Editing Geography of Nepal (section)

=== {{anchor|Himal|Mount}}Himal ===
[[Image:Himalayas.jpg|thumb|280px|right|[[Perspective (visual)|Perspective]] view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the [[Tibetan Plateau]]. ([[:Image:himalaya annotated.jpg|annotated version]])]]
Himal Region is a mountainous region containing snow.
The Mountain Region begins where high ridges (Nepali: लेक; lekh) begin substantially rising above {{convert|3000|m|ft|-3}} into the [[Montane#Subalpine zone|subalpine]] and [[Montane#Alpine grasslands and tundra|alpine zone]] which are mainly used for seasonal pasturage. By geographical view, it covers 15% of the total area of Nepal. A few tens kilometers further north the high Himalaya abruptly rise along the Main Central Thrust fault zone above the [[snow line]] at {{convert|5000|to|5500|m|ft|-2}}. Some 90 of Nepal's peaks exceed {{convert|7000|m|ft|-2}} and eight exceed {{convert|8000|m|ft|0}} including [[Mount Everest]] at {{convert|8848|m|ft|0}} and [[Kanchenjunga]] at {{convert|8598|m|ft}}.

There are some 20 subranges including the [[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]] massif along with the [[Mahalangur Himal]] around Mount Everest. [[Langtang]] north of Kathmandu, [[Annapurna]] and [[Manaslu]] north of Pokhara, then [[Dhaulagiri]] further west with [[Kanjiroba Himal|Kanjiroba]] north of [[Jumla district|Jumla]] and finally [[Gurans Himal]] in the far west.

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:85%; margin:auto; text-align:center;"
|+ style="font-size:125%;|'''Nepal’s highest mountains'''{{cn|date=April 2025}}
! style="text-align: center;" | '''Mountain'''
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; background:rgb(204, 153, 51); text-align:center;" | '''Height'''
! style="text-align:center; background:rgb(204, 153, 51); text-align:center;" | '''Section'''
! style="text-align:center; background:rgb(204, 153, 51); text-align:center;" | '''Location'''
|-
| [[Mount Everest]]<br />(Highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | &nbsp; 8,848&nbsp;m &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | &nbsp; 29,029&nbsp;ft &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | [[Khumbu]] [[Mahalangur Himal|Mahalangur]]
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" |[[Khumbu Pasanglhamu]], [[Solukhumbu District]],<br />[[Province No. 1]] (Nepal-China Border)
|-
| [[Kangchenjunga]]<br />(3rd highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | 8,586&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | 28,169&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | &nbsp; Northern Kanchenjunga &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | {{nbsp|4}}[[Phaktanglung]] / [[Sirijangha]], [[Taplejung District]],<br />[[Province No. 1]] (Nepal-India Border)
|-
| [[Lhotse]]<br />(4th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | 8,516&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | 27,940&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(146, 215, 200);" | Everest Group
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" |[[Khumbu Pasanglhamu]], [[Solukhumbu District]],<br />[[Province No. 1]] (Nepal-China Border)
|-
| [[Makalu]]<br />(5th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 8,462&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 27,762&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | Makalu Mahalangur
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | {{nbsp|4}}[[Makalu, Sankhuwasabha|Makalu]], [[Sankhuwasabha District]],<br />[[Province No. 1]] (Nepal-China Border)
|-
| [[Cho Oyu]]<br />(6th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 8,201&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 26,906&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | Khumbu Mahalangur
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | {{nbsp|4}}[[Khumbu Pasanglhamu]], [[Solukhumbu District]],<br /> [[Province No. 1]] (Nepal-China Border)
|-
| [[Dhaulagiri]]<br />(7th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 8,167&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 26,795&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | Dhaulagiri
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | Dhaulagiri, [[Myagdi District]],
[[Gandaki Province]]
|-
| [[Manaslu]]<br />(8th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 8,163&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 26,759&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" |[[Mansiri Himal]]
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | {{nbsp|4}}Tsum Nubri, [[Gorkha District]] / Nashong, [[Manang District]],
[[Gandaki Province]]
|-
| [[Annapurna]]<br />(10th highest in the world)
| style="text-align:center;background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 8,091&nbsp;m
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | 26,545&nbsp;ft
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" |[[Annapurna Massif]]
| style="text-align:center; background:rgb(145, 215, 200);" | {{nbsp|4}}Annapurna, [[Kaski District]] / Annapurna, [[Myagdi District]],
[[Gandaki Province]]
|}

==== Trans-Himalayan ====
The main watershed between the [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]] (called ''[[Yarlung Zangbo River|Yarlung Tsangpo]]'' in [[Tibet]]) and the [[Ganges]] system (including all of Nepal) actually lies north of the highest ranges. Alpine, often semi-arid valleys—including [[Humla district|Humla]], [[Jumla district|Jumla]], [[Dolpo]], [[Mustang District|Mustang]], [[Manang]] and [[Khumbu]]—cut between Himalayan sub ranges or lie north of them.

Some of these valleys historically were more accessible from [[Tibet]] than Nepal and are populated by people with [[Tibetan People|Tibetan]] affinities called ''[[Bhotiya]]'' or ''[[Bhutia]]'' including the famous [[Sherpa people|Sherpas]] in Kumbu valley near Mount Everest. With [[Sinicization of Tibet|Chinese cultural hegemony]] in Tibet itself, these valleys have become repositories of traditional ways. Valleys with better access from the hill regions to the south are culturally linked to Nepal as well as Tibet, notably the [[Kali Gandaki Gorge]] where [[Thakali people|Thakali]] culture shows influences in both directions.

Permanent villages in the mountain region stand as high as {{convert|4500|m|ft|-3}} with summer encampments even higher. Bhotiyas graze [[yak]]s, grow cold-tolerant crops such as [[potato]]es, [[barley]], [[buckwheat]] and [[millet]]. They traditionally traded across the mountains, e.g., Tibetan salt for [[rice]] from lowlands in Nepal and India. Since trade was restricted in the 1950s they have found work as high altitude porters, guides, cooks and other accessories to tourism and alpinism.<ref>{{cite book | url = http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ancientnepal/pdf/ancient_nepal_130-133_05.pdf | title = Important Trade Routes in Nepal and Their Importance to the Settlement Process | first1 = Rainer | last1 = Graafen | first2 = Christian | last2 = Seeber | work = Ancient Nepal | volume = 130 | date = June 1992 | access-date = 22 September 2020 | archive-date = 18 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210418194602/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ancientnepal/pdf/ancient_nepal_130-133_05.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>