5. The Eastern Himalayas

These lie between the Tista and the Brahmaputra rivers, covering a distance of about 720 km with an area of 67,500 sq km. The Eastern Himalayas occupy the state of Arunachal Pradesh (India) and Bhutan. In this part, the Himalayas rise very rapidly from the plains of Assam, and the foothills of Shiwaliks are very narrow. The Eastern Himalayas include the Aka Hills, the Dalia Hills, Miri Hills, Abor Hills, Mishmi Hills, and Namcha Barwa (7756 m). It has a number of mountain passes among which Bomdi-La, Bom La, Tunga, Yonggyap, Diphu, Pangsau, Tse-La, Dihang, Debang (Arunachal Pradesh) are the most important. In the Eastern Himalayas, due to heavy rainfall, fluvial erosion is quite pronounced.

On the southern border of Arunachal Pradesh, the Himalayas take a southerly turn and the ranges are arranged in a north-south direction. Passing through the

states of Arunachal Pradesh (Tirap Division) Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram, the Himalayas are locally known as Purvanchal. The main hills of the Eastern Himalayas are Patkai-Bum (Arunachal Pradesh), Naga-Ilills (Nagaland), Manipur Hills, Blue Mountains (Mizoram), Tripura Range, and Brail range. On tire border of Nagaland and Myanmar lies the Arakanyoma. These hills are heavily forested. Northern Myanmar is connected through Diphu, Ilpungan, Chaukan, Pangsau, and Likhapani (Arunachal Pradesh). Southwards, a pass joins Imphal (Manipur) with Mandalay (Myanmar). The Purvanchal is joined by the Meghalaya Plateau in the west. The extension of the Myanmar mountain chain continues southward up to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and even up to the Archipelago of Indonesia.