Leh is located in the Ladakh region between 32° and 36° North latitude
and 75° and 80° East longitude. With an area of 82665 sq. kms, Leh is
the largest district of India. The district shares common borders with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the West, China in the north and the district of Lahaul and Spiti of Himachal Pradesh in the southeast.
The entire Ladakh region was the under the administration of Leh district until July 1, 1979 when it was divided into two districts namely Leh and Kargil. About 84% population of the district is dominated by the Tibetan Buddhists and the rest being Shi’a Muslims.
The most attractive features of the landscape of Leh are the Buddhist monasteries.
These monasteries or gompas are situated on the highest points of the
mountain spurs. These monasteries celebrate their annual festivals in
winter marked by gay mask dances. The worth visiting monasteries and
Muslim shrines of the district are: Hemis, Alchi, Spituk, Phyang, Shey, Thikse, Jama Masjid and Masjid-e-Shah-e-Hamdan. Apart from these the most important destination is the leh palace, a historical building built in 17th century by the rulers of Ladakh. This 9 storeyed outstanding monument is a symbol of the grand Tibetan architecture.
Facts & Figures
| Area | 82665 sq. kms |
| Latitude | between 32° and 36°North |
| Longitude | between 75° and 80°East |
| Population | 117637 |
| Males | 65166 |
| Females | 52471 |
| Population density | 3 |
| Sex Ratio | 805 |
| Literacy Rate | 62.24% |
| No. of sub-divisions | 3 |
| No.of Tehsils | 1 |
| No. of blocks | 6 |
| No. of Villages | 113 |
| No.of panchayats | 68 |
| STDCode | 01982 |
| Postal Code | 194101 |
| Temperature Range | -40°C in winter and + 35°C in summer |
Note: Total area includes 37555 sq. kms of area occupied by China.
How to reach
Leh is well connected by air and road. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways provide world class flight services to Leh from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar.
Ladakh
region can be easily approached from Kashmir valley via 434-km.
Srinagar-Leh road, which remains open for traffic from early June to
November. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) operates
regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. The route remains closed in winter due to heavy snowfall.