Ladakh and Zaskar ranges
Topic: Structure and Physiography of India: Himalayas, Plains, Peninsula, Coasts and Islands · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
The Ladakh and Zaskar ranges are Trans-Himalayan ranges in Ladakh, north of the Great Himalaya. The Ladakh range is the northern one and the Zaskar range the southern one. The Indus flows north-west in the valley between them and then cuts through the Ladakh range near Gilgit. Both ranges lie in the rain shadow of the Great Himalaya (the dry side, sheltered from rain-bearing winds), so the region is a cold desert with under about 10 cm of rain a year.
Example
Leh stands in the Indus valley between the two ranges. Khardung La, a high pass in the Ladakh range north of Leh, leads to the Nubra and Shyok valleys. The Zaskar river, which flows down from the Zaskar range, joins the Indus near Leh.
Don't confuse with
- Pir Panjal range: this is a Lesser Himalayan range south of the Kashmir valley, and it gets far more rain and snow. The Ladakh and Zaskar ranges are Trans-Himalayan and dry.
Related concepts
- Greater Himalaya
- Lesser Himalaya
- Shiwalik
- Kailash range
- Mount Everest
- Kanchenjunga
- Namcha Barwa
- Pir Panjal range