Himalayas

The Himalayas form the greatest mountain system on Earth, with more than 110 peaks rising above 24,000 feet, including Mount Everest. The range extends more than 1,600 serpentine miles from the Indus River in Pakistan to Tibet, covering more than 230,000 square miles. The flora of the Himalayans varies depending on both altitude and climatic conditions, ranging from deciduous forests in the foothills to more coniferous forests higher up. Even higher, alpine forests fill the landscape, giving way to high-altitude meadows. Scrublands lead up to the permanent snowline of the mountains. Animals such as leopards, rhinoceroses, and varieties of deer once inhabited the forests of the sub-Himalayan foothills, but deforestation has destroyed much of this natural refuge. Forty million people live in the Himalayas. There are a combination of Indian Hindus in the sub- and middle-Himalayan valleys located in the eastern region of Kashmir to Nepal, and Tibetan Buddhists who inhabit the high Himalayas in the north. Outside influence has been minimal; but since 1950, tourism has grown into a thriving business for local economies. One million people visit the Himalayas annually for mountain activities. Most treks are conducted the same way they have been for thousands of years, with a porter and a pack animal.

From the game's History encyclopedia, AoE3: DE 100.19.18309.