Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)

About Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH):

• The HKH region stretches 3,500 kilometres and spans eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
• The range has numerous high snow-capped peaks, with the highest point being Tirich Mir or Terichmir at 7,708 meters (25,289 ft) in Chitral, Pakistan.
• It is considered the Third Pole(after the North and South Poles) and has significant implications for climate.
• It contains the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• The HKH region is the source of ten large Asian river systems: the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, and Tarim.
  • The basins of these rivers provide water to 1.9 billion people, a fourth of the world’s population.
• HKH may be divided into three main sections: the eastern Hindu Kush, the central Hindu Kush, and the western Hindu Kush, also known as the Bābā Mountains.
• The inner valleys of the Hindu Kush see little rain and have desert vegetation.