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The Himalayas stretches across six nations, i.e. India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It run west to east from the Indus river valley to the Brahamaputra river valley. Thus it forms a long arc of 2400 kms. The Himalayan chain consists of three parallel ranges. They encompasses a very large number of glaciers. Siachen is notable among them, the largest in the world outside the polar region. Some of other more famous glaciers include Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand, Nubra, Biafo and Baltoro in Karakoram region, Zemu in Sikkim and Khumbu glaciers in Mount Everest region.
Glaciers are formed during the natural system of snowfall accumulation in the high peaks, where it turns into ice. Excessive snowfall or evaporation respectively increase or decrease the mass of glaciers. The phenomenon is cyclic. Here are some notable peaks in the Himalayas.
Peak Name
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Other names and meaning
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Elevation (m)
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Elevation (ft)
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First ascent
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Notes
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Sagarmatha -"Forehead of the Sky",
Chomolangma or Qomolangma -"Mother of the Universe"
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8,848
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29,028
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1953
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World's highest mountain, situated on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China.
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Chogo Gangri
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8,611
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28,251
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1954
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World's 2nd highest. Located on border between Pakistan-administered Northern Areas and Xinjiang, China. Widely considered the most challenging mountains in the world to climb.
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Kangchen Dzö-nga, "Five Treasures of the Great Snow"
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8,586
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28,169
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1955
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World's 3rd highest, highest in India (Sikkim) and second highest in Nepal.
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-
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8,462
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27,765
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1955
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World's 5th highest situated in Nepal.
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White Mountain
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8,167
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26,764
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1960
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World's 7th highest situated in Nepal.
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NangaparbatPeak or Diamir, "Naked Mountain"
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8,125
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26,658
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1953
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World's 9th highest. Located in Pakistan. Considered one of the world's most dangerous mountains to climb.
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"Goddess of the Harvests"
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8,091
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26,545
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1950
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World's 10th highest situated in Nepal.
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"Bliss-Giving Goddess"
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7,817
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25,645
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1936
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Located in Uttarakhand, India
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