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Mt Everest |
The Himalayan Alpine
range is located in Asia in the countries of Nepal, Tibet
(China), India, Pakistan and Bhutan. The range makes a curve
of 1,500 miles through Southern Asia Because the
Himalayan mountain range is at a high altitude the air is
very thin. The air is also very dry and has a very low
precipitation level. The mountains rise from the plains of
northern India which are about 1,000 feet above sea level.
From these plains many of the mountains rise more than 3
miles above sea level; Mount Everest is 29,028 feet above
sea level. The climate is very cold and is hard to survive
in most parts. There are two main seasons winter and summer.
The winters are long and very cold and the summers are short
and cool. It is so cold because of its high altitude.
Rhododendron plants
grow on most mountains. Oak, laurel and chestnut trees are
also found up to 7,000 feet above sea level. Pine trees are
found up to 12,000 feet above sea level; above that point
only lichens, grass and moss can be found, since it is so
cold in the higher regions. Only certain plants are designed
to grow in such harsh conditions. Native peoples have
learned to grow crops such as tea, rice and barley on the
southern end of the mountain range. Also in that area
tropical plants may be found, as well as animals such as the
tiger, monkey, leopard and the Asian elephant. One of the
main animals of this mountainous biome is the yak. The yak
can be over six feet tall and usually weighs 1,100-1,200
pounds. You may think its weight would make it clumsy, but
actually it is very agile. When provoked it will charge with
its horns. It has special bodily functions such as a lot of
long hair for warmth. The Himalayan biome
is ever growing more polluted, due to the growing popularity
of climbing the mountains. When people go up, all their
supplies are left on the mountain because it takes too much
energy to bring it down again. If someone dies, their body
is left on the mountain. Many people have climbed Mount
Everest, and right now a man is attempting to become the
first blind man to reach the summit. by Patrick T.
2001
bibliography Hafner, James A.
Ph.D., Prof. of Geography and Director, Asian Studies, Univ.
of Massachusetts. Hillary, Sir Edmund
P. LL.D., New Zealand Ambassador to India; Explorer and
Mountain Climber; Author, High Adventure; First to Reach the
Summit of Mount Everest. Fisher, James F.
Ph.D., Prof. and Chairman, Department of Sociology and
Anthropology, Carleton College. Diamond, Norma.
Ph.D., Prof. of Anthropology, Univ. of Michigan. Taylor, C. Richard.
Ph.D., Former Charles P. Lyman Prof. of Biology, Harvard
Univ.
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