Hindu Kush facts for kids

Mountain ranges

The Hindu Kush is a range of mountains. It starts near Pamir in the north of Gilgit extending in the southwest deep into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Tirich Mir is here. On the west of this range is the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan which separates Gilgit Agency from Tajikistan. This tract of land was formed under an agreement between the governments of the Empires of Russia and Britain in 1890. It was annexed with Afghanistan to serve as a neutral zone between the two empires.

The passes of Mintaka Pass, Kilik Pass, Chilinji Pass and Kuramber Pass are in the Hindu Kush range and connect Kashmir with the central Asian states. Many rivers including the Chapursan River, Ishkuman River, Ghizar River, Gilgit River and Shandur River originate in the valleys of Hindu kush and ultimately join the Indus River.

Images for kids

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  Hindu Kush (top right) and its extending mountain ranges like Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh or Koh-i-Baba to the west

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  Aerial view of Hindu Kush mountains in northern Afghanistan

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  Terraced fields amongst the Hindu Kush in the Swat valley, Pakistan

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  The Hindu Kush photographed by Apollo 9

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  A land cover map of the HKH region was developed using Landsat 30-meter data.

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  Kabul, situated 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains

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  Hindu Kush relative to Bactria, Bamiyan, Kabul and Gandhara (bottom right).

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  Landscape of Afghanistan with a T-62 in the foreground.

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  Hindu Kush in the background in Ishkoshim, Tajikistan