Created by Fastily
Last edited March 24, 2026
->Dawnseeker2000
m date format audit, WP:CIRCULAR, typo(s) fixed: 1991-2001 → 1991–2001
m updated details further and improved wording
 
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{{About|the district|its eponymous headquarters|Leh}}
{{Short description|District of Ladakh, administered by India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| name                           = Leh district
| name               = Leh district
| settlement_type                 = [[List of districts of Ladakh|District]] of [[Ladakh]]
| settlement_type   = [[List of districts of Ladakh|District]] of [[Ladakh]] administered by India<ref name=tertiary-kashmir/>
| total_type                     = Total
| total_type         = Total
| native_name                     =  
| native_name       =  
| image_skyline                   = Leh 02.jpg
| image_skyline     = Leh 02.jpg
| image_caption                   = View of Leh Town
| image_caption     = View of Leh Town
| image_map                      = Ladakh Districts (2019).svg
| image_map1        = Kashmir region. LOC 2003626427 - showing sub-regions administered by different countries.jpg
| coordinates                    =
| map_alt            =  
| map_caption                    = Leh district in Ladakh. Lighter-coloured areas are claimed as part of Leh district but are administered by other countries.
| map_caption1      = A map showing Indian-administered [[Ladakh]] (shaded in [[tan (color)|tan]] in the disputed [[Kashmir]] region<ref name=tertiary-kashmir/>
| coor_pinpoint                  = Leh
| coordinates        = {{coord|33|38|N|77|46|E|type:adm2nd_region:IN_dim:200000|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| mapframe = yes
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|India}}
| mapframe-zoom = 4
| subdivision_type1               = {{nowrap|[[States and union territories of India|Union Territory]]}}
| coor_pinpoint      = Leh
| subdivision_name1               = {{flagicon image|Ladakh Government Banner.png}} [[Ladakh]]
| subdivision_type  = Administering country
| subdivision_type2               =  
| subdivision_name  = India
| subdivision_name2               =  
| subdivision_type1 = {{nowrap|[[States and union territories of India|Union Territory]]}}
| established_title               = Established
| subdivision_name1 = [[Ladakh]]
| established_date               = 1 July 1979
| subdivision_type2 = [[Headquarters]]
| seat_type                       = Headquarters
| subdivision_name2 = [[Leh]]
| seat                           = [[Leh]]
| established_title = Established
| parts_type                     = [[Tehsils of India|Tehsils]]
| established_date   = 1 July 1979
| parts_style                     = para
| seat_type         = Headquarters
| p1                             = Leh, Khaltsi, Nyoma, Kharu, Diskit Nubra, Saspol, Durbuk and Sumoor
| seat               = [[Leh]]
| area_total_km2                 = 45,110
| parts_type         = [[Tehsils of India|Tehsils]]
| area_footnotes                 =  
| parts_style       = para
| population_as_of               = 2011
| p1                 = Leh, Khaltsi, Nyoma, Kharu, Diskit Nubra, Saspol, Durbuk and Sumoor
| population_total               = 133,487 (2011)
| area_total_km2     = 45,110
| population_footnotes           =  
| area_footnotes     =  
| population_urban               = 45,671
| population_as_of   = 2011
| population_density_km2         = auto
| population_total   = 133487
| demographics_type1             = Demographics
| population_footnotes =  
| demographics1_title1           = [[Literacy in India|Literacy]]
| population_urban   = 45,671
| demographics1_info1             = 77.2%
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics1_title2           = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]
| demographics_type1 = Demographics
| demographics1_info2             = 690 [[female|♀]]/ 1000 [[male|♂]] <!-- 78,971 males, 54,516 females -->
| demographics1_title1 = [[Literacy in India|Literacy]]
| demographics_type2             = Languages
| demographics1_info1 = 77.2%
| demographics2_title1           = Official
