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About Himalayas

Climate of Himalayas

Himalayan Coverage Area: 2,250-km

Average Width: 200-km

Himalayan Forests: Pine, Deodar, Fir, Oak, Rhododendron, Birch

Monsoon Season: Mid-June Till The End Of September


Climate of Himalayas :- The Himalayas influences the climate of the Indian subcontinent by sheltering it from the cold air mass of Central Asia. The range also exerts a major influence on monsoon and rainfall patterns. Within the Himalayas climate varies depending on elevation and location.

Climate ranges from subtropical in the southern foothills, with average summer temperatures of about 30° C (about 86° F) and average winter temperatures of about 18° C (about 64° F); warm temperate conditions in the Middle Himalayan valleys, with average summer temperatures of about 25° C (about 77° F) and cooler winters; cool temperate conditions in the higher parts of the Middle Himalayas, where average summer temperatures are 15 to 18° C (59 to 64° F) and winters are below freezing; to a cold alpine climate at higher elevations, where summers are cool and winters are severe.

At elevations above 4880 m (16,000 ft) the climate is very cold with below freezing temperatures and the area is permanently covered with snow and ice. The eastern part of the Himalayas receives heavy rainfall; the western part is drier.

It varies from The Tropical monsoon in south India to temperate in north India. India is such a vast country that the climate varies considerably. While the heat is unbearable in the Gangetic plain, the people of Ladakh shiver in the snowy cold.The Indian year passes through four seasons. Winter lasts from December to February, and summer from March to May.

The rainy season of Southwest monsoon is from June to September. The post monsoon season, which is North East monsoon in South India, is in October and November. The most pleasant weather in India lasts from June to November.There is a heavy rainfall in Northeastern region, the western slopes of the Western Ghats and parts of the Himalayas during the year. On the other hands, there is hardly any rainfall in Rajasthan, Kutch, and Laddakh. There is medium or average rainfall in other parts of the country.

Upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south India, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in western region of India, Himalayas in northern region. India is a vast country covering an area of 32,87,782 sq. km. The Himalayas, stretching from east to west in the north, form the northern boundary.The mighty mountain ranges separate India from China and Nepal. Where the Himalayan ranges end, there begin the great northern plains, are flat.

They are drained by a number of rivers, the Ganga being the most important of them all. The Brahmaputra is another major north Indian river. The Indus (Sindh) flows in the north-west direction.The Deccan plateaus, south of the plains, have ranges of hills along the eastern and western coasts of the peninsula. The Krishna and the Godavari are the major rivers of the south. There are ranges of hills even in the north-east. In the west the plains of the Punjab merge into the Thar Desert. That is why India has rich variety of landscapes and climates.

About Himalayas

Access to Adventure - - -› About Himalayas - - -› People & Tribes of Himalayas

About Himalayas

People & Tribes of Himalayas

The population, settlement, and economic patterns within the Himalayas have been greatly influenced by the variations in topography and climate, which impose harsh living conditions and tend to restrict movement and communication. People living in remote, isolated valleys have generally preserved their cultural identities.

However, improvements in transportation and communication, particularly satellite television programs from Europe and the United States, are bringing access from the outside world to remote valleys. These outside influences are affecting traditional social and cultural structure.

Nearly 40 million people inhabit the Himalayas. Generally, Hindus of Indian heritage are dominant in the Sub-Himalayas and the Middle Himalayan valleys from eastern Kashmir to Nepal. To the north Tibetan Buddhists inhabit the Great Himalayas from Ladakh to northeast India.

In central Nepal, in an area between about 1830 and 2440 m (between about 6000 and 8000 ft), the Indian and Tibetan cultures have intermingled, producing a combination of Indian and Tibetan traits. The eastern Himalayas in India and nearby areas of eastern Bhutan are inhabited by animistic people whose culture is similar to those living in northern Myanmar and Yunnan province in China. People of western Kashmir are Muslims and have a culture similar to the inhabitants of Afghanistan and Iran.

The economy of the Himalayas as a whole is poor with low per capita income. Much of the Himalayas area is characterized by a very low economic growth rate combined with a high rate of population growth, which contributes to stagnation in the already low level of per capita gross national product. Most of the population is dependent on agriculture, primarily subsistence agriculture; modern industries are lacking.

Mineral resources are limited. The Himalayas has major hydroelectric potential, but the development of hydroelectric resources requires outside capital investment. The skilled labor needed to organize and manage development of natural resources is also limited due to low literacy rates. Most of the Himalayan communities face malnutrition, a shortage of safe drinking water, and poor health services and education systems.

Agricultural land is concentrated in the Tarai plain and in the valleys of the Middle Himalayas. Patches of agricultural land have also been carved out in the mountainous forested areas. Rice is the principal crop in eastern Tarai and the well-watered valleys. Corn is also an important rain-fed crop on the hillsides.

Other cereal crops are wheat, millet, barley, and buckwheat. Sugarcane, tea, oilseeds, and potatoes are other major crops. Food production in the Himalayas has not kept up with the population growth.

The major industries include processing food grains, making vegetable oil, refining sugar, and brewing beer. Fruit processing is also important. A wide variety of fruits are grown in each of the major zones of the Himalayas, and making fruit juices is a major industry in Nepal, Bhutan, and in the Indian Himalayas.

Since 1950 tourism has emerged as a major growth industry in the Himalayas. Nearly 1 million visitors come to the Himalayas each year for mountain trekking, wildlife viewing, and pilgrimages to major Hindu and Buddhist sacred places. The number of foreign visitors has increased in recent years, as organized treks to the icy summits of the Great Himalayas have become popular. While tourism is important to the local economy, it has had an adverse impact on regions where tourist numbers exceed the capacity of recreational areas.

Historically, all transport in the Himalayas has been by porters and pack animals. Porters and pack animals are still important, but the construction of major roads and the development of air routes have changed the traditional transportation pattern.

Major urban centers such as Kathmandu, Simla, and Srinagar, as well as important tourist destinations, are served by airlines. Railways link Simla and Darjiling, but in most of the Himalayas there are no railroads. The bulk of goods from the Himalayas, as well as goods destined for places within the Himalayas, generally come to Indian railheads, located in the Tarai, by road. The pack animals and porters transport goods from road heads to the interior and back.

About Himalayas