Zanskar district

Uncommon card · No. 195582

Zanskar is an administrative district in the Union Territory of Ladakh in India with headquarters at Padum. It was carved out of the Kargil district in 2026 to give autonomy to this historically isolated Himalayan region. Covering an area of approximately 6,688 km2 (2,582 mi2) at elevations between 3,600 and 4,000 m (11,800 and 13,100 ft), Zanskar is a high-altitude semi-desert lying between the Great Himalayas and the Zanskar Range. The district contains the Lungnak and Doda river valleys and has 13,793 inhabitants, who predominately speak the Zangskari language and adhere to Tibetan Buddhism. The Karsha, Phugtal, and Sani monasteries are important religious centers. Economically, the population relies on high-altitude subsistence farming and tourism. Access to the district has traditionally been difficult due to high mountain passes, with a frozen route over the Zanskar River being an alternative during the winter. Roads such as NH 301, which connects Padum to Kargil, have lessened the...

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