Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya, is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the highest peaks on Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 peaks exceeding elevations of 7200 m above sea level lie in the Himalayas. The Himalayas span five countries: Nepal, India, China, Bhutan, and Pakistan. The sovereignty of the range in the Kashmir region is disputed among India, Pakistan, and China.
Quick Facts
- First appears
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Role
- Primary setting for the search for Shambhala
- Affiliation
- Ancient Tibetan kingdom
- Marco Polo's lost fleet
- Lazarević's forces
- Notable locations
- Tibetan village, monastery, mountain passes, Shambhala entrance
- Key characters encountered
- Tenzing
- Karl Schäfer
- Chloe Frazer (in flashback)
Lore & Background
The Himalayas were uplifted after the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian plate. The name hails from the Sanskrit ( 'abode of snow'). Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism. The summits of several are off-limits to climbers, including Kangchenjunga (from the Indian side), Gangkhar Puensum, Machapuchare, and Nanda Devi; and Kailash in the geologically distinct, but nearby Tibetan Transhimalaya.
Reader's Guide
The Himalayas consist of four parallel mountain ranges from south to north: the Sivalik Hills, the Lower Himalayan Range, the Great Himalayas, and the Tibetan Himalayas. The range runs west-northwest to east-southeast in an arc 2400 km long. Its western anchor is Nanga Parbat; its eastern anchor is Namcha Barwa. The range varies in width from 350 km in the west to 151 km in the east.
More in World & Locations
Elsewhere in Uncharted
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