20+ Himalaya Facts You Never Knew Existed! (Printable)

The Himalayas, known as the “Roof of the World,” are an amazing mountain range stretching across five countries. They include the tallest mountain, Mount Everest.

More than just tall mountains, the Himalayas are full of life. They have unique plants and animals that you won’t find anywhere else. These mountains affect the weather around them and provide important water sources through their glaciers and rivers.

We’ll discover all sorts of interesting things about the Himalayas. Whether you love hiking, enjoy learning about different places, or just like thinking about majestic mountains, these Himalaya Facts will grab your attention.

Facts On The Himalayas:

The Himalayas have unique geographical features

Geographical Features of the Himalayas

The Himalayas span India’s northeastern region. They go 1,500 miles (2,400 km) and cross through China, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.

The Greater, Little, and Outer Himalayas are the three parallel mountains that make up the Himalayan range.

The region’s ecology is rich and diverse

Although the scary Everest and 2K tend to dominate our image of the area, the Himalayas are home to diverse wildlife.

The climate is tropical at the foot of the mountains, but at the highest elevations, there is always snow and ice.

An ecological threat to one ultimately poses a concern to many of these complex and diverse ecoregions. 

Unique species Grow in diverse shrublands and montane grasslands

Shrublands and Montane Grasslands

Between 9,850 and 16,400 feet in elevation, you can find western alpine bushes and meadows. Winters and summers in these regions are typically chilly, which promotes plant growth.

The lower shrublands are covered in rhododendrons, while the alpine meadows just above support a variety of flora throughout the warmer months. The snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, musk deer, and pikas can all be found in this area.

The temperate coniferous forest is a biodiversity hotspot

Temperate subalpine conifer forests can be found in the northeast at elevations ranging from 8,200 to 13,800 feet.

These forests, which are found in the inner valley, are shielded from the severe monsoon weather by the neighboring mountain ranges. Pine, hemlock, spruce, and fir are the most prevalent tree species.

Red pandas, takins, and musk deer are among the creatures that can be found here.

temperate broadleaf and mixed forests are biodiversity hotspots

Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests

Broadleaf and coniferous forests can be found in the eastern region at medium elevations of 6,600 to 9,800 ft.

Over 80 inches of rainfall on these woodlands each year, primarily during the monsoon. Together with native oaks and maples, the region is also home to ferns, lichen, and orchids.

Broadleaf forests found in the tropics and subtropics

Broadleaf forests

The Himalayan subtropical broadleaf woods are found along a short stretch of the outer Himalayan range at elevations of 1,650 to 3,300 feet.

Several types of forests exist, including subtropical dry evergreen, northern dry mixed deciduous, moist mixed deciduous, northern tropical semi-evergreen, and northern tropical wet evergreen forests.

Many endangered animals, including tigers and Asian elephants, are part of the wildlife.

The Himalayas house Earth’s tallest peak

Earth's Tallest Peak

Mount Everest’s tall peak is Mount Everest, which rises to a height of 29,029 feet (8,848 meters), making it the highest mountain on Earth and the highest peak in the Himalayas.

The Karakoram (K2), Kailash, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, and Manaslu are among other well-known summits. In this area, there are more than 340 distinct bird species. For More Information, you can also read…

Mighty rivers originate from the Himalayas

Mighty Rivers Originating from the Himalayas

The Ganga-Brahmaputra, Indus, and Yangtze originate in the Himalayas. On the Asian continent, all three are significant river systems.

The Ganges, Indus, Yarlung, Yangtze, Yellow, Mekong, and Nujiang are the principal rivers originating in the Himalayas.

Vast glaciers in the Himalayas are crucial water sources

The Himalayas have the third-largest concentration of ice and snow on Earth, after Antarctica and the Arctic. Around 15,000 glaciers spread out over the range.

The Siachen glacier in the Himalayas is the longest glacier outside the poles, measuring 48 miles (72 km).

The Baltoro, Biafo, Nubra, and Hispur glaciers are just a few of the noteworthy ones that can be found in the Himalayas.

The formation of the Himalayan Mountains is fascinating

The Himalayas were formed when tectonic plate motions forced India and Tibet together. Since so much tectonic motion is still occurring there, the Himalayas experience a disproportionately high number of earthquakes and tremors.

One of the youngest mountain ranges on earth, the Himalayas alter water and air circulation networks, affecting local weather patterns. They cover around 75% of Nepal.

The range acted as a natural barrier for tens of thousands of years, preventing early contact between the inhabitants of India, China, and Mongolia.

The naming and nomenclature of the Himalayas have interesting origins

Colonel Sir George Everest, a British surveyor based in India in the early to mid-19th century, is the man who gave Mt. Everest its name.

The Nepalese refer to Mount Everest as “Samgarmatha,” which means “Goddess of the World” or “Forehead of the Heaven” in English.

Legendary climbers have storied histories in the Himalayas

The first climbers to reach the top of Everest were Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.

The Snow Leopard, a native of the Himalayas, is actually most closely related to the Tiger.

The Himalayas contain one-third of the Earth’s polar ice

Did you know there was a third pole on Earth? Well, not literally.

The Himalayas, which cover an area of over 4.2 million square kilometers and hold the most snow and ice on Earth after the North and South poles, are sometimes referred to as the third pole.

The Himalayas are the youngest mountain range

The Himalayas are the world’s youngest mountain ranges, having only existed for roughly 70 million years. Does the history of Earth make your existence seem insignificant?

Most scientists believe the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa, which is believed to be between 3.2 and 3.6 billion years old, is the oldest mountain range.

There are places in the Himalayas where the snow never melts

The upper part of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the Himalayas and the entire planet, is covered with snow that never melts. In fact, freshwater is stored in the glaciers surrounding Mount Everest.

The Himalayas are still expanding

True, as continents continue to move and push India further north, the youngest mountain range in the world is still expanding at a rate of approximately an inch a year.

The Himalayas provide 20% of the world’s food

The Himalayas, which hold 15,000 glaciers and 600 billion tonnes of ice, support 1.65 billion people, or 20% of the world’s population, by providing water for important perennial river systems like the Indus and Mekong.

Mount Kailash is a pilgrimage destination for four religions

Mount Kailash, located in the Himalayas, is a sacred site for four different religions: Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Christianity.

While Hindus consider Mount Kailash to be the residence of Lord Shiva, Tibetan Buddhists view it as the residence of the tantric meditation deity Demchog. a

The mountain is a source of spiritual energy and power for Bn practitioners, and it is also thought to be where the Jain prophet received his claim.

The Himalayas are home to 59 of the world’s highest peaks

Pretty incredible, huh? You may find a list of the top 108 mountains in the globe while looking for the highest mountain peaks on the planet.

All but the 60th mountain on the list, Jengish Chokusu, are found in the Himalayas. 

In this article, we have learned about the 20 most interesting facts about the Himalayas. To know more about such facts, follow this website.

Himalaya Facts
Free Himalaya Facts Printables

Are you excited to learn all about the amazing Himalayas with your kids? Check out our Free Himalaya Facts Printables! They’re a fun way for kids to learn about these incredible mountains. Just one simple click, and you can download and print these free resources.

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Free Himalaya Facts Printables
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