China has put out a map on glaciers in the Himalayas, which stretch 2,400 km from southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to Pakistan.

As the world's highest and largest mountain range, the Himalayas have an abundance of glaciers, which are at the head of many renowned rivers including the Yarlung Zangbo (Yalu Tsangpo), the Ganges and the Indus, said Qin Dahe, the map's chief editor and noted glaciologist with the country's glacier research institute in this capital of Gansu Province.

Chinese glaciologists have studied China's glaciers for more than 40 years, Qin said, adding that the map is the world's first detailed atlas about the size and distribution of the 18,065 glaciers in the entire Himalayan mountain area.

The map, based on satellite and aerial photographs, also reflects the topography of the Himalayas.

The map will be practical reference for domestic and international scientific research programs and expedition, Qin said.