Geography:
Amid the rising Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh is dominated by mountains. The tallest peaks are Leo Purgyal (6791 m) near Nako in Kinnaur; Kinnaur Kailash (6050 m) overlooking eastern Kinnaur, and Deo Tibba (6001 m) not far from Manali.
Himachal is made up of several culturally distinct regions isolated by mountain ridges. The only links to some regions are high mountain passes, closed by snow in winter such as Rohtang La (4551 m) to Spiti, and Baralacha La (4950 m) for the road to Leh. In Tibetan, 'La' means pass.
The Lahaul Valley is formed by the north-westerly flowing Chandra River, eventually stretching into kashmir. Near Tibet the Spiti river flows east and south Spiti before joining the mighty Sutlej River in Kinnaur which drains into Punjab. The Beas river drains the kullu valley and stretches from Manali to Mandi, its water joined by those of the Parvati before pivoting west.
In the west of the state is the peaceful Kangra Valley, separated by the snow-capped Dhauladhar range. The Pir Panjal range separates the Chamba Valley from the remote Pattern Valley (upper Chenab River valley) in the far north.

Capital	Shimla
Area	55,673 sq km
Population	60,77,248
Language	Hindi, Parhari