The Himalayas are by far the tallest mountains in the world. This mighty range stretches 1,500 miles from east to west, across Bhutan, Nepal, India, Tibet, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The Himalayas also shape the region’s climate. They block the clouds! South of the range, moist air moves north from the Indian Ocean. When the clouds hit the Himalayas, they rise and cool. Cool air can’t hold as much moisture. Out comes the rain. It drenches the southern Himalayan slopes like a super soaked. Very little moisture makes it across the range. The windswept Tibetan plateau north of the Himalayas is dusty and dry.