India Physiography – The Northern Himalayan Mountains

India can be divided into following physical divisions viz.

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• The Northern Mountains
• The North Indian Plain
• The Peninsular Plateau
• Great Indian Desert
• The coastal Regions
• Islands

The Northern Mountains (Himalayas)

• The Himalayan Mountains form the northern mountain region of India.
• They are the highest mountain ranges in the world.
• These mountain ranges start from Pamir Knot in the west and extend up to Purvanchal in the east.
• Youngest & Loftiest mountain range of the world
• Formed by Tectonic Forces & are 2400 Km in Length
• Are of varying width → from 400 Km in Kashmir to 160 Km Arunachal Pradesh
• Altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern part than in the western part
• Prominent Features → Highest peaks, Deep valleys & Gorges, Glaciers etc.

The Himalayan Mountains can be further divided into following major ranges -

Trans Himalayas  Immediate to the north of the Great Himalayan Range Most of the part of this Himalayan range lies in the Tibet and hence also called Tibetan Himalaya Ranges → Zaskar, K2 (Godwin Austin), Ladakh,  Kailash and  Karakoram Range	Greater Himalaya (Inner Himalaya)  Always covered with snow → Known as Himadri Average height → 6000 mts Most continuous range Core composed of granite Ranges → Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga Forests type → Needle leaved coniferous
Middle Himalaya  Average height → 3500 – 4500 mts Most of the valleys & hill stations are located in this range e.g. Kashmir, Kathmandu , Nainital Ranges → Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat Forests type → Broad leaved evergreen	Outer Himalaya (Shivalik Range/ Himachals)  Average height → 600 – 1200 mts Most of the Dun & Duars are located in this range Ex. Dehradun, Patlidun (longitudinal valleys) Deciduous type forests

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Eastern hills / Purvanchal

• Brahmaputra marks the eastern border of the Himalayas.
• Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply towards south and form the Eastern hills or Purvanchal which run through the NE India & are mostly composed of sandstones
• Mishmi hills, Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Manipuri Hills and Mizo Hills

Classification of Himalayas on the basis of Geographic Location

• Punjab Himalayas / Kashmir Himalaya / Himachal Himalaya → Between the Indus and Sutlej
• Kumaon Himalayas → Between Sutlej and Kali rivers
• Nepal Himalayas → Between Kali and Tista rivers
• Assam Himalayas → Between Tista and Dihang rivers

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Significance of Himalayas for India

Strategic significance	Acts as a natural frontier of India with other countries (China, Pakistan, Afghanistan)
Climatic significance	Prevent further northward movement of summer monsoon and also prevent cold northern winds from Siberia to enter into India
Agricultural significance	Rivers from Himalayas deposits a lot of sediment on its foothold, from which are formed India’s most fertile agricultural grounds known as Northern plains
Economic significance	Huge hydro-electric power potential of Himalayan rivers + Himalayan timber + Himalayan Herbs & Medicinal plants
Tourism Significance	Comprises of Large ecological biodiversity, natural views & hill stations