About
Himalayas
The southern slopes of each of the Himalayan ranges are too steep to
accumulate snow or support much tree life; the northern slopes generally are
forested below the snow line. Between the ranges are extensive high plateaus,
deep gorges, and fertile valleys, such as the vales of Kashmir and Kulu.
The Himalayas serve a very important purpose. They provide a physical screen
within which the monsoon system operates and are the source of the great river
systems that water the alluvial plains below (see Climate, this ch.). As a result
of erosion, the rivers coming from the mountains carry vast quantities of silt
that enrich the plains.
The area of northeastern India adjacent to Burma and Bangladesh consists of
numerous hill tracts, averaging between 1,000 and 2,000 meters in elevation,
that are not associated with the eastern part of the Himalayas in Arunachal
Pradesh.
The Naga Hills, rising to heights of more than 3,000 meters, form the watershed
between India and Burma. The Mizo Hills are the southern part of the northeastern
ranges in India. The Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia hills are centered in the state
of Meghalaya and, isolated from the northeastern ranges, divide the Assam Valley
from Bangladesh to the south and west.
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