LADAKH

region of eastern Kashmir, part of Jammu and Kashmir state, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It contains the western Himalayan Ladakh Range. Ladakh covers about 45,000 square miles (117,000 square km) and includes the Karakoram Range and the upper Indus River valley. Ladakh is one of the most elevated regions of the world. Its natural features consist mainly of high plains and deep valleys. The high plain predominates in the east, diminishing gradually westward. In the southeast of Ladakh lies Rupshu, an area of large, brackish lakes which has a uniform height of about 13,500 feet (4,100 m). To the northwest of Rupshu lies Zaskar, a bleak, 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 Ladakh proper, farther to the north, cultivation by means of manuring and irrigation ranges from 9,000 to 15,000 feet (2,750 to 4,550 m). The people are divided into shepherds, who populate the upland valleys too high for cultivation, and the Ladakhis, who till the land around the valley villages. Leh, the most accessible town of Ladakh proper, is an important trade centre and lies 160 miles (260 km) east of Srinagar. The climate of Ladakh is cold and dry. Average annual precipitation is 3 1/3 inches (84 mm); fine, dry, flaked snow is frequent, and sometimes the fall is heavy. Vegetation is confined to valleys and sheltered spots, where a stunted growth of tamarisk, furze, and other plants supply much-needed firewood. The principal products are wheat, barley, millet, buckwheat, peas, beans, and turnips. The only manufacture is woolen cloth. Ladakh was contested by both India and Pakistan; after the cease-fire agreement of 1949, its southern portion went to India and the remainder to Pakistan. In the early 1960s Chinese forces gained control of the northeastern part of the Indian-held portion of Ladakh.