What is the approximate east-to-west length of the Himalayan mountain system?
Answer
2,400 kilometres
The Himalayan mountain system stretches approximately 2,400 kilometres from east to west.
It extends in an arc from the vicinity of the Nanga Parbat region in Pakistan to Namcha Barwa in Tibet. Along this enormous belt, the mountains cross or border Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
The Himalayas are not just a single ridge. They include several parallel and geologically distinct ranges, with valleys, plateaus, glaciers and high passes between them. Their width varies considerably, generally reaching several hundred kilometres from north to south.
The range formed as the Indian Plate moved northward and collided with the Eurasian Plate. That collision began tens of millions of years ago and continues today, which is why the Himalayas remain tectonically active and continue to rise, even while erosion wears them down.