shares_border_with western development region
A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water , either permanently or seasonally , such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem . The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants , adapted to the unique hydric soil . Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment , principally water purification , flood control , carbon sink and ___MASK94___ stability . Wetlands are also considered the ___MASK72___ biologically diverse of all ecosystems , serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life . ___MASK16___ is an Indian state , located in East India on the Bay of Bengal . It is India ' s fourth - most populous state , with over 91 million inhabitants . It has a total area of , making it similar in size to Serbia . A part of the ethno - linguistic Bengal region , it borders Bangladesh in the east and Nepal and Bhutan in the north . It also has borders with five Indian states , including Odisha , Jharkhand , Bihar , Sikkim and Assam . Mount Everest , also known in ___MASK9___ ___MASK60___ Sagarmth and in China ___MASK60___ Chomolungma /  , is earth ' s highest mountain . Its peak is above sea level . Mount Everest is in the Mahalangur Range . The international border between China ( Tibet Autonomous Region ) and ___MASK9___ runs across Everest ' s summit point . Its massif includes neighbouring peaks Lhotse , ; Nuptse , , and Changtse , . China , officially the People ' s Republic of China ( PRC ), is a unitary sovereign state in ___MASK33___ ___MASK76___ . With a population of over 1 . 381 billion , it is the world ' s most populous country . The state is governed by the Communist Party of China , and its capital is Beijing . It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces , five autonomous regions , four direct - controlled municipalities ( Beijing , Tianjin , Shanghai , and ___MASK68___ ), and two mostly self - governing special administrative regions ( Hong Kong and Macau ), and claims sovereignty over Taiwan . The country ' s major urban areas include Shanghai , Guangzhou , Beijing , ___MASK68___ , Shenzhen , Tianjin and Hong Kong . China is a great power and a major regional power within ___MASK76___ , and has been characterized as a potential superpower . The Ganges , also Ganga is a ___MASK43___ - boundary river of ___MASK76___ which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh . The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand , and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh , where it empties into the Bay of Bengal . It is the third largest river in the world by discharge . In Persian mythology and Armenian mythology , the Peri (" pari ") are exquisite , winged fairy - like spirits ranking between angels and evil spirits . They sometimes visit the realm of mortals . ___MASK7___ is a state in the eastern part of ___MASK21___ . It is the 13th - largest state of ___MASK21___ , with an area of . The third - largest state of ___MASK21___ by population , it is contiguous with ___MASK87___ to its west , Nepal to the north , the northern part of West Bengal to the east , with Jharkhand to the south . The ___MASK7___ plain is split by the river Ganges which flows from west to east . The Indian subcontinent or the subcontinent , also called Indian continent , is a ___MASK50___ of ___MASK76___ , mostly situated on the ___MASK91___ and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas . Geologically , the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago . Geographically , it is the peninsular region in south - central ___MASK76___ delineated by the Himalayas in the north , the Hindu Kush in the west , and the Arakanese in the east . Politically , the Indian subcontinent usually includes Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . A swamp is a wetland that is forested . Many swamps occur along large rivers where they are critically dependent upon natural water level fluctuations . Other swamps occur on the shores of large ___MASK47___ . Some swamps have hammocks , or dry - land protrusions , covered by aquatic vegetation , or vegetation that tolerates periodic inundation . The two main types of swamp are " true " or swamp forests and " transitional " or shrub swamps . In the boreal regions of Canada , the word swamp is colloquially used for what is more correctly termed a bog or muskeg . The water of a swamp may be fresh water , brackish water or seawater . Some of the world ' s largest swamps are found along major rivers such as the Amazon , the Mississippi , and the Congo . The Dhaulagiri massif in ___MASK9___ extends from the Kaligandaki River ___MASK15___ to the Bheri . This massif is bounded on the north and ___MASK17___ by tributaries of the Bheri River and on the southeast by Myagdi Khola . Dhaulagiri I is the seventh highest mountain in the world at above sea level . It was first climbed on May 13 , 1960 by a Swiss / Austrian / Nepali expedition . ___MASK92___ ('), officially the Kingdom of ___MASK92___ ('), is a landlocked country and the smallest state in ___MASK76___ to be located entirely within the Himalaya mountain range . Located in the Eastern Himalayas , it is bordered by China in the north and India in the south . ___MASK92___ lacks a border with nearby Nepal due to the Indian state of Sikkim and with Bangladesh due to the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam . ___MASK92___ is geopolitically in South ___MASK76___ and is the region ' s second least populous nation after the Maldives . Thimphu is its capital and largest city , while Phuntsholing is its financial center . ___MASK76___ is Earth ' s largest and most populous continent , located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres and sharing the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe . ___MASK76___ covers an area of , about 30 % of Earth ' s total land area and 8 . 