The Himalaya Mountains are the highest mountain chain on Earth. The name Himalaya is the word for snow in the ancient Sanskrit language. The range extends over 1,600 miles from northwestern Pakistan to the east, through Kashmir, northern India, southern Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. In breadth, it stretches from the plains of India to the center of Tibet.
The Himalayan range is a relatively young range in geologic terms. It is thought that it was formed in Cenozoic times by the coming together of the African and Eurasian plates of the Earth’s crust.
The Himalayas contain two very famous peaks: Mount Everest and K2.
Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world, 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level and located on the Nepal-Tibet border. K2 is the second highest peak in the world, 28,250 feet (8,611 meters) above sea level, located on the border of Pakistan and China. These two mountains have presented an irresistible challenge to mountain climbers, and successful or attempted ascents of them are the subjects of many books.
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