Himalaya

The Himalaya (note: many say "Himalayas", but Himalaya is actually plural) are not only the tallest mountain range but also the youngest in the world and are created by the collision of 2 land masses which are still moving at 67mm a year.

› Colliding continents

The tallest mountain is called Mount Everest at 8848 metres / 29,029 feet and is locally known as either Chomolungma or Sagarmatha and climbers have been fascinated with it for the past century.

The first climbers to reach the top were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, although there is some argument regarding previous attempts by Mallory and Shipton.

The Himalaya also has about 15,000 glaciers, hundreds of lakes, and is a major influence on local climate, blocking the monsoon from entering Tibet and providing water for over a billion people in South Asia.