Geographical Diversity of India
Three ranges, and a cold desert
Learn about the three ranges of the Himalayas, and visit a cold desert.
The Himalayas have three ranges, one behind the other, from highest to lowest:
| Range | Also called | What it's like |
|---|---|---|
| Himadri | Greater Himalayas | highest and most rugged; Everest, Kanchenjunga; snow all year; few people |
| Himachal | Lower Himalayas | milder; many plants, animals and people; hill stations like Nainital, Darjeeling, Shimla, Mussoorie |
| Shivalik | Outer Himalayas | lowest, rolling hills, thick forests and wildlife; the step down to the plains |
People build to suit the place. In the western Himalayas, kath-kuni (or dhajji-dewari) houses mix local stone and wood. They keep the house warm and also stand up to mild earthquakes: one material, two problems solved.
Not every desert is hot. Ladakh is a cold desert: winters drop below −30°C, there is very little rain, and the land is rocky with deep valleys and lakes like Pangong Tso (tso means lake).
Its land looks like the surface of the moon, so it is called Moonland. Why? When India hit Eurasia, the land folded up, and this part had been under an ocean, so its rocks are mostly sand and clay. Wind and rain have worn them into strange shapes. Pangong Tso is salty, because water has dissolved minerals out of the mountains around it.
Life is hard, but Ladakh has snow leopards, ibex and Tibetan antelopes; yaks give milk, wool and transport; there are ancient Buddhist monasteries, and festivals like Losar and Hemis.
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