| demographics1_title2 = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]
| demographics2_info1             = [[Hindi]], [[English language|English]]
| demographics1_info2 = 690 [[female|♀]]/ 1000 [[male|♂]] <!-- 78,971 males, 54,516 females -->
| demographics2_title2           = Spoken
| demographics_type2 = Languages
| demographics2_info2             = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]], [[Hindi]]
| demographics2_title1 = Official
| leader_title                   = [[District magistrate (India)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| demographics2_info1 = [[Hindi]], [[English language|English]]
| leader_name                     = Mr. Shrikant Balasaheb Suse [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| demographics2_title2 = Spoken
| leader_title1                   = [[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh|Chief Executive Councillor]]
| demographics2_info2 = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Brokskat]], [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]], [[Hindi/Urdu]]
| leader_name1                   = Tashi Gyalson, [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]
| leader_title       = [[District magistrate (India)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| leader_title2                   = [[Lok Sabha|Lok Sabha Constituency]]
| leader_name       = Sh. Romil Singh Donk [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| leader_name2                   = [[Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency)|Ladakh]]
| leader_title1     = [[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh|Chief Executive Councillor]]
| leader_title3                   = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|MP]]
| leader_name1       = post vacant since {1st november}
| leader_name3                   = {{nowrap|[[Jamyang Tsering Namgyal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberHomePage.aspx?mpsno=5006|title=Lok Sabha Members|work=Lok Sabha|accessdate=12 July 2021}}</ref>}}
| leader_title2     = [[Lok Sabha|Lok Sabha Constituency]]
| timezone1                       = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| leader_name2       = [[Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency)|Ladakh]]
| utc_offset1                     = +05:30
| leader_title3     = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|MP]]
| registration_plate             = LA-01
| leader_name3       = {{nowrap|[[Mohmad Haneefa]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberHomePage.aspx?mpsno=5006|title=Lok Sabha Members|work=Lok Sabha|accessdate=12 July 2021}}</ref>}}
| blank_name_sec1                 =  
| timezone1         = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| blank_info_sec1                 =  
| utc_offset1       = +05:30
| blank_name_sec2                 =  
| registration_plate = JK 10 (till 2019)
| blank_info_sec2                 =  
LA-02
| website                         = {{url|leh.nic.in/}}
| blank_name_sec1   =  
| official_name                   =  
| blank_info_sec1   =  
| blank_name_sec2   =  
| blank_info_sec2   =  
| website           = {{URL|leh.nic.in/}}
| official_name     =  
}}
}}


'''Leh district''' is a district in the [[States and union territories of India|union territory]] of [[Ladakh]], a territory administered as part of [[India]]. With an area of 45,110 ''km''<sup>''2''</sup>, it is the second largest district in the country smaller only to [[Kutch district|Kutch]]. It is bounded on the north by [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]'s [[Kharmang District|Kharmang]] and [[Ghanche District|Ghanche]] districts and [[Xinjiang]]'s [[Kashgar Prefecture]] and [[Hotan Prefecture]] linked via the historic [[Karakoram Pass]]. It has [[Aksai Chin]] and [[Tibet]] are to the east, [[Kargil district]] to the west, and [[Lahaul and Spiti district|Lahul and Spiti]] to the south. The district headquarters is in [[Leh]]. It lies between [[32nd parallel north|32]] to [[36th parallel north|36 degree]] north latitude and [[75th meridian east|75]] to [[80th meridian east|80 degree]] east longitude.
