The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area and is bordered by

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south (touching Sirmaur), and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the mountainous Himalaya region, rich in natural resources

Topography

Rivers

The territory of Himachal Pradesh encompasses the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

and Ganges river basins. Of the five major tributaries of the Indus river, four: Chenab,

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...

, ———–°≈≈Beas and

Sutlej The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...

flow through the state, with the first three originating in the state. Some Himalayan tributaries of the Yamuna, which is itself a tributary of Ganga, also originate in the state. The Chandra and Bhaga rivers rise in the

Lahaul The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul () and Spiti (; or ). The present administrative centre is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, ...

region, joining near

Keylong Kyelang (also spelled Keylong) is a town and the administrative centre of the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, north of Manali via Atal Tunnel and from the Indo-Tibetan border. It is located along the Mana ...

and forming the Chandrabhaga, or Chenab, which then flows northwestwards through the Pangi valley into Jammu and Kashmir. The Ravi river rises at Bara Bhangal in Kangra district and then flows westwards through the

Chamba valley Chamba may refer to: People *Gilberto Chamba (born 1961), Ecuadorian serial killer * Jessica Chamba (born 1981), European activist Places Ghana *Chamba, a town in the Northern Region India * Chamba (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Himachal Pradesh * ...

. Beas flows south from its source at Beas Kund near

Manali Manali may refer to: Places in India * Manali, Himachal Pradesh, * Manali, Chennai, a locality of Chennai * Manali New Town, a locality of Chennai * Manali, Gummidipoondi, a village in Tamil Nadu * Manali River, a river in Kerala People * ...

through the

Kullu valley Kullu Valley is a broad open valley in Himachal Pradesh, India, formed by the Beas River between Manali and Larji. This valley is famous for its temples, beauty and its majestic hills covered with pine and deodar forest and sprawling apple orc ...

, where it is joined by tributaries Parvati, Sainj and Tirthan. Near Aut it takes a turn and flows west through a gorge towards

Mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...

, and is joined by the Uhl tributary. It flows onwards through the

Kangra valley Kangra Valley is a river valley situated in the Western Himalayas.dammed ''Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishinaabe Territory'' is a 2020 book by Brittany Luby, Associate Professor of History at the University of Guelph. The book charts the impacts of the damming of the Winnipeg River in the Lake of ...

to form the

Maharana Pratap Sagar Maharana Pratap Sagar, also known as Pong Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake is a large reservoir in Fatehpur, Jawali and Dehra tehsil of Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. It was created in 1975, by building the highest earthf ...

reservoir. Satluj river enters the state from Tibet near

Shipki La __NOTOC__ Shipki La is a mountain pass and border post with a dozen buildings of significant size on the India-China border. The river Sutlej, which is called Langqên Zangbo in Tibet, enters India (from Tibet) near this pass. A spur road on ...

, flowing through the

Kinnaur Kinnaur is one of the twelve administrative districts of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The district is divided into three administrative areas (Kalpa, Nichar (Bhabanagar), and Pooh) and has six tehsils. The administrative he ...

region where its tributaries Spiti and Baspa join it. The river is dammed at Bhakra to form the

Gobind Sagar Gobind Sagar Lake is a reservoir situated in Una and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is formed by the Bhakra Dam. The reservoir is on the river Sutlej and is named in honour of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru. One of ...

reservoir. Pabbar and Giri rivers are two tributaries of the Yamuna that originate in southeastern Himachal, and flow through the districts of Shimla and Sirmour. The

Ghaggar river The Ghaggar-Hakra River is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar in India, before the Ottu barrage, and as the Hakra in Pakistan, downstream of the barrage, ending ...

, a monsoonal river, also originates in the state.

Habitation

Himachal Pradesh has 49 cities and towns. The smallest town is

Naina Devi Mata Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Demographics As of the 2001 India census, Naina Devi had a population of 1161. Males constitute 63% of the population and females 3 ...

and the largest is Shimla with a total state population of 6,856,509. Urban population is only 7.5% of the state population. Most of the population reside in rural areas.

