Peoples of the Southern Himalayan Slopes

The southern Himalayas span Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan. Major ethnic groups:

Pakistan

• Kashmiri (Kashmir), Pahari (Dogri, Himachali), Punjabi (foothills).

India

• Pahari groups (Himachal, Uttarakhand), Nepali (Darjeeling/Sikkim), Gorkhali (Kumaon), Bhotia (high altitudes, Tibeto-Burman).

Nepal

• Nepali (majority: Newar, Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu), Tharu (Terai), Sherpa (Eastern highlands), Tamang (central), Gurung (west/central).

Bhutan

• Bhutanese (Dzongkha-speaking: Ngalop, Sharchop), Lhotshampa (Nepali-origin), Sharchop (eastern, Tibetan-related).

This region is a mosaic of Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and Austroasiatic cultures, adapted to altitudinal zones.