'''Leh district''' is a district in [[India]]n-administered [[Ladakh]] in the [[Kashmir#Dispute|disputed]] [[Kashmir]]-region.<ref name=tertiary-kashmir>The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of [[Kashmir]] and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the [[BP:TERTIARY|tertiary sources]] (a) through (e), reflecting [[BP:DUE|due weight]] in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below). <br/>
(a) {{citation|title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |accessdate=15 August 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";<br/> (b) {{citation|last1=Pletcher|first1=Kenneth|title=Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin |accessdate=16 August 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; <br/> (c) {{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6|page=328}} C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; <br/> (d) {{citation|last1=Osmańczyk|first1=Edmund Jan|title=Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93922-5|pages=1191–}} Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." <br/>(e) {{citation|last=Talbot|first=Ian|title=A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNg_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-19694-8|pages=28–29}} Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";  <br/> (f) {{citation|last=Skutsch|first=Carl|editor-last=Ciment|editor-first=James|title=Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II|edition=2nd|year=2015|orig-year=2007|isbn=978-0-7656-8005-1|chapter=China: Border War with India, 1962|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|page=573|quote=The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule.  Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged.  Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible.  Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959.  In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.}}<br/>  (g) {{citation|last=Clary|first=Christopher|title=The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia|publisher=Oxford University Press|location = Oxford and New York|isbn=9780197638408|page=109|quote=Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen.  In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin.  ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.}} <br/> (h) {{citation|last=Bose|first=Sumantra|title=Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ACMe9WBdNAC&pg=PA294|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-02855-5|pages=294, 291, 293}} Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." <br/> (i) {{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael H.|title=An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166|year=2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-11162-2|page=166}} Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; <br/> (j) {{citation|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5amKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-84904-621-3|page=10}} Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." 
</ref> Ladakh is an Indian-administered [[union territory]]. With an area of 45,110 ''km''<sup>''2''</sup>, it is the second largest district in the country, second only to [[Kutch district|Kutch]]. It is bounded on the north by [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]'s [[Kharmang District|Kharmang]] and [[Ghanche District|Ghanche]] districts and [[Xinjiang]]'s [[Kashgar Prefecture]] and [[Hotan Prefecture]], to which it connects via the historic [[Karakoram Pass]]. [[Aksai Chin]] and [[Tibet]] are to the east, [[Kargil district]] to the west, and [[Lahaul and Spiti district|Lahul and Spiti]] to the south. The district headquarters is in [[Leh]]. It lies between [[32nd parallel north|32]] and [[36th parallel north|36 degree]] north latitude and [[75th meridian east|75]] to [[80th meridian east|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muslim Precedence Politics - How it operates in Ladakh |date=August 2002 |work=Kashmir Sentinel |url=http://kashmirsentinel.com/aug2002/8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006063842/http://kashmirsentinel.com/aug2002/8.html |archive-date=2008-10-06}}</ref>
All 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 grievance between Buddhists and Muslims since the late 20th century and contributed to this division.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Muslim Precedence Politics - How it operates in Ladakh |date=August 2002 |work=Kashmir Sentinel |url=http://kashmirsentinel.com/aug2002/8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006063842/http://kashmirsentinel.com/aug2002/8.html |archive-date=2008-10-06}}</ref>


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."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/leh-declared-tobacco-free/454870.html|title=Leh Declared Tobacco-Free|website=The Tribune India|access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/leh-declared-tobacco-free/454870.html|title=Leh Declared Tobacco-Free|website=The Tribune India|access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref>


In August 2019 the [[Parliament of India]] passed an [[Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019|act]] that contained provisions to make Leh a district of the new union territory of [[Ladakh]], which was formed 31 October 2019.<ref name="Business Today 2019-08-06">{{Cite news |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/jammu-and-kashmir-crisis-live-updates-governor-reviews-security-situation-in-state/story/370856.html|title=Article 370 revoked Updates: Jammu & Kashmir is now a Union Territory, Lok Sabha passes bifurcation bill |date=6 August 2019 |website=Business Today}}</ref>
In August 2019, the [[Parliament of India]] passed the [[Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019|act]] that contained provisions to make Leh a district of the new union territory of [[Ladakh]], which was formed 31 October 2019.<ref name="Business Today 2019-08-06">{{Cite news |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/jammu-and-kashmir-crisis-live-updates-governor-reviews-security-situation-in-state/story/370856.html|title=Article 370 revoked Updates: Jammu & Kashmir is now a Union Territory, Lok Sabha passes bifurcation bill |date=6 August 2019 |website=Business Today}}</ref>


==Administration==
==Administration==
There are seven sub-divisions and twelve tehsils.
