Trans-Himalayan and Karakoram Ranges

The Himalayan Mountains are bordered on the northwest by the Ladakh, Karakoram, Pamir and the Hindu Kush ranges, while the Tibetan Plateau in the central part controls its overall shape. A 50–60 km wide tectonic valley, the Indus–Tsangpo Suture Zone, separates these geographical units as a garland throughout the Himalayan ranges from extreme west to the east. These mountain ranges of the Trans-Himalayan and Karakoram Mountains are essentially drained by the Indus, Shyok, Nubra Rivers and their tributaries in the west, and Tsangpo-Brahmaputra drainage system in the east.