Western Himalayas

rivers, it is the western anchor of the entire range, around which the Indus river skirts.

The Western Himalayas refers to the western half of the Himalayas, in northwestern India and northern Pakistan. Four of the five tributaries of the Indus River in Punjab (Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, and Ravi) rise in the Western Himalayas; while the fifth, the Sutlej cuts through the range after rising in Tibet.

Included within the Western Himalayas are the

Sivalik Range and the Great Himalayas. The highest point is Nanga Parbat

(26,660 feet or 8,126 metres), at the northwestern end of the region.

Rivers

The Jhelum river rises in the Pir Panjal Range in Indian-administered

Ropar

in Punjab.

Ecology

Flora

Economic activities

Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area. The main crops grown in this region are

Tea is grown in the Kangra valley. A large number of people from nomadic pastoral communities such as Gurjars, Bakarwals and Gaddis

living in the alpine and subalpine areas of these mountains engage in cattle rearing.

Tourism is another major industry. The city of

Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, Manali and Shimla are famous hill stations. Amarnath and Vaishno Devi are important pilgrimage centres attracting several hundred thousands of pilgrims each year. Gulmarg and Manali are popular winter-sports destinations where activities such as skiing, snowboarding, sledding etc. are done, while adventure sports like paragliding are done at Bir and Billing

.

Several perennial rivers flow through these mountains which makes them ideal for hydroelectricity generation, and thus several hydroelectric projects are complete or underway in Pakistan and India.