The Indus river basin
The Indus is the 12th largest river in the world and has its source at Lake Ngangla Rinco on the Tibetan plateau. The river basin contains seven of the world’s highest peaks in addition to Everest, including K2 (8,600 m) and Nanga Parbat (8,100 m). The basin stretches from the Himalayan mountains to the north to the dry, alluvial plains of Sindh province in Pakistan and flows out into the Arabian Sea. The upper Indus river basin lies in a high mountain region resting in the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalayan ranges. The high mountains limit the intrusion of the monsoon. Precipitation patterns in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges are characterized by westerly and south-westerly flows, and most of the precipitation falls in winter and spring from the west. Outside of the polar regions, this basin contains the greatest area of perennial (multi-year) glacial ice in the world (20,000 km2).
Year: 2015
From collection: The Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas
Cartographer: Riccardo Pravettoni