Leh district is a district in the union territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

, India. With an area of 45,110 ''km''^''2'', it is the second largest district in the country smaller only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

's Kharmang and

Ghanche The Ghanche District ( bft, ) is the easternmost district of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan Army's brigade headquarters is located at Goma, Ghanche district. Pakistan Army's Gayari Sector Batt ...

districts and

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

's Kashgar Prefecture and

Hotan Prefecture Hotan PrefectureThe official spelling is "Hotan" according to (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is located in the Tarim Basin region of southwestern Xinjiang, China, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region ...

linked via the historic

Karakoram Pass The Karakoram Pass () is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin. 'Karakoram' literally means 'Black Gravel' ...

. It has

Aksai Chin Aksai Chin is a region administered by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang and Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. It is claimed by India to be a part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory. It is a part of the ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and

Lahul and Spiti The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul () and Spiti (; or ). The present administrative centre is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged, ...

to the south. The district headquarters is in

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

. It lies between 32 to 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude. The whole of Ladakh was under the administration of Leh until 1 July 1979, when the Kargil and Leh administrative districts were created. Religion has been a source of grievances between Buddhists and Muslims since the late 20th century and was a contributor to this division. In 2017, the district was declared a tobacco-free zone. The Directorate of Health Services Kashmir under the National Tobacco Control Programme began working towards the designation early in 2017 and the status was declared in August. Rehana Kousar (in-charge, NTCP, Kashmir) said that work was done with civil society, religious and women's groups and that a "major success was achieved by the involvement of women in the anti-tobacco campaign." In August 2019, the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...

passed an act that contained provisions to make Leh a district of the new union territory of

, which was formed 31 October 2019.

Administration

There are seven sub-divisions and twelve tehsils. The sub-divisions are:

Nubra Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ...

Durbuk Durbuk or Darbuk, is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision and block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.

(Durbok),

Khalatse Khaltse or Khalsi is the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision, block and tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.

(Khaltsi/Khalsi),

, Kharoo,

Likir Likir is a village and headquarter of eponymous Subdivision in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil and community development block in the Leh district.Panamik Panamic or Panamik is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh in India. It is located in the Nubra tehsil. Hot sulphur springs are found in the village. Panamik is a contraction of སྤང་ན་ཆུ་མིག་ 'Spang na Chumik', ...

, Sumoor,

Turtuk Turtuk ཏུར་ཏུཀ་ is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous community development block in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is a small village sandwiched between Karakorum Range and Himalayas. and one of the northe ...

, and

Diskit Diskit is a village and headquarter of the Nubra tehsil and the Nubra subdivision in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.Nubra Valley Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name ...

Durbuk Durbuk or Darbuk, is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision and block in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.

Khalatse Khaltse or Khalsi is the headquarters of the eponymous subdivision, block and tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.

, Saspol,

, Chuchot, Kharoo,

Likir Likir is a village and headquarter of eponymous Subdivision in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil and community development block in the Leh district.Leh tehsils
As a result of ''The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019'', Leh district would claim

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

jurisdiction over the following areas of Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, and Tribal territory, making it slightly smaller than the country of Tunisia. The

Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh (LAHDC Leh) is an Autonomous District Council that administers the Leh district of Ladakh, India. History The council was created under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act 1 ...

(LAHDC Leh), is the

Autonomous District Council The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India allows for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions which have been given autonomy within their respective states. Most of these autonomous district councils are located in North Ea ...

that administers the Leh district. As of July 2019, Leh district is divided into 7 sub-divisions (new sub-divisions in Leh), 12

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s (new tehsils in Panamik, Turtuk, Chuchot and Likir) and 18 (new blocks in Sumoor and Likir) blocks.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Leh district had a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 133,487, roughly equal to the nation of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

. This gives it a ranking of 609th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.87%, (it was 30.15% for 1991–2001). Leh has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of 690

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...

for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 77.2%.

Religion

Languages

Ladakhi is the most spoken language ,Hindi/ Urdu is the second largest language, mainly spoken in Leh. Balti is found in

near the boundary with Gilgit-Baltistan.

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

, Punjabi,

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

and Nepali are all mainly spoken in Leh.

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

are widely understood in Leh.

Politics

Parliamentary Constituency

The district falls under

Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency) Ladakh Lok Sabha seat is the only Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is the largest such constituency in India, in terms of area, with a total area of . The number of electors (voters) in the con ...

