Ladakh

Ladakh (which in Urdu means "land of high passes") is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India sandwiched between the Kuen Lun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in India. Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Ngari including the Rudok region and Guge in the east, and Nubra valleys to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range.

Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the Trans -Kuen Lun territory of East Turkistan in Central Asia on the other side of the Kuen Lun range in Kashmir to the north. Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture. In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960, international trade has dwindled. Since 1974 the Indian Government has encouraged tourism in Ladakh.

The largest town in Ladakh is Leh. A majority of Ladakhis are Tibetan Buddhists and the majority of the remainder are Shia Muslims. Ladakhis have in recent times called for Ladakh to be constituted as a union territory because of its religious and cultural differences with predominantly Muslim Kashmir

• See Wikipedia article on Ladakh for more information