Leh district has seven sub-divisions and eight tehsils.
The sub-divisions are: [[Nubra Valley|Nubra]], [[Durbuk]] (Durbok), [[Khalatse]] (Khaltsi/Khalsi), [[Leh]], [[Kharoo]], [[Likir]], [[Nyoma]].
The sub-divisions are: [[Nubra Valley|Nubra]], [[Durbuk]] (Durbok), [[Khalatse]] (Khaltsi/Khalsi), [[Leh]], [[Kharoo]], [[Likir]], [[Nyoma]].<ref name="leh div 1">{{cite web |title=Subdivisions & Blocks |url=https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/subdivision-blocks/ |publisher=District Leh - Ladakh}}</ref>
The tehsils are: [[Panamik]], [[Sumoor]], [[Turtuk]], and [[Diskit]] in [[Nubra Valley]], [[Durbuk]], [[Khalatse]], [[Suspol, Leh|Saspol]], [[Leh]], [[Chuchot Gongma|Chuchot]], [[Kharoo]], [[Likir]], [[Nyoma]]<ref name="leh div 4">[https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/tehsil/ Leh tehsils].</ref>
The tehsils are: [[Sumoor]], [[Diskit]], [[Durbuk]], [[Khalatse]], [[Suspol, Leh|Saspol]], [[Leh]], [[Kharoo]], and [[Nyoma]].<ref name="leh div 4">[https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/tehsil/ Leh tehsils].</ref>


{{anchor| subdivision | tehsil | block }}
{{anchor| subdivision | tehsil | block }}
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As a result of ''The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019'', Leh district would claim [[de jure]] jurisdiction over the following areas of Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, and Tribal territory,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2019/11/02/jammu-and-kashmir-reorganisation-removal-of-difficulties-second-order-2019/ |title = J&K Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019 -- &#91;Territory of Leh district shall constitute, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, Tribal territory & 'Leh & Ladakh' except present territory of Kargil&#93;|date = 2 November 2019}}</ref> making it slightly smaller than the country of Tunisia.
As a result of ''The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019'', Leh district claimed [[de jure]] jurisdiction over the following areas of Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, and Tribal territory.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2019/11/02/jammu-and-kashmir-reorganisation-removal-of-difficulties-second-order-2019/ |title = J&K Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019 -- &#91;Territory of Leh district shall constitute, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, Tribal territory & 'Leh & Ladakh' except present territory of Kargil&#93;|date = 2 November 2019}}</ref>
 
The [[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh]] (LAHDC Leh), is the [[Autonomous regions of India|Autonomous District Council]] that administers the Leh district.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/4912/1/ladakh_autonomous_hill_development_council_act%2C_1997.pdf|title=Ladakh Autonomous Hill development Council act 1997|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>


As of July 2019, Leh district is divided into 7 sub-divisions (new sub-divisions in Leh), 12 [[tehsil]]s (new tehsils in Panamik, Turtuk, Chuchot and Likir) and 18 (new blocks in Sumoor and Likir) [[community development block in India|blocks]].<ref name="leh div 1">{{cite web|title=Subdivisions & Blocks|url=https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/subdivision-blocks/|publisher=District Leh - Ladakh}}</ref><ref name="leh div 4" />
