The Northern mountains.

• The Northern and North Western mountains comprise of the Karakoram range, the Himlayas and the Hindu Kush.
• The Himalayas are further divided into the Central Himalayas, the Siwaliks and the lesser or outer Himalayas.
• Karakoram means black gravel.
• The Karakoram is a mass of rock and ice.
• The average height of the mountain in Karakorum is 600 metres.
• The highest peak of the Karakorum is K2.
• There are glaciers in the upper regions of the valleys of Karakoram.
• The climate is severe and hence this area is extremely inhospitable which is why the population density is really low.
• The mountain passes in the Karakoram are only open in the summer.
• In the Karakoram, where water is plentiful, agriculture is practiced. The main crops grown here are Apples, Barley and millet. Cattle is also bred here.
• The Himalayas are to the south of the Karakorum range.
• The Himlayas run east to west for 2500km.
• The Siwaliks are low altitude, the Lesser or lower Himalayas are medium altitude and the central Himalayas are high altitude.
• The highest peak of the Himalayas is the Nanga Parbat.
• Hindu Kush runs where the borders of Afghanistan and and China meet on Pakistan's north and North Western mountains.
• The highest peak in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir.
• The Hindu Kush resembles the Karakoram.
• The Hindu Kush has high, steep valley sides for drainage of its rivers.
• Swat, Chitral and Dir are valleys of the Hindu Kush.
• Gilgit, Hunza and Baltistan valleys are part of the Karakoram range.
• The Kaghan and Murrie and Gallies valleys are in the Himalayas.
• In the Northern mountains, snow capped peaks melt during summer to drain water into River Indus and it's tributaries.
• In the Northern mountains, Mountain peaks provide protection to Pakistan against the cold winds from central Asia. That is the reason that the temperature does not go below freezing point over the upper Indus Plain and so the climate remains tolerable throughout the year.
• Many Historical passes in the Northern mountains connect Pakistan to China and Afghanistan.
• The Northern mountains are a source of valuable minerals, timber and fruits. These are a source of raw material to many industries.
• The Karakoram is a natural border to China and Central Asian Republics. A land route has also been opened to carry out trade.
• The Karakoram has scenic beauty which promotes tourism and are a source of income to locals.
• The Northern mountains experiences a a very low economic growth rate, along with a high rate of population growth which prevents growth in per capita income.
• Life is hard in the Northern mountains because there is a lack of Infrastructure.
• Most of the population of the northern mountains are dependent on agriculture.
• In winters, people work in cottage and small scale industries to make handicrafts and other souvenirs for tourists. They also work is the dry fruit industry.
• The Northern mountains have a lot of hydroelectric potential, but that potential is not being taken advantage of because of a lack of investment.
• The Northern mountains have very low literacy rates.
• People in the Northern mountains are also facing malnutrition because food production is not keeping up with population growth there.
• Some towns in the Northern areas, like Mingora, Muree, Gilgit and Kaghan trade by road with cities, but because of the difficult terrain and limited transport, trade cannot be carried out on a large scale.
• Tourism is popular in the Northern mountains, but the number of tourist facilities is insufficient for the amount of tourists.
• Recently, infrastructure has been developed in the Northern mountains which promotes tourism and helps explore and exploit the untapped resources of the Northern mountains.
• Environmental issues in the Northern mountains:

  • deforestation in the foothills and overgrazing on the high pastures have led to soil erosion.
  • Deforestation has increased due to high demands for firewood and there is also extensive trimming of trees to feed livestock.
  • The construction of roads in the border regions has increased the rate of deforestation and the number of landslides. Roads being built bring economic benefits but also threaten the environment.
  • Rapid population growth has increased pollution and streams that were once clear are now polluted with refuse and sewage.
• Hill people who use dirty water in the streams for drinking suffer from dysentry, cholera and typhoid. Other diseases and epidemics also occur because of these unhygienic conditions.
• The topographical relief features of the Northern mountains:

  • Parallel ranges run from west to east
  • The height of ranges increase from south to North.
  • The mountains are high altitude and rise up to 8475 metres
  • There are also high passes suck as the Khunjerab passa, Lawarai pass and Shandur pass
  • There are snowfields and glaciers
  • The mountains have snow capped peaks and steep slopes.