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Composite satellite image of the Himalaya range. Also visible is the Tibetan plateau and the Taklamakan plain to the north. The Himalaya (the Himalayan Range) is a mountain range in Asia, separating India and the Northern Areas of Pakistan on the south and southwest from the vast Tibetan plateau (now part of China) on the north. The proper name for the range is Himalaya, though the name Himalayas is commonly used.

The world's highest mountains, including Everest (8850 m), K2 (8611 m) and Kanchenjunga (8598 m), are situated in the Himalaya.

1 How the Himalaya were formed

According to plate tectonics20th century. Plate tectonics (from the Greek word for "one who constructs", τεκτων tekton ) is a theory of geology developed to explain the phenomenon of continental drift. In the theory of plate tectonics the outermost par, the Himalaya is the result of a convergent boundaryIn plate tectonics, a convergent boundary (convergent fault boundary, convergent plate boundary, or active margin) is where two tectonic plates slide towards each other and usually collide forming either a subduction zone with its associated island arc or between the Indo-AustralianThe Indo-Australian Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of Australia, the surrounding ocean and extending northwest to the border of India with China and Nepal. The easterly side is a convergent boundary with the subducting Pacifi and EurasianThe Eurasian Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of Europe and central Asia and extending westward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The easterly side is a boundary with the North American Plate to the north, a convergent boundary with t Plates. The continued movement of these plates means the Himalaya are still growing in size. GeologistsGeology (from Greek γ&eta ge "the earth") and λογος logos "word", "reason")) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. Geolog believe that the Himalaya would rise at the rate of about 8 to 10 centimeters per year if plate tectonics were the only factor. There are also, however, forces of erosionErosion is the displacement of solids ( soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, or movement in response to gravity. Although the processes may be simultaneous, erosion is to be distinguished from weathering, which is the decompos which are wearing the mountains down. The approximate net growth of the Himalaya amounts to 2.5 to 5 centimeters per century.