Fold Mountains- Case Study Flashcards
Where are the Himalayas located?
In Asia, in numerous countries including China, Nepal and Pakistan
Which plates formed the Himalayas?
Eurasian and Indian Plates
How many tourists visit Nepal each year? Why do they go?
Around 350,000 people visit to climb the mountains
Why are tourists good for the area?
80% of locals in Khumba area rely on tourist trade to provide their income- hotels, sherpas, food
Sherpas earn £3000+ in 60 days- feeds family for a year
What problems do tourists cause?
Litter- estimated 17 metric tons of garbage per 1km of the trail to Everest, pollutes habitats
Human waste- leaks into rivers polluting them
Deforestation- tourists use 3 times as much as a local for food, heating and lodges, trees don’t grow quickly due to the high altitude
How is hydro electric power (HEP) used in the Himalayas? Why use HEP?
HEP is made by exploiting the steep landscape of the Himalayas
Local villagers in Ghandruk use it for their houses- around 25% of houses now have electricity compared to none 20-30 years ago
HEP is clean and cheap to produce making it brilliant for villages
What are the future plans for HEP?
Exporting the extra electricity to other countries such as India to earn more money as Nepal only has a small income which is mainly from tourism
Where is there a HEP site in Nepal?
Ghandruk
How are the Himalayas used for farming?
76% of Nepalese people work as farmers- 35% of the Nepal’s income
Farmers grow rice, vegetables and keep goats, poultry and cattle- feed themselves and tourists
What are the problems of farming?
Steep relief of land is hard to farm- farmers dig flat platforms to solve this
Poor soil quality- crops grow slowly
Small farms- don’t produce many crops causing high food prices that only tourists can afford
What is being done to tackle deforestation?
200,000 trees a year are being planted, plus gas is being used as a fuel to reduce the amount of wood
HEP replacing it too
What’s an example of a place where tourists spend money?
Namche Bazaar is a village along the trek to Mount Everest
Money is made through the sale of novelty items and souvenirs, plus by selling food- providing locals with an income