The [[Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh]] (LAHDC Leh) is the [[Autonomous regions of India|Autonomous District Council]] that administers the Leh district.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/4912/1/ladakh_autonomous_hill_development_council_act%2C_1997.pdf|title=Ladakh Autonomous Hill development Council act 1997|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"
! colspan="4" |<big>Sub–divisions, Blocks and Villages in Leh</big><ref>{{Cite web|title=Villages {{!}} District Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh {{!}} India|url=https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/village/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201224142026/https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/village/|archive-date=24 December 2020|access-date=2020-12-24|website=District Leh - Ladakh – Government of India|language=en-US}}</ref>
! colspan="4" |<big>Sub–divisions, Blocks and Villages in Leh</big><ref>{{Cite web|title=Villages {{!}} District Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh {{!}} India|url=https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/village/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201224142026/https://leh.nic.in/about-district/administrative-setup/village/|archive-date=24 December 2020|access-date=2020-12-24|website=District Leh - Ladakh – Government of India|language=en-US}}</ref>
Line 98: Line 98:
! rowspan="16" |Leh district
! rowspan="16" |Leh district
| rowspan="3" | [[Khalatse|Khaltsi]]
| rowspan="3" | [[Khalatse|Khaltsi]]
| Khaltsi || [[Kanji, Ladakh|Kanji]], Khaltsi, [[Lamayouro|Lamayuru]], Leh Dho, [[Nurla]], Skindiang, [[Takmachik]], [[Temisgam]], [[Tia, Leh|Tia]]  
| [[Khalatse|Khaltsi]] || [[Kanji, Ladakh|Kanji]], [[Khalatse|Khaltsi]], [[Lamayouro|Lamayuru]], [[Leido|Leh Dho]], [[Nurla]], [[Skindiang]],<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. --> [[Takmachik]], [[Temisgam]], [[Tia, Leh|Tia]]  
|-
|-
|Singaylalok
|[[Singaylalok]]<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. Singaylalok is also spelt as Singay Lalok (with space) and it is the name of historical geographical area with several villages. -->
|[[Fotoksar]], [[Lingshet]], [[Wanla]], [[Youl Chung]]
|[[Photoksar]], [[Lingshet]], [[Wanla]], [[Youl Chung]]
|-
|-
|[[Skur Buchan|Skurbuchan]]
|[[Skur Buchan|Skurbuchan]]
|[[Dah, Ladakh|Dah]], [[Damkhar]], [[Hanu, Ladakh|Hanoo]], [[Skur Buchan]]
|[[Dah, Ladakh|Dah]], [[Domkhar]], [[Hanu, Ladakh|Hanoo]], [[Skur Buchan]]
|-
|-
  | rowspan="3" | [[Leh]]
  | rowspan="3" | [[Leh]]
|Chuchot
|[[Chuchot valley|Chuchot]]<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. -->
| Chuchot Yakma, [[Chuchot Gongma]], [[Chuchot Shama]], [[Mathoo]], [[Stakna]], [[Stok]]
| [[Chuchat Yakma|Chuchot Yakma]], [[Chuchot Gongma]], [[Chuchot Shama]], [[Mathoo]], [[Stakna]], [[Stok]]
|-
|-
|Leh
|[[Leh]]
|[[Phey]], [[Saboo, Leh|Saboo]], [[Fiang|Phyang]], [[Spituk]], [[Choglamsar]]
|[[Phey]], [[Saboo, Leh|Saboo]], [[Fiang|Phyang]], [[Spituk]], [[Choglamsar]]
