The Himalayas

The Himalayas are like a huge wall about 2500 km long. Many peaks are over 8000 m high; together they are called the Eight Thousanders.

They stretch across six countries. Remember A B C P I N: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Pakistan, India, Nepal.

Himalaya joins two Sanskrit words: *hima (snow) and ālaya* (home): the abode of snow.

How did they form? Long ago India was part of a giant landmass, Gondwana, next to Africa. It broke away and slowly moved north. About 50 million years ago it crashed into Eurasia. The land between them crumpled and rose up, like a carpet wrinkling when you push it. That made the Himalayas.

India is still pushing into Asia, about 5 cm a year (slower than your hair grows). So the Himalayas are still rising, about 5 mm a year: 5 metres every thousand years!

Why they matter:

• In summer their snow melts and feeds the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, giving water to hundreds of millions of people. So they are called the Water Tower of Asia.
• They block the icy winds from the north.
• They are sacred: temples and monasteries draw pilgrims and monks. The Bhagirathi, a main stream of the Ganga, starts at Gaumukh (cow's mouth) at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand.