23 Interesting Facts About Himalayas: The King of Mountains

Every year, the Himalayas attract visitors from all around the world. People from numerous countries love to experience the majestic beauty, landscapes, and incredible biodiversity of endemic species and birds. Moreover, the Himalayan range holds great significance for people due to its mythologies, folklore, and religious beliefs. While Hindus believe it is Lord Shiva‘s home, Tibetans regard Mount Kailash as the home of Demchog, the tantric meditation deity. Here are other interesting facts Himalayas

Mysterious Facts About Himalayas 

1. The Himalayas cover about 2,400 kilometres and pass through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Bhutan, and Nepal. 

2. This region includes the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, the Outer Himalayas (the Siwalik Range), and the Tethys or Tibetan Himalayas. 

3. “Him” means snow and “Alay” means abode, loosely translating into the house of snow in Sanskrit.  

4. The Himalayas are the youngest fold mountain range in the world.

5. The Himalayas originated due to the collision of two tectonic plates, the Indian and the Eurasian plates. 

6. Himalayas experience frequent earthquakes and tremors due to the high amount of tectonic motions.  

7. The mountains of the Himalayas range are not static as they continue to grow and change in elevation. This happens due to the ongoing tectonic pressure.  

8. The Himalayas are characterized by rugged terrain, deep gorges, and sharp peaks. 

9. The rocks found in the Himalayas region are composed of metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. 

10. The Himalayas are home to some of the world’s tallest peaks, like Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, and Annapurna. 

11. The Himalayas are the third largest deposit of ice and snow in the world. 

12. Baltoro, Biafo, Hispur, and Nubra are some important glaciers located in the Himalayas range. 

13. Mt. Everest was named after Colonel Sir George Everest, a British surveyor, based in India. 

14. The Himalayas serve as the origin of 19 important rivers in Asia. It includes the Indus River, the Ganges River, and the Yarlung Tsanpo River. 

15. The Himalayas experience changing weather ranging from moist climates to snowy winters. 

16. Over 50 million people live in the Himalayas including Aryans, Negroids, and Mongoloids. They follow different cultures, beliefs, and faiths. 

17. The Himalayas are home to more than 300 species of animals including the rare snow leopard, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, and wild yak. 

18. Himalayan vegetation is classified into four broad categories, tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine. 

19. The primary activities of the people of the Himalayas include animal husbandry, forestry, trade, and tourism. 

20. Located in the Himalayas, Mount Kailash is a spiritual and religious destination for Hindus, Tibetans, Buddhists, and Jains. 

21. The Himalayas are home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like the Sagarmatha National Park and the Valley of Flowers National Park. 

22. The magnetic field around the Himalayas affects compasses, making it difficult to navigate direction. 

23. Edmund Hillary and Tibetan mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first people to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. 

Hope you had fun reading these interesting facts about the Himalayas. If you like reading about facts, you can visit our interesting facts page to read more such blogs.