Special incidents!

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Uttarkashi Earthquake (1991)
In the early morning hours of October 14, 1991, an earthquake shook Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts of Garhwal. It caused widespread loss of life and property. This earthquake also affected other parts of Garhwal and Kinnaur. The regions remained cut off from the rest of the world for several days due to the debris. Landslides occurred at several locations, and it took a long time for people to recover from this incident.

Source : http://library.thinkquest.org/10131/problems_earthquakes.html

What is so special about himalayas?

- The Himalayan mountain system has the highest mountains in the World such as Mount Everest, which peak is up to 8,848 metres(29,029 ft) and still increasing slightly each year.

- Some of the world's major rivers rise in the Himalayas. Their combined drainage basin is home to 3 billion people, which is almost half of the Earth's population.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas

Who lives in Himalayas?

Nearly 40 million people inhabit the Himalayas. Mostly, Hindus of Indian heritage are dominant in the Sub-Himalayas and the Middle Himalayan valleys from eastern Kashmir to Nepal. Towards 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 intermixed, 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.
 
source : http://www.himalayavisit.com/himalaya/people-tribes-himalayas.html

Natural Vegetation of Himalayas

Four different types of vegetation live in the Himalayas: tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine. The foothills of Outer Himalayas are covered in dense tropical rain forests of bamboo, oak, and chestnut. Further west, as the altitude increases, the forest thins, and evergreen, cedars, pines, and firs become dominant species. In the alpine zone which begins at about 12.000 feet, grows great amounts of moist vegetation, including juniper and rhododendron. The domestic yak supplies rural nomads in Tibet with meat and hides. Its also serves as a pack animal. The male monal or Impeyon pheasant, has iridescent, multicolored plumage that he displays when courting his mate. This national bird of Nepal is widely hunted for sport.

Source : http://www.himalayavisit.com/himalaya/himalayas-wildlife-travel.html

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, and the western part is drier.

Source : http://www.himalayavisit.com/himalaya/people-tribes-himalayas.html

Where is Himalayas?

Himalayas is located at the South continent of Asia, passing through India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal.

Source : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_the_Himalayas_located#ixzz1JDYpu0Gy