Portal:India/Today's selected article/October 27, 2006

Ladakh, a word which means "land of high passes", is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of Northern India sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in India. Historically, the region included the Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar to the south, and Nubra valleys to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range. Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahul and Spiti to the south, Kashmir to the west, and Central Asia to the north.

Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture which was established as early as the 2nd century. This has given rise to the appellation "Little Tibet", as it has strongly been influenced by the culture of Tibet. In the past, Ladakh gained from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders into Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960, international trade has dwindled. Since 1974, the Indian Government encouraged tourism in Ladakh. The largest town of Ladakh is Leh. A majority of Ladakhis are Tibetan Buddhist, with most of the rest being Shia Muslims. The people of Ladakh have in recent times called for the creation of a new Indian union territory because of its religious and cultural differences with predominantly Muslim Kashmir.

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