The word "Himalayas" (h-mä´ lå-yå) means the "abode of snow." The mountains are well named as the view so beautifully shows. Snow-capped peak rises beyond snow-capped peak. And underneath the white crowns of the mountains lies a sea of clouds. The only sign of life here is in the limbs of the tree, and it appears to be no longer living. Such is the scene from above Darjeeling, India. The Himalayas are more than a chain of mountains. They may be thought of as a mountain system 1500 miles long and 600 miles wide. They are described as holding up the great plateau of Tibet (t-bt´) in central Asia. And Tibet is called the roof of the world. To understand how the Himalayas over-top other mountains, let us call to mind some peaks in other parts of the world. The highest mountain peak in the United States east of the Mississippi is Mt. Mitchell, N. C., 6,711 feet high. The highest peak in the United States is Mt. Whitney, Calif., 14,501 feet high. The peaks of the whole Central Himalayas are almost 5,000 feet higher than Mt. Whitney. There are many single peaks over 25,000 feet high. At Mt. Everest is the highest point in the world-29,002 feet. Nine hundred miles from Everest and still in the Himalayas stand the world's second highest peak-Mt. Godwin-Austen, 28,278 feet. Two hundred fifty miles from Everest is the third highest peak, called "The Lord of Great Snows," 28,156 feet. One glacier in the Himalayas runs for a distance of nearly 100 miles between mountains that are 20,000 to 25,000 feet high. What great countries of Asia are touched by the Himalayas? Name the chief mountain systems of the continent. Keystone ID: 12561 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.