Chomolangma or Qomolangma -"Mother of the Universe"	8,848	29,028	1953	World's highest mountain.
K2	Chogo Gangri	8,611	28,251	1954	World's 2nd highest. Located on border between Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. World's toughest mountain to climb.
Kanchenjunga	Kangchen Dzö-nga	8,586	28,169	1955	World's 3rd highest, highest in India and second highest in Nepal.
Lhotse	-	8,501	27,939	1956	World's 4th highest and close to Mt Everest situated in Nepal.
Makalu	-	8,462	27,765	1955	World's 5th highest situated in Nepal.
Cho Oyu	Mt. Zhuoaoyou	8,201	26,906	1954	World's 6th highest situated in Nepal.
Dhaulagiri	White Mountain	8,167	26,764	1960	World's 7th highest situated in Nepal.
Manaslu	Kutang - "Mountain of the Spirit"	8,163	26,758	1956	World's 8th highest.
Nanga Parbat	Nangaparbat Peak or Diamir, "Naked Mountain"	8,125	26,658	1953	World's 9th highest. Located in Pakistan. Considered one of the world's most dangerous mountains to climb.
Annapurna	"Goddess of the Harvests"	8,091	26,545	1950	World's 10th highest situated in Nepal.
Gasherbrum I	Hidden Peak (Khumbu Gangri) or K5	8,068	26,470	1958	World's 11th highest. Located on border between Pakistan and Xinjiang, China.
Broad Peak	K3 (Phalchen Gangri)	8,047	26,400	1957	World's 12th highest. Located on border between Pakistan and Xinjiang, China.
Gasherbrum II	K4	8,035	26,360	1956	World's 13th highest. Located on border between Pakistan and Xinjiang, China.
Shishapangma	"Crest above the grassy plains" Gosainthan -Sanskrit for "place of the saint",	8,027	26,289	1964
Gyachung Gangri	-	7,922	26,089	1964
Nanda Devi	"Bliss-Giving Goddess"	7,817	25,645	1936
Kamet	-	7,756	25,447	1931
Kabru	-	7,338	24,258	1935
Bumo Gangri	"Unmarried Daughter"	7,161	23,494	1962	Popular climbing peak.

Note: the peaks in Pakistan are on the Pakistani side of the line of control, but are claimed by India.

Topics

edit

Geography of South Asia
	Himalaya \| Western Ghats \| Eastern Ghats \| Aravalli Range \| The Nilgiris \| Vindhya Range \| Satpura Range \| Garo Hills \| Shivalik Hills \| Khasi Hills \| Annamalai Hills \| Cardamom Hills \| Sulaiman Mountains \| Karakoram \| Hindu Kush \| Chittagong Hill Tracts \| Deccan Plateau \| Thar Desert \| Makran \| Chota Nagpur \| Naga Hills \| Mysore Plateau \| Ladakh Plateau
	Indo-Gangetic plain \| Indus River Delta \| Ganga basin \| Ganges Delta \| Atolls of Maldives \| Coromandel Coast \| Konkan \| Lakshadweep \| Andaman and Nicobar Islands \| Sundarbans \| Rann of Kutch
Main	India \| Pakistan \| Nepal \| Bhutan \| Sri Lanka \| Bangladesh \| The Maldives \| Portal:Himalaya region

	State of Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Topics \| History \| Politics
Capital	Itanagar
Districts	Changlang • East Kameng • East Siang • Kurung Kumey • Lohit • Lower Dibang Valley • Lower Subansiri • Papumpare • Tawang • Tirap • Upper Dibang Valley • Upper Subansiri • Upper Siang • West Kameng • West Siang
Major cities	Along • Daporijo • Naharlagun • Pasighat • Seppa • Tezu

	State of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Topics \| History \| Culture
Capital	Shimla
Districts	Kangra • Hamirpur • Mandi • Bilaspur • Una • Chamba • Lahul and Spiti • Sirmaur • Kinnaur • Kullu • Solan • Shimla
Major cities	Shimla • Solan • Mandi • Manali

	v • d • e Topics related to Nepal
Cities	Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur, Hetauda, Janakpur, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Mahendranagar.
History	Kiratas, Shakya, Siddhartha Gautama, Licchavi, Chalukaya Empire, Arimalla, Gorkha Kingdom, Prithvi Narayan Shah, Anglo-Nepalese War, Treaty of Sugauli, Jang Bahadur, Kot Massacre, Tribhuvan, Nepali Congress, Democracy movement in Nepal Birendra, Jana Andolan, Baburam Bhattarai, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepal Civil War, 2006 democracy movement in Nepal.
Politics	King of Nepal, Parliament, National Assembly, House of Representatives, Prime Minister, Political parties, Elections, Zones, Foreign relations, Supreme Court, Military.
Geography	Himalaya, Mount Everest, Chicken's Neck, Kathmandu Valley, Kosi River, Narayani, Arun River, Tibetan Plateau, Karnali River, Nagbahal, Golden Temple.
Economy and Culture	South Asia Free Trade Agreement, Tourism, Nepalese Rupee, Transport, Communications, Religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Demographics, Nepali cricket team, Pashupatinath, Gorkha, Sherpa, Dashai, Tihar, Nwaran, Pasni, Bratabandha, Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya.
Education	Budhanilkantha School Tribhuvan University

	International ties of Bhutan
Geographical and geopolitical: Asia \| South Asia
International organisations: United Nations \| SAARC \| Non-Aligned Movement \| Group of 77
International problems created by Bhutan: Bhutanese refugee