Ladakh

La·dakh (lə-däkʹ)

A region of Jammu and Kashmir in India and Pakistan on the border of China. The site of a Tibetan kingdom during the 17th century, it was annexed by the maharajah of Jammu in 1834.

* * *

Region, eastern Kashmir region, northwestern Indian subcontinent.

It covers about 45,000 sq mi (117,000 sq km) and includes the western Himalayan Ladakh Range (see Himalayas), the Karakoram Range, and the upper Indus River valley. Its capital is Leh. India and Pakistan fought over it before peace negotiations in 1949 gave its southern portion to India (which is part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir) and the rest to Pakistan. In the Sino-Indian War of 1962 China gained a portion of northeastern Ladakh. The region's boundaries are still in dispute.

* * *

▪ region, Kashmir region, Indian subcontinent

      large area of the northern and eastern Kashmir region, northwestern Indian subcontinent. Administratively, Ladakh is divided between Pakistan (northwest), as part of the Northern Areas, and India (southeast), as part of Jammu and Kashmir state (that area is sometimes called “Ladakh proper”); in addition, China administers portions of northeastern Ladakh.

      Ladakh covers about 45,000 square miles (117,000 square km) and contains the Ladakh Range (Ladākh Range), which is a southeastern extension of the Karakoram Range, and the upper Indus River valley. Ladakh is one of the highest regions of the world. Its natural features consist mainly of high plains and deep valleys. The high plain predominates in the east, diminishing gradually toward the west. In southeastern Ladakh lies Rupshu, an area of large, brackish lakes with a uniform elevation of about 13,500 feet (4,100 metres). To the northwest of Rupshu lies the Zaskar Range (Zāskār Range), an inaccessible region where the people and the cattle remain indoors for much of the year because of the cold. Zaskar is drained by the Zaskar River, which, flowing northward, joins the Indus River below Leh. In the heart of Ladakh, farther to the north, cultivation by means of manuring and irrigation is practiced by farmers living in valley villages at elevations between about 9,000 and 15,000 feet (2,750 and 4,550 metres). Shepherds tend flocks in the upland valleys that are too high for cultivation. Leh, the most accessible town of Ladakh, is an important trade centre located 160 miles (260 km) east of Srinagar.

      The climate of Ladakh is cold and dry. Average annual precipitation is roughly 3 inches (80 mm); fine, dry, flaked snow is frequent and sometimes falls heavily. Vegetation is confined to valleys and sheltered spots, where a stunted growth of tamarisk (genus Tamarix) shrubs, furze (also called gorse; spiny plants of the legume family), and other plants supply much-needed firewood. The principal products are wheat, barley, millet, buckwheat, peas, beans, and turnips. Woolen cloth and other textiles are the primary manufactures.

      Ladakh has been contested by India and Pakistan since the dissolution of British India in 1947; after the cease-fire agreement of 1949, its southeastern portion went to India and the remainder to Pakistan. China gained control of its portion of Ladakh when its forces entered the region in the early 1960s.

* * *