Trans Himalayas

The Trans-Himalaya or Tethys Himalayas or Tibetan Himalaya consists of ranges like Karakoram and Ladakh. The second highest mountain peak of the world and the highest mountain peak of India, K₂ (Mt. Godwin Austin) (8,611 m) stands here. K₂ is the abbrevia­tion of peak no. 2 of Karakoram Range.

The Trans Himalayas is the nursery of glaciers. The Siachen (76 km) is the longest glacier of India. The Ladakh Range stands between the Indus and the Shyok rivers. On the north east, the Ladakh plateau (about 4,000 m) is the highest plateau of India. It is also the cold desert of India.