Question

Name the highest peak of the Indian Himalayas.

Answer 1

Hint: The Himalayas are the largest mountain range in the world and it runs from the river Indus in the north-west to the river Brahmaputra in the east, over five countries—Pakistan, China, India, Nepal and Bhutan. Structurally, the range is young and folded and it separates Asia from the plains of the Indian subcontinent. It contains three parallel ranges from north to south—the Himadri or the inner Himalaya being the highest and the northernmost, the Himachal or the lesser Himalayas located south of the Himadri and the Shiwaliks or the outer Himalayas being the southernmost.

Complete answer:The Kanchenjunga is the highest peak of the Himalayas located in India with an altitude of 8586 Mts. It is also the third-highest peak in the world after Mt. Everest and K2 and the second highest peak of the Himalayas as K2 is located in the Karakoram range. The word Kanchenjunga translates to ‘five treasures of snow’ in Tibetan as the summit is made up of five peaks, three of which are located in Sikkim, India at the border with Nepal and the other two are located in Nepal. Until 1852, Kanchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain peak in the world, after which it was measured during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India and declared the third highest peak in 1856.

Note: Do not confuse the highest peak of the Himalayas in India with Mt.Everest because even though it is the highest mountain peak in the Himalayas and the world with an altitude of 8848 Mts, it is geographically located in Nepal. The Karakoram and the Hindu Kush are ranges that are separate from the Himalayas as they are located in Afghanistan, Pakistan and extend over into Tajikistan. The K2 or the Godwin Austen is the second highest mountain peak in the world after Mt. Everest is located in the Karakoram range at the China-Pakistan border.