The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region - Geography (1/2)
The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is the home of a series of the highest mountains on earth, including the world's highest and prominent peaks, Mt. Everest (8,850 m, Nepal) and K2 (8,611 m, Pakistan). At least more than 30 peaks in the Himalayas exceed 7,620 m. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is separated for most of its length into two parallel and longitudinal mountain ranges due to the erosive power of the rivers Indus and Brahmaputra, each of which is characterized by mountain catchments of about 160,000 kmē. The range north of the Indus and Brahmaputra is called the High Himalayas. The southern range is subdivided into three parallel zones: the High Mountains, the Middle Mountains, and the Siwaliks. Finally, the HKH region borders on lowlands in the south.
Forest or vegetation cover are important physiographic characteristics of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. From north to south the following ecoregions occur with an emphasis on wooded vegetation: Temperate mountain, Subtropical mountain, Tropical mountain, Tropical rainforest, and Tropical moist deciduous forest.