7 % of the Earth ' s total surface area . The continent , which has long been home to the majority of the human population , was the site of many of the first civilizations . ___MASK76___ is notable for not only its overall large size and population , but also dense and large settlements as well as vast barely populated regions within the continent of 4 . 4 billion people . The Terai - Duar savanna and grasslands is a narrow lowland ecoregion at the base of the Himalayas , about wide , and a continuation of the Gangetic Plain . It is colloquially called " Terai " in the Ganges Basin ___MASK33___ to Nepal , then " Dooars " in ___MASK16___ , Bangladesh , Bhutan and Assam ___MASK33___ to the Brahmaputra River . The world ' s tallest grasslands are found in this ecoregion , which are the most threatened and rare worldwide . A ___MASK69___ range ( also ___MASK69___ barrier , belt , or system ) is a geographic area containing numerous geologically related mountains . A ___MASK69___ system or system of ___MASK69___ ranges , sometimes is used to combine several geological features that are geographically ( regionally ) related . On Earth , ___MASK72___ significant ___MASK69___ ranges are the result of plate tectonics , though ___MASK69___ ranges are formed by a range of processes , are found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature of ___MASK72___ terrestrial planets . Manaslu ( Nepali :      , also known ___MASK60___ Kutang ) is the eighth highest mountain in the world at above sea level . It is located in the Mansiri Himal , part of the Nepalese Himalayas , in the west - central part of Nepal . Its name , which means " mountain of the spirit ", comes from the Sanskrit word " manasa ", meaning " intellect " or " soul ". Manaslu was first climbed on May 9 , 1956 by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu , members of a Japanese expedition . It is said that " just ___MASK60___ the British consider Everest their mountain , Manaslu has always been a Japanese mountain ". Manaslu is the highest peak in the Gorkha District and is located about east of Annapurna . The mountain ' s long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions , and culminate in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape , and is a dominant feature when viewed from afar . The Tibetan Plateau , also known in China ___MASK60___ the Qinghai  Tibet Plateau or the Qingzang Plateau or Himalayan Plateau , is a vast elevated plateau in Central ___MASK76___ and East ___MASK76___ , covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in western China , ___MASK60___ well ___MASK60___ part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state of India . It stretches approximately north to south and east to west . With an average elevation exceeding , the Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called " the Roof of the World " and is the world ' s highest and largest plateau , with an area of ( about five times the size of Metropolitan France ). Sometimes termed the Third Pole , the Tibetan Plateau contains the headwaters of the drainage basins of most of the streams in surrounding regions . Its tens of thousands of glaciers and other geographical and ecological features serve ___MASK60___ a " water tower " storing water and maintaining flow . The impact of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau is of intense scientific interest . Tibet ( Tibetan Pinyin : " boe ", ; / i t  s¹ /) is a region on the Tibetan Plateau in ___MASK76___ . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people ___MASK60___ well ___MASK60___ some other ethnic groups such ___MASK60___ Monpa , Qiang , and Lhoba peoples and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese and Hui people . Tibet is the highest region on Earth , with an average elevation of . The highest elevation in Tibet is Mount Everest , Earth ' s highest mountain , rising 8 , 848 m ( 29 , 029 ft ) above sea level . Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae ), however sedge ( Cyperaceae ) and rush ( Juncaceae ) families can also be found . Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica . Grasslands are found in ___MASK72___ ecoregions of the Earth . For example , there are five terrestrial ecoregion classifications ( subdivisions ) of the temperate grasslands , savannas , and shrublands biome ( ecosystem ), which is one of eight terrestrial ecozones of the Earth ' s surface . ___MASK57___ is one of the 29 states in ___MASK21___ , situated in North ___MASK21___ . It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1November 1966 on a linguistic basis . It stands 21st in terms of its area , which is spread about . census of ___MASK21___ , the state is eighteenth largest by population with 25 , 353 , 081 inhabitants . The city of ___MASK100___ is its capital while the NCR city of Faridabad is the most populous city of the state . The Western Development Region ( Nepali :                      , Pashchimnchal Biks Kshetra ) is one of ___MASK9___ ' s five development regions . It is located in the ___MASK15___ - central part of the country , with headquarters in Pokhara . This Development Region is divided into three parts , from south to north in order of increasing altitude : Terai , Hilly and Himalayan . Mustang , Damodar , Peri , Thaple , Ganesh are among the ___MASK12___ ranges of the Himalayas . It comprises three zones shown on the above map : Dhawalagiri ( or Dhaualagiri ) Gandaki Lumbini ___MASK95___ ,, formerly known ___MASK60___ Uttaranchal , is a state in the northern part of ___MASK21___ . It is often referred to ___MASK60___ the " Devbhumi " ( literally : " Land of the Gods ") due to many Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state . ___MASK95___ is known for its natural beauty of the Himalayas , the Bhabhar and the Terai . On 9 November 2000 , this 27th state of the Republic of ___MASK21___ was created from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of ___MASK87___ . It borders the Tibet on the north ; the Mahakali Zone of the Far - Western Region , Nepal on the east ; and the Indian states of ___MASK87___ to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the west and north - west ___MASK60___ well ___MASK60___ Haryana to its south - western corner . The state is divided into two divisions , Garhwal and Kumaon , with a total of 13 districts . The interim capital of ___MASK95___ is Dehradun , the largest city in the region , which is a railhead . The High Court of the state is in Nainital . ___MASK9___ , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of ___MASK9___ , is a landlocked central Himalayan country in ___MASK86___ ___MASK76___ . It has a population of 26 . 4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area . Bordering China in the north and India in the south , east , and west , it is the largest sovereign Himalayan state . ___MASK9___ does not border Bangladesh , which is located within only 27 km ( 17 mi ) of its southeastern tip . It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between . ___MASK9___ has a diverse geography , including fertile plains , subalpine forested hills , and eight of the world ' s ten tallest mountains , including Mount Everest , the highest point on Earth . Kathmandu is the nation ' s capital and largest city . It is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language . ___MASK87___ ( Hindi :         ), abbreviated as UP , is the most populous state in the Republic of India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world . It was created on 1 April 1937 as the United Provinces during British rule , and was renamed " ___MASK87___ " in 1950 . Lucknow is the capital city of ___MASK87___ . Ghaziabad , Bulandshahr , Kanpur , Gorakhpur , Allahabad , Raebareli , Moradabad , Bareilly , Aligarh , Sonbhadra , and Varanasi are known for their industrial importance in the state . On 9 November 2000 , a new state , Uttarakhand , was carved out from the Himalayan hill region of ___MASK87___ . The state in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent has over 200 million inhabitants . Pokhara is a metropolitan and the second largest city of ___MASK9___ ___MASK60___ well ___MASK60___ the headquarters of Kaski District , Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region which is a new metropolitan city of ___MASK9___ . It is located west of the capital Kathmandu . Despite being a comparatively smaller valley than Kathmandu , its geography varies dramatically within just few kilometres from north to south . The altitude varies from in the southern part to in the north . Additionally , the Annapurna Range with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world  Dhaulagiri , Annapurna I and Manaslu  are within approximately 15  35 miles of the valley . Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range , the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the ACAP region of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas . Kathmandu ( Nepali pronunciation : ) is the capital city of the Federal Democratic Republic of ___MASK9___ , the largest Himalayan state in ___MASK76___ . It is the largest metropolis in ___MASK9___ , with a population of 1 . 