Ladakh

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Ladakh
Union territory
Clockwise: Rangdum village, Lamayuru, Shyok river, Zanskar valley.
Ladakh in India (lighter shade indicated claimed but not controlled territories)
Coordinates: 34°10′12″N 77°34′48″E / 34.17000°N 77.58000°E / 34.17000; 77.58000
Country	India
Union territory	31 October 2019[1]
Capital	Leh,[2] Kargil[3]
Districts	2
Government
• Body	Administration of Ladakh
• Lieutenant Governor	Radha Krishna Mathur
• Member of Parliament	Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (BJP)
• High Court	Jammu and Kashmir High Court
Area [4][a]
• Total	59,146 km2 (22,836 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Saltoro Kangri[5])	7,742 m (25,400 ft)
Lowest elevation (Indus River)	2,550 m (8,370 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	274,289
• Density	4.6/km2 (12/sq mi)
Demonym	Ladakhi
Languages
• Official	Ladakhi, Kashmiri, Panjabi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	LA[6]
Website	ladakh.nic.in

Ladakh ("land of high passes") is a Union Territory in northern India. It is located between the Karakoram mountain range in the north and the main Himalayas to the south. Ladakh is well-known for its remote mountain scenery. It is inhabited by a mix of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan people.^[7] Their language is an archaic dialect of the Tibetan language. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet", because it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture. Ladakh is one of the least populated regions in the area.

Ladakh region borders Tibet to the east, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, and Kashmir, Jammu and Baltistan to the west.

In the past, Ladakh was important for trade. It was where several important trade routes met.^[8] However, China closed the border with Tibet in the 1960s, and since then, international trade has suffered. Tourism is an exception, and it has been very important for Ladakh's economy since about 1974. Because the wider region is a part of the Kashmir conflict, the Indian military has a strong presence in Ladakh.

The largest town in Ladakh is Leh. Ladakh's most population are followers of Shia Islam and rest majority is Buddhists which are 35%of population.^[9] Leh is followed by Kargil as the second largest town in Ladakh.^[10] Some Ladakhi activists have in recent times called for Ladakh to be made into a union territory because of its religious and cultural differences with Kashmir, which is mostly Muslim.^[11][12] Under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 Ladakh was declared as a separate union territory.

1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ↑ "Ladakh Gets Civil Secretariat". 17 October 2019.
3. ↑ Excelsior, Daily (12 November 2019). "LG, UT Hqrs, Head of Police to have Sectts at both Leh, Kargil: Mathur". Retrieved 17 December 2019.
4. ↑ "MHA.nic.in". MHA.nic.in. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
5. ↑ "Saltoro Kangri, India/Pakistan". peakbagger.com. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. ↑ Jina, Prem Singh (1996). Ladakh: The Land and the People. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-057-6.
8. ↑ Rizvi, Janet (2001). Trans-Himalayan Caravans – Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh. Oxford India Paperbacks.
9. ↑ Rizvi, Janet (1996). Ladakh — Crossroads of High Asia. Oxford University Press.
10. ↑ Osada et al (2000), p. 298.
11. ↑ "Kargil Council For Greater Ladakh". The Statesman, 9 August 2003. 2003. Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
12. ↑ Loram, Charlie (2004) [2000]. Trekking in Ladakh (2nd ed.). Trailblazer Publications. ISBN 9781873756751.