The North And North-Eastern Mountains

The North and North-eastern Mountains consist of the Himalayas and the North-eastern hills. The Himalayas consist of a series of parallel mountain ranges. They contain the highest peaks on earth.

Some of the important ranges are the Greater Himalayan range, which includes the Great Himalayas and the Trans-Himalayan range, the Middle Himalayas and the Shiwalik. The general orientation of these ranges is from northwest to the southeast direction in the north- western part of India.

Characteristics of the North and Northeastern Mountains are:

1. These mountains run through the northeastern states of India.
2. These mountains differ in scale and relief but stem from the Himalayan orogeny.
3. They are mostly composed of sandstones.
4. These mountains are covered with dense forests.
5. Purvanchal hills are convex to the west.

Himalayas in the Darjeeling and Sikkim regions lie in an east west direction, while in Arunachal Pradesh they are from southwest to the northwest direction. In Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, they are in the north south direction.

The approximate length of the Great Himalayan range, also known as the cennal axial range, is 2,500 km from east to west, and their width varies between 160-400 km from north to south.

Himalayas can be divided into the following sub-divisions:

• Kashmir or Northwestern Himalayas
• Himachal and Uttaranchal Himalayas
• Dorling and Sikkim Himalayas
• Arunachal Himalayas
• Eastern Hills and Mountains.

Kashmir or Northwestern Himalayas

The Kashmir Himalayas, also known as the Western Himalayas, comprise a series of ranges such as the Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Pir Panjal. The mountainous region is located in the Northern part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and is sometimes also referred to as the Jammu & Kashmir Mountains.

Similar to their northern neighbours — the Greater Himalayas — Kashmir and its surrounding regions feature several high altitude mountain peaks and valleys. Furthermore, Kashmir and its surrounding mountains are susceptible to earthquakes which poses a threat to inhabitants and buildings alike.

Important glaciers of South Asia such as the Baltoro and Siachen are also found in this region. The Kashmir Himalayas are also famous for Karewa formations, which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran, a local variety of saffron.

Some of the important passes of the region are Zoji La on the Great Himalayas, Banihal on the Pir Panjal, Photu La on the Zaskar and Khardung La on the Ladakh range.

This region is drained by the river Indus, and its tributaries such as the Jhelum and theChenab. Jhelum in the valley of Kashmir is still in its youth stage and yet forms meanders — a typical feature associated with the mature stage in the evolution of fluvial land form.

The Himachal and Uttarakhand Himalayas

The Himalaya mountain range has some of the highest peaks on earth. These mountains are spread across Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan and China. Some of the best trekking sites in Himachal Pradesh are located here.

The northernmost part of the Himachal. Himalayas is an extension of the Ladakh cold desert, which lies in the Spiti subdivision of district Lahul and Spiti. All the three ranges of Himalayas are prominent in this section also.

These are the Great Himalayan range, the Lesser Himalayas (which is locally known as Dhaoladhar in Himachal Pradesh and Nagtibhain Uttarakhand) and the Shiwalik range from the North to the South.

The two distinguishing features of this region from the point of view of physiography are the Shiwalik and Dun formations. In the Great Himalayan range, the valleys are mostly inhabited by the Bhotia‘s.

The famous Valley of flowers‘is also situated in this region. The places of pilgrimage such as the Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib are also situated in this part. The region is also known to have five famous Prayags.

The Darjiline and Sikkim Himalayas

The Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas are an area of folded mountains, called the Lesser Himalayas, or Inner/Middle Himalayas, or Lesser Outlying Himalayas. The term is used to describe the part of the range between the Great Himalayan Range and the Greater Himalayas.

It is a region of high mountain peaks like Kanchenjunga (Kanchengiri), and deep valleys. The higher reaches of this region are inhabited by Lepcha tribes while the southern part, particularly the Darjiling

The Arunachal Himalayas

The Arunachal Himalayas extend from the east of the Bhutan Himalayas up to the Diphu pass in the east. The general direction of the mountain range is from southwest to northeast. Some of the important mountain peaks of the region are Kangtu and Namcha Barwa.

These ranges are dissected by fast-flowing rivers from the north to the south, forming deep gorges. The Bhramaputa flows through a deep gorge after crossing Namcha Barwa.

Some of the important rivers are the Kameng the Subansiri, the Dihang, the Dibang and the Lohit. These are perennial with the high rate of fall, thus, having the highest hydro-electric power potential in the country.

The Eastern Hills and Mountains

The Eastern Hills and Mountains are part of the Himalayan mountain system having their general alignment from the north to the south direction. They are known by different local names. In the north, they are known as Patkai Bum, Naga hills, the Manipur hills and in the south as Mizo or Lushai hills.

The Barak is an important river in Manipur and Mizoram. The physiography of Manipur is unique by the presence of a large lake known as Loktak lake at the centre, surrounded by mountains from all sides.

Mizoram which is also known as the Molassis basin which is made up of soft unconsolidated deposits. Most of the rivers in Nagaland form the tributary of the Brahmaputra.

While two rivers of Mizoram and Manipur are the tributaries of the Barak river, which in turn is the tributary of Meghna.