4 million in the city proper , and 5 million in its urban agglomeration across the Kathmandu Valley , which includes the towns of Lalitpur , Kirtipur , Madhyapur Thimi and Bhaktapur . Kathmandu is also the largest metropolis in the Himalayan hill region . ___MASK39___ ( , " The country of Bengal "), officially the People ' s Republic of ___MASK39___ (                  " Gônôprôjatôntri ___MASK39___ "), is a country in South ___MASK76___ . It shares land borders with India and Myanmar ( Burma ). Nepal , Bhutan and China are located near ___MASK39___ but do not share a border with it . The country ' s maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area . ___MASK39___ is the world ' s eighth most populous country . Dhaka is its capital and largest city , followed by Chittagong which has the country ' s largest port . ___MASK21___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK21___ (" Bhrat Gaarjya "), is a country in South ___MASK76___ . It is the seventh - largest country by area , the second - most populous country ( with over 1 . 2 billion people ), and the most populous democracy in the world . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast . It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the northeast ; and Myanmar ( Burma ) and Bangladesh to the east . In the Indian Ocean , ___MASK21___ is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives . ___MASK21___ ' s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Its capital is New Delhi ; other metropolises include Mumbai , Kolkata , Chennai , Bangalore , Hyderabad and Ahmedabad . Persian mythology are traditional ___MASK37___ and stories of ancient origin , all involving extraordinary or supernatural beings . Drawn from the legendary past of ___MASK62___ , they reflect the attitudes of the society to which they first belonged - attitudes towards the confrontation of good and evil , the actions of the gods , " yazats " ( lesser gods ), and the exploits of heroes and fabulous creatures . Myths play a crucial part in Iranian culture and our understanding of them is increased when we consider them within the context of Iranian history . The Brahmaputra ( is one of the ___MASK12___ rivers of ___MASK76___ , a trans - boundary river which flows through China , India and Bangladesh . As such , it is known by various names in the region . In , IAST : ; Yarlung Tsangpo ; . It is also called Tsangpo - Brahaputra ( when referring to the whole river including the stretch within Tibet ), and the Jamuna River in Bangladesh . The Manas River that runs through Bhutan joins it at Jogighopa , in India . It is the tenth largest river in the world by discharge , and the 29th longest . The Dooars or Duars ( Pron : du :  : z ) are the floodplains and foothills of the eastern Himalayas in ___MASK48___ - ___MASK33___ ___MASK21___ around Bhutan . " Duar " means ' door ' in Assamese , Bengali , Nepali , Maithili , Bhojpuri , Magahi and Telugu languages , and the region forms the gateway to Bhutan from ___MASK21___ . There are 18 passages or gateways through which the Bhutanese people can communicate with the people living in the plains . This region is divided by the Sankosh river into the Eastern and the Western Dooars , consisting of an area of 8 , 800 km² ( 3 , 400 sq mi ). The Western Dooars is known as the Bengal Dooars and the Eastern Dooars as the Assam Dooars . Dooars is synonymous with the term Terai used in Nepal and northern ___MASK21___ Kaski District (, a part of Province No . 4 , is one of the seventy - five districts of ___MASK9___ . The name is disambiguated from Kaskikot , the ancient Kaski Kingdom . The Himalayas , or Himalaya , ( or ) are a ___MASK69___ range in ___MASK76___ separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau . ___MASK40___ ( literally " Snow - abode ") is a state of ___MASK21___ located in Northern ___MASK21___ . It is bordered by ___MASK19___ on the north , Punjab and ___MASK100___ on the west , Haryana on the south - west , Uttarakhand on the south - east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east . The name was coined from Sanskrit " him " ' snow ' and " anchal " ' lap ', by Acharya Diwakar Datt Sharma , one of the state ' s most eminent Sanskrit scholars . Sikkim is a northeastern state of ___MASK21___ . It borders China in its north and east , Bhutan in its east , Nepal in its west and the Indian state of ___MASK16___ in its south . Sikkim is also located close to the Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh . Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states . A part of the Eastern Himalaya , Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity , including alpine and subtropical climates , ___MASK60___ well ___MASK60___ being a host to Kanchenjunga , the highest peak in ___MASK21___ and third highest on Earth . Sikkim ' s capital and largest city is Gangtok . Almost 25 % of the state is covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park . Gandaki zone ( is one of the fourteen zones of ___MASK9___ , located in the Western Development Region . It is named ___MASK60___ Sapta Gandaki after the seven tributaries ( Kali Gandaki , Trishuli , Budhi Gandaki , Marsyangdi , Madi , Seti Gandaki , and Daraudi ) that make up the Gandaki River . Pokhara serves ___MASK60___ its regional and zonal capital . It is also the birthplace of Bhanubhakta Acharya , first poet of ___MASK9___ . An angel , especially according to Abrahamic religions