Hindu Kush mountain ranges

Why in news?

• Snowfall over the higher reaches of the Hindukush Himalayan mountain ranges has been increasing in recent decades, which has shielded the region from glacier shrinkage, the Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region report has stated.

About Hindu Kush mountain ranges:

• The Hindu Kush is an 800-kilometre-long mountain range that stretches through Afghanistan, from its centre to Northern Pakistan and into Tajikistan.
• The range forms the western section of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region (HKH) and is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram and the Himalayas.
• It divides the valley of the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus) to the north from the Indus River valley to the south.
• To the north, near its northeastern end, the Hindu Kush buttresses the Pamir Mountains near the point where the borders of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan meet, after which it runs southwest through Pakistan and into Afghanistan near their border.
• The eastern end of the Hindu Kush in the north merges with the Karakoram Range.

History:

• The Hindu Kush range region was a historically significant centre of Buddhism with sites such as the Bamiyan Buddhas.
• The range and communities settled in it hosted ancient monasteries, important trade networks and travellers between Central Asia and South Asia.
• The Hindu Kush range has also been the passageway during the invasions of the Indian subcontinent and continues to be important during modern-era warfare in Afghanistan.
• Well-known passes of the range include the Khyber Pass which saw the invasions by Cyrus, Darius I, Mahmud Ghaznavi, Afghan Muhammad Ghori and the Mughals.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements:
1.Himalayan ranges are broader in the west than in the east.
2.Bolan pass is a pass connecting the Indian subcontinent with West Asia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question