Namcha Barwa
Topic: Structure and Physiography of India: Himalayas, Plains, Peninsula, Coasts and Islands · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
Namcha Barwa is a peak about 7,755 m high. It marks the eastern end of the Himalayan arc and lies in Tibet. Here the Himalayas bend sharply south. The Tsangpo river makes a hairpin turn around the peak and cuts one of the deepest gorges in the world. It then enters India as the Siang (Dihang). Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) is the matching anchor at the western end.
Example
After passing Namcha Barwa, the Tsangpo enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang. In the Assam plain it becomes the Brahmaputra.
Don't confuse with
- Nanga Parbat: this is the western anchor of the Himalayas, where the Indus cuts its gorge. Namcha Barwa is the eastern anchor, where the Tsangpo cuts its gorge.
Related concepts
- Greater Himalaya
- Lesser Himalaya
- Shiwalik
- Ladakh and Zaskar ranges
- Kailash range
- Mount Everest
- Kanchenjunga
- Pir Panjal range