High magazine has made its second attempt (the first being in 1993) to make one comprehensive list of all the mountain ranges of the world and their more prominent peaks. Introducing "High Mountain Ranges 1995" in the July issue, Editor Geoff Birtles says, even this new inventory is not necessarily complete or final.
This seems indeed to be the case, as the High list has 11 himals in Nepal, while Nepali geographers agree that the country's mountains can be divided into at least 23 distinct himals. This could be, of course, nothing more than different readings of what constitute a mountain range (himal in the Nepal Himalaya, mustagh in the Karakoram, and shan in Tibet and bordering areas). Similarly, the Western Ghats is included, but its eastern counterpart, having a lower elevation no doubt, is ignored.
On the whole, however, High has made a worthwhile contribution to the greater understanding of the world's mountains and, as part of this last Know Your Himal column, we have decided to print a somewhat lengthy extract of the High compilation, including the highest peak in each himal. It is limited to the mountains of Central-South Asia, with the final section referring to himals of other continents for the sake of comparison.
Altun Shan