Stretching over 3500 kilometres and across eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan

• Often referred to as the “Third Pole” for its vast ice reserves, after the Arctic and Antarctic.
• It runs northeast to southwest and divides the Amu Darya valley to the north from the Indus River valley to the south.
• Source of  major river systems like
  • The Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra flow towards the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
  • Syr Darya and Amu Darya towards the now-dead Aral Sea
  • The Tarim toward the Taklamakan
  • The Yellow River towards the Gulf of Bohai
  • The Yangtze towards the East China Sea
  • The Mekong towards the South China Sea
  • The Chindwin, Salween, and Irrawaddy towards the Andaman Sea

Source: Down To Earth