The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region - Geography (2/2)
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Mountain formation of the Himalayas lead to four mountain ranges. The High Himalayas and the High Mountains exhibit elevation of more than 6000 m and contains a large number of the world's highest peaks. The northernmost range is called the High Himalayas and is also the oldest of the four mountain ranges. The Middle Mountains have elevation between 2000 and 5000 m. The Siwalik range, which is made up of erosion material from the rising Himalaya have elevation of about 1200 m. |
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The figure shows ecoregions of the HKH region with an emphasis on forest types. The ecoregion approach comprises abiotic and biotic components. Macroclimate data, i.e. temperature and precipitation, were used as the abiotic components. These components correlate well with the potential vegetation (biotic component). Hence, based on the climate and forest vegetation a division of relatively homogenous regions is possible , i.e. ecoregions. Ecoregion is an important descriptor for the definition and delineation of stream types. |