and Zoroastrianism , is a spiritual being superior to humans in power and intelligence . Angels are typically described ___MASK60___ benevolent , dreadful , and endowed with wisdom and knowledge of earthly events , but not infallible ; for they strive with each other , and God has to make peace between them . ___MASK72___ of them serve either ___MASK60___ intermediaries between Heaven and Earth , or ___MASK60___ guardian spirits . They are studied in the theological doctrine of angelology . In Christian Science , the word " angel " is used to refer to an inspiration from God . The use of the term has extended to refer to artistic depictions of the spirits , and it is also used figuratively to refer to messengers and harbingers , and to people who possess high qualities of goodness , purity , selflessness , intelligence , and / or beauty . FOREST ( short for " Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco ") is a ___MASK32___ political pressure group which campaigns against tobacco control activity . Armenian mythology began with ancient Indo - European and Urartian origins , gradually incorporating Mesopotamian , Iranian , and Greek ideas and deities . There are signs which indicate that the ancient Armenians were initially nature worshipers and that ___MASK1___ faith in ___MASK66___ was transformed to the worship of national gods , many of which originated in neighboring cultures . The Terai is a plain region of ___MASK9___ and the plain land region in ___MASK39___ , Bhutan and ___MASK21___ that lies in south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya , the Siwalik Hills , and north of the Indo - Gangetic Plain of the Ganges , Brahmaputra and their tributaries . This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands , scrub ___MASK97___ , sal forests and clay rich swamps . In northern ___MASK21___ , the Terai spreads eastward from the Yamuna River across Himachal Pradesh , Haryana , Uttarakhand , ___MASK87___ and Bihar . The Terai is part the Terai - Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion . Corresponding parts in West Bengal , ___MASK39___ , Bhutan and Assam east to the Brahmaputra River are called ' Dooars '. In ___MASK9___ , the Terai lies at an altitude of between and comprises more than 50 wetlands . North of the Terai rises the Bhabhar , a narrow but continuous belt of forest about wide . ___MASK6___ (; " Ôxôm " ; " Asam "; " Âshám " ) is a state in northeastern ___MASK21___ . Located south of the eastern Himalayas , ___MASK6___ comprises the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley along with the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts with an area of . ___MASK6___ , along with Arunachal Pradesh , Nagaland , Manipur , Mizoram , Tripura , and Meghalaya , is one of the " Seven Sister States ". Geographically , ___MASK6___ and these states are connected to the rest of ___MASK21___ via a strip of land in ___MASK16___ called the Siliguri Corridor or " Chicken ' s Neck ". ___MASK6___ shares an international border with Bhutan and Bangladesh ; and its culture , people and climate are similar to those of South - East ___MASK76___  comprising the elements in ___MASK21___  s Look East policy . The Indo - Gangetic Plain , also known ___MASK60___ the Indus - Ganga and the North Indian River Plain , is a 255 million hectare ( 630 million acres ) fertile plain encompassing ___MASK72___ of northern and eastern ___MASK21___ , the eastern parts of Pakistan , and virtually all of Bangladesh . The region is named after the Indus and the Ganges , and encompasses a number of large urban areas . The Indus - Ganga plain is bound on the north by the Himalayas which feed its numerous rivers and are the source of the fertile alluvium deposited across the region by the two river systems . The southern edge of the plain is marked by the Chota Nagpur Plateau . On the west rises the Iranian Plateau . An ecoregion ( ecological region ) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion , which in turn is smaller than an ecozone . All three of these are either less or greater than an ecosystem . Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water , and contain characteristic , geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species . The biodiversity of ___MASK29___ , fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions . In theory , biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant , within an acceptable range of variation ( largely undefined at this point ). ___MASK86___ ___MASK76___ or Southern ___MASK76___ is a term used to represent the southern region of the Asian continent , which comprises the sub - Himalayan SAARC countries and , for some authorities , adjoining countries to the west and east . Topographically , it is dominated by the ___MASK91___ , which rises above sea level as Nepal and northern parts of India situated south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush . ___MASK86___ ___MASK76___ is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land ( clockwise , from west ) by West ___MASK76___ , Central ___MASK76___ , East ___MASK76___ , and Southeast ___MASK76___ .