Chapter 5 : Climate and Geographic Data
5.2..Topography Ladakh covers about 117,000 square km and contains the Ladakh Range, which is a south eastern 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 south eastern Ladakh lies Rupshu, an area of large, brackish lakes with a uniform elevation of about 13,500 feet (4,100 meters). To the northwest of Rupshu lies the Zanskar 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 meters). Shepherds tend flocks in the upland valleys that are too high for cultivation. Leh, the most accessible town of Ladakh, is an important trade center located 160 miles (260 km) east of Srinagar. (BRITANICA.COM)
Figure 115 Ladakh mountain range 129 Kyosang on Highway 2020-21
