High-mountain Asia
High-mountain Asia is a high geographic region that includes the Asian mountain ranges surrounding the Tibetan Plateau. The region is the "world's largest reservoir of perennial glaciers and snow outside of the Earth's polar ice sheets". These headwaters support more than 1 billion people, and changes in the mountains affect "ecosystem services, agriculture, energy and livelihood" for the surrounding areas. NASA has a High Mountain Asia Team to study the area.Geography
High-mountain Asia extends from the Himalayas in the south and east to the Hindu Kush in the west and Tien Shan in the north. Karakoram, Pamir-Alay, and the Kunlun Mountains are further important mountain ranges in this region.
These ranges surround the mountainous Chinese provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang, including Xinjiang's large Tarim Basin desert. The nations of Nepal and Bhutan are located within this region, and HMA abuts Pakistan and India.
