Eastern Himalayas

The Eastern Himalayas are a beautiful and important mountain region that stretches from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. This area is known for its amazing variety of plants and animals, making it one of the world's key places for nature.

The weather here is strongly affected by the monsoon of South Asia between June and September, bringing lots of rain that helps forests and rivers grow. Because of this special mix of climate and geography, the Eastern Himalayas hold many different kinds of life, which scientists call a biodiversity hotspot. This means it is a very important area for protecting many unique species of plants and animals.

The Eastern Himalayas also have rich biocultural diversity, showing how people and nature live together in this stunning landscape.

Geology

The Eastern Himalayas have a complex history and many interesting landforms. In the southwest lies the Singalila Ridge, which is part of the uplands in Nepal and reaches into Sikkim, India, and Bhutan. The region's landscape has helped support its rich plant and animal life.

The Buxa range in Bhutan contains very old rocks. Over millions of years, these rocks were worn down, and some types disappeared from the surface. However, limestone and coal deposits remain in certain areas. The highland rocks are mostly sandstones from a very old time period, with some limestones and shales. In the center of the mountains, older rocks are visible, including slates and gneiss.

During a time when much of this area was covered by shallow sea, chalk formed from the tides. Later, new rocks were formed, and during this time, many mountains rose up, shaping the Himalayas as we see them today. The Himalayas were created by the pushing together of the India Plate and the Eurasian Plate, and this process is still happening, continuing to lift the mountains higher.

Climate

The climate in the Eastern Himalayas is warm and wet all year, especially in the lower areas. Summers are hot, starting in April and peaking in June, with average temperatures around 20 °C (68 °F). The region gets a lot of rain, about 10,000 mm (390 inches) each year, making it much wetter than the Western Himalayas.

In some valleys, like those of the Rangeet, Teesta, and Chumbi, winter rain often falls as snow, which helps keep temperatures lower during that time of year. The northeast monsoon is the main influence on the weather here.

Agriculture

Farming in the Eastern Himalayas looks different depending on where you are. In the high areas, the soil is special, and people make steps on the hillsides to help water stay in place. This lets them grow crops in the spring. For a long time, people here have moved their crops to new land often, hunted, fished, and traded goods instead of money. Because of this, they haven't grown enough food to meet all their needs, and life has stayed simple without much change. People also use plants they find in nature and some that they grow for food and medicine.

Main article: shifting cultivation

Political divisions

The Eastern Himalayas cover several areas in different countries. These include parts of Nepal, Darjeeling Sub-Himalaya, Sikkim (Indian), Assam Sub-Himalaya, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Garhwal/Kumaon in India. Each of these areas has its own unique landscape and culture.

Wildlife

The Eastern Himalayas are home to many different kinds of plants and animals, including some that are rare and found nowhere else. There are over 10,000 types of plants, 240 kinds of mammals, and 750 types of birds in this area.

Wildlife in Nepal includes the snow leopard, Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, and water buffalo. The forests along three major rivers—the Ghaghara, Gandaki River, and Koshi River—are full of life and support many butterfly species and 8% of the world's birds. Protecting these wild spaces is very important for keeping the Earth healthy.

The most varied cloud forest grows in India and China between 2,000 and 3,300 meters above sea level. Lower down, tropical rainforests cover the slopes up to 900 meters. Higher up, grassy areas called wet páramo stretch to 4,500 meters, where snow and ice can be found. Animals like the Asian black bear, Himalayan vulture, and small mountain creatures called pikas live in these high places. In the lower forests, you can find monkeys such as the Arunachal macaque and Rhesus macaque, along with colorful sunbirds and pheasants. The wetlands in the Himalayas are also rich with many different species.

Bhutan's national flower is the blue poppy, known scientifically as Meconopsis gakyidiana. For many years, people thought it was a different kind of poppy, but in 2017, scientists corrected this after studying it carefully. They believe this mistake happened because some plants in the Himalayas can mix and create new types, making it hard to tell them apart.