. The present

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) of Ladakh is

Jamyang Tsering Namgyal Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (born 4 August 1985) is an Indian politician and Member of Parliament from Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency), Ladakh, India's largest parliamentary seat geographically. Namgyal was elected, on 9 November 2018, to be the yo ...

of the

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

Assembly constituencies

Leh district had two assembly constituencies, Nubra and Leh under Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Since Ladakh is a union territory without legislature, it does not have a present legislative assembly.

Autonomous Hill Council

Leh District is administered by an elected body known as the

. The LAHDC was established in 1995. The latest elections were held in October 2020. The BJP secured 15 seats while the INC won 9 and the Independents won 2.

Transportation

Road

Leh is connected to the rest of India by two high-altitude roads both of which are subject to landslides and neither of which are passable in winter when covered by deep snows. The National Highway 1D from

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

via

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...

is generally open longer. The Leh-Manali Highway can be troublesome due to very high passes and plateaus, and the lower but landslide-prone Rohtang Pass near Manali. The third road axis is under construction. *

National Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

The overland approach to Ladakh from the Kashmir valley via the 434-km.

typically remains open for traffic from June to October/November. The most dramatic part of this road journey is the ascent up the 3,505 m (11,500 ft.) high

Zoji-la Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is in the Indian Union territory of Ladakh, Kargil district, Kashmir. Located in the Drass, the pass connects the Kashmir Valley to its west, with the Drass an ...

, a tortuous pass in the Great Himalayan Wall. The

Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation was the agency of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir that provides road transport within Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir and the adjacent states. History With the clos ...

(JKSRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps) are also available at Srinagar for the journey. * National Highway 3 or Leh-Manali Highway Since 1989, the 473-km Leh-Manali Highway has been serving as the second land approach to Ladakh. Open for traffic from June to late October, this high road traverses the upland desert plateaux of Rupsho whose altitude ranges from 3,660 m to 4,570 m. There are a number of high passes en route among which the highest one, known as

Tanglang La Taglang La or Tanglang La, elevation , is a high altitude mountain pass in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is located on the NH3 Leh–Manali Highway. Rail-cum-road tunnels are being constructed under the Taglang La, Lungalacha La ...

, is sometimes (but incorrectly) claimed to be the world's second-highest motorable pass at an altitude of 5,325 m. (17,469 feet). See the article on

Khardung La Khardung La () or Khardung Pass is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The pass is on the Ladakh Range, north of Leh, and connects the Indus river valley and the Shyok river valley. It also forms the ...

for a discussion of the world's highest motorable passes. * Nimmu–Padam–Darcha road This is the third road axis to Leh. It is currently under construction.

Air

Leh's Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport has flights to Delhi at least daily on

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the sa ...

which also provides twice-weekly services to

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

and a weekly flight to

. Passengers connect in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

for other destinations.

Go First Go First, founded as GoAir, is an Indian ultra-low-cost airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is owned by the Indian business conglomerate Wadia Group. In October 2017, it was the fifth largest airline in India with an 8.4% passenger mar ...

operates

to Leh daily flights during peak time.

Rail

There is no railway service currently in Ladakh, however, 2 railway routes are proposed- the

Bilaspur–Leh line Bilaspur–Manali-Leh line is an under-construction high-elevation all-weather broad gauge railway track connecting Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh union territory of India. It will connect major hill towns of Bilaspur, Mandi, K ...

and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line.

Gallery

Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe.jpg,

Tsomoriri Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri () or "Mountain Lake", is a lake in the Changthang Plateau (literally: northern plains) of Ladakh in India. The lake and surrounding area are protected as the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. The lake is at ...

lake Pangong Tso 2.jpg, Pangong lake India - Ladakh - Leh - 053 - flower fields outside my guesthouse (3844435507).jpg, Leh district flower fields and mountains

References

External links

Official Website of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh

Maps of India
Ladakh Tourism Guide
- Photo Gallery of Leh, Monasteries in Leh, NGO's in Leh, Important Phone #.
Shaam Region in Leh
(not to be confused with the Middle Eastern region) {{Coord, 34.1667, N, 77.5833, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IN, display=title 1979 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir Leh Geography of Ladakh Minority Concentrated Districts in India Autonomous regions of India Districts of Ladakh