Flora and fauna

Himachal Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

is well known for its rich flora. Forests covered about 27.72% (15,433 sq.km) of the state's area in 2019 which is higher than the national average. It contains a wide variety of forests. At the lowest elevations of the state, along the borders with neighbouring Punjab and Haryana,

Northwestern thorn scrub forests The Northwestern thorn scrub forests, presently known as Aravalli west thorn scrub forests, is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of Pakistan and Northern India, stretching along the border lowlands and hills between the two countries. Once covered in ...

are found. Himalayan subtropical pine forests dominate the lower elevation Himalayan foothills. The

Western Himalayan broadleaf forests The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion which is found in the middle elevations of the western Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, and Pakistan. Setting The ecoregion forms an area of te ...

are found at elevations of . At higher altitudes,

Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests The Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle and upper elevations of the western Middle Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan. Setting The ecoregion forms a belt of coniferous forest ...

are found. Above these, Western and

Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows The Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the elevations of the northwestern Himalaya of China, India, and Pakistan. Setting Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows cover ...

are the only vegetation found at elevations between . Beyond lie permanent ice and snow. The state has five national parks: the

Great Himalayan National Park The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is a national park in India, located in Kullu region in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The park was established in 1984 and is spread over an area of 1171 km2; elevations within the park range betwee ...

(a world heritage site),

Pin Valley National Park Pin Valley National Park is a National park of India located in the Spiti Valley in the Lahaul and Spiti district, in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located in far northern India. It is part of Cold Desert (biosphere reserve). History S ...

Inderkilla National Park Inderkilla National Park is a national park in Himachal Pradesh, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the ...

Khirganga National Park Khirganga National Park is a national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natura ...

and Simbalbara National Park.

Geographical characteristics

Elevation ranges from to over above sea level. The region extends from the Shivalik range of mountains. There is a noticeable increase in elevation from west to east and from

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

(Shiwalik]) to north, the north (outer Himalayas). At 6816 m Reo Purgyil is the highest mountain peak in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The four general physiographic divisions from south to north are: * The outer Himalayas ( Shivaliks): Shivaliks range consists of lower hills (600 m above sea level). The hills of the region are composed of highly unconsolidated deposits which results in high rates of erosion and deforestation. * The lesser Himalayas (central zone): The lesser Himalayas have a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and the Pir Panjal ranges. The rise is more rapid in the Shimla hills, to the south of which is the high peak of

Churdhar Churdhar Sanctuary is located in Sirmaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The total covered area of this sanctuary is 56.16 square kilometres as notified on 15 November 1985. Fauna includes Himalayan black bear, Barking deer, M ...

(3647 m). North of the river

, the rise is steady. The

Kangra valley Kangra Valley is a river valley situated in the Western Himalayas.trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

which is at the foot of the Dhauladhar range. Dhauladhar (which means the 'White Peak') has a mean elevation of nearly 4,550 m. It has a rapid rise of 3,600 m above the

Kangra valley Kangra Valley is a river valley situated in the Western Himalayas.Himalayan ranges, the Pir Panjal, branches off from the Greater Himalayan range near the bank of the

. A number of glaciers exist and several passes lie across the Pir Panjal. The Rohtang Pass (3,978 m) is one of these. * The Great Himalayas (northern zone): The Great Himalayan range (5,000 to 6,000 metres) runs along the eastern boundary and is slashed across by the

. Some of the famous passes in this range are Kangla (5,248 m), Bara Lacha (4,512 m), Parang (5,548 m), Cheni Pass Churah Pangi (4,400m), and Pin Parvati (4,802 m). * Zanskar range ( Shilla Peak (6,132 m) in kinnaur, Pangi in Chamba): The Zanskar Range, the easternmost range, separates

and Spiti from Tibet and Pangi Chamba from Leh Ladakh UT. It has peaks up to 6816 m high. Some of the well-known peaks are Mount Gya (6,795 m) and Reo Purgyil (6,816 m); these are among the highest peaks in this range. There are many glaciers over the Zaskar and the Great Himalayan ranges.

References

{{Himachal Pradesh topics