Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Himalayas
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Physical map of the Himalayan mountain ranges and surrounding regions, showing elevation with color gradients from green lowlands to brown and white high peaks. Major ranges, peaks, rivers, glaciers, and the Plateau of Tibet are labeled, along with international and disputed boundaries. An inset locator map highlights the region's position in Asia. Snow-covered Mount Everest rises above surrounding peaks, viewed from Tibet, with a few wisps of cloud near the summit against a clear blue sky. Nanga Parbat Himalayas Machapuchare Peak in the Himalayas, Nepal, rises sharply with snow-covered slopes and a distinctive pointed summit, seen above dark, forested foothills. A simplified geological cross section of the Himalayas running north to south, showing the Ganga Basin as a foreland basin, crystalline rock overthrusting the Indian Plate, and a steep thrust fault ramp beneath the Great Himalayas, with labeled features including the Main Boundary Thrust, Main Central Thrust, ophiolites, and Kangdese granites. Kailas Range
The video thumbnail image shows a snowcapped mountain against a blue sky.
Snow-covered peaks of Kangchenjunga rise sharply above forested lower slopes, with dramatic ridges and clouds partially obscuring the Himalayan mountain range. Himalayas
At a Glance
default image
Himalayas summary
Quizzes
Taj Mahal, Agra, India. UNESCO World Heritage Site (minarets; Muslim, architecture; Islamic architecture; marble; mausoleum)
Wonders of the World Quiz
Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge Parkway. Autumn in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, United States. Appalachian Highlands, Ridge and Valley, The Appalachian Mountain system
All About Mountains Quiz
Rice terraces in Vietnam. (food; farm; farming; agriculture; rice terrace; crop; grain; paddy; paddies;garden)
Know Your Asian Geography Quiz
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Physical map of the Himalayan mountain ranges and surrounding regions, showing elevation with color gradients from green lowlands to brown and white high peaks. Major ranges, peaks, rivers, glaciers, and the Plateau of Tibet are labeled, along with international and disputed boundaries. An inset locator map highlights the region's position in Asia.
Himalayan mountain ranges Map showing the Himalayan mountain system.

Himalayas

mountains, Asia
Also known as: Himalaya
Written by
Shiba P. Chatterjee
Professor of Geography, University of Calcutta. Author of Physiography of India and others; editor of Selected Papers of the 21st International Geographical Congress (vol. 1–4).
Shiba P. ChatterjeeAll
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Himalayas, great mountain system of Asia forming a barrier between the Plateau of Tibet to the north and the alluvial plains of the Indian subcontinent to the south. The Himalayas include the highest mountains in the world, with more than 110 peaks rising to elevations of 24,000 feet (7,300 meters) or more above sea level. One of those peaks is Mount Everest (Tibetan: Chomolungma; Chinese: Qomolangma Feng; Nepali: Sagarmatha), the world’s highest, with an elevation...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile