| Himalayan states | |
|---|---|
Satellite imagery of the Himalayas, with state borders overlaid
| |
| Countries |  Afghanistan Bhutan China India Myanmar Nepal Pakistan |
The term Himalayan states is used to group countries that straddle the Himalayas. It primarily denotes Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; some definitions also include Afghanistan and Myanmar.[1][2] Two countries—Bhutan and Nepal—are located almost entirely within the mountain range, which also covers southern Tibet, the Indian Himalayan Region, and northern Pakistan.[3]
The inhabitants of this region are mostly speakers of the Indo-Aryan languages and the Tibeto-Burman languages.[4]
Some of the world's major transboundary rivers originate in the territory of the Himalayan states, including the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Indus, and the Irrawaddy.[5]