|-
|-
Line 118: Line 118:
  | rowspan="3" | [[Nubra]]
  | rowspan="3" | [[Nubra]]
|[[Diskit]]
|[[Diskit]]
| [[Digger, Leh|Diger]], [[Disket]], [[Hundar, India|Hundar]], [[Hundar Dok]], [[Hundri]], [[Khalsar, India|Khalsar]], [[Khardong, Leh|Khardong]], Khema Khungru, [[Lakjung]], [[Largiab]], [[Partap Pore|Partapur]], [[Skanpuk]], [[Skuru]], [[Tangyar]], [[Terchey]], [[Udmaru]], [[Warisfistan]]
| [[Digger, Leh district|Diger]], [[Diskit]], [[Hundar, India|Hundar]], [[Hundar Dok]], [[Hundri]], [[Khalsar, India|Khalsar]], [[Khardong, Leh district|Khardong]], [[Khema Khungru]],<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. --> [[Lakjung]], [[Largiab]], [[Partap Pore|Partapur]], [[Skanpuk]], [[Skuru]], [[Tangyar]], [[Terchey]], [[Udmaru]], [[Warisfistan]]
|-
|-
|Panamik
|[[Panamic]]
|[[Chamshan Charasa]], [[Khemi]], [[Kubed, Leh|Kubed]], [[Panamic]], [[Sumoor]], [[Tegar|Tiggar]]
|[[Chamshan Charasa]], [[Khemi]], [[Kubed, Leh district|Kubed]], [[Panamic]], [[Sumoor]], [[Tegar|Tiggar]]
|-
|-
|[[Turtuk]]
|[[Turtuk]]
|[[Bogdang]], [[Chalunka|Chulungkha]], [[Takshi|Taksi]], [[Thang, Ladakh|Thanga Chathang]], [[Turtok]]
|[[Bogdang]], [[Chalunka|Chulungkha]], [[Takshi|Taksi]], [[Thang, Ladakh|Thanga Chathang]], [[Turtuk]]
|-
|-
  | [[Durbok|Durbuk]]
  | [[Durbok|Durbuk]]
|[[Durbok|Durbuk]]
|[[Durbok|Durbuk]]
| [[Chushul]], [[Durbok|Durbuk]], [[Kargyam]], [[Man Pangong]], Shachukul, [[Tangste]]
| [[Chushul]], [[Durbok|Durbuk]], [[Kargyam]], [[Man Pangong]], [[Shachukul]],<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. --> [[Tangtse]]
|-
|-
  | [[Kharoo|Kharu]]
  | [[Kharoo|Kharu]]
| [[Kharoo|Kharu]] || [[Changa, Leh|Changa]], [[Chemrey|Chemday]], [[Gia, Leh|Gia]], [[Hemis]], [[Igoo]], Khargu, [[Langokor]], [[Matselang]], Miru, [[Phuktse]], [[Sakti, Leh|Serthi]], [[Shang, Leh|Shang]], [[Shara, Leh|Shara]], [[Sharnose]], [[Upshi]]
| [[Kharoo|Kharu]] || [[Changa, Leh district|Changa]], [[Chemrey]], [[Gia, Leh district|Gia]], [[Hemis]], [[Igoo]], [[Khargu]],<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. --> [[Langokor]], [[Matselang]], [[Meroo, Leh district|Miru]], [[Phuktse]], [[Sakti, Leh district|Serthi]], [[Shang, Leh district|Shang]], [[Shara, Leh district|Shara]], [[Sharnose]], [[Upshi]]
|-
|-
  | rowspan="2" | [[Likir]]
  | rowspan="2" | [[Likir]]
| [[Nimo, Leh|Nimoo]] || [[Bazgoo]], [[Chiling Sumda]], [[Likir]], [[Ney, Leh|Ney]], Nimo, [[Rumbak]], [[Skiumarkha]], [[Taroo]], [[Umla]]  
| [[Nimo, Leh district|Nimoo]] || [[Bazgoo]], [[Chiling Sumda]], [[Likir]], [[Ney, Leh district|Ney]], [[Nimo, Leh district|Nimoo]], [[Rumbak]], [[Skiumarkha]], [[Taroo]], [[Umla]]  
|-
|-
|[[Suspol, Leh|Saspol]]
|[[Suspol, Leh|Saspol]]
Line 140: Line 140:
|-
|-
  | rowspan="3" | [[Nyoma]]
  | rowspan="3" | [[Nyoma]]
| [[Nyoma]] || [[Anlay]], [[Demchok, Ladakh|Demjok]], [[Koyul]], [[Mood, Leh|Mood]], [[Nyoma]]
| [[Nyoma]] || [[Anlay]], [[Demchok, Ladakh|Demjok]], [[Koyul]], [[Mood, Leh district|Mood]], [[Nyoma]]
|-
|-
|Rong-Chumathang
|[[Rong valley|Rong]]<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. -->-Chumathang
|[[Chumathang]], [[Himya]], [[Kerey]], [[Kumgyam]], [[Liktse]], [[Skitmang]], [[Tarchit]], [[Teri, Leh]], [[Tukla, Leh|Tukla]]
|[[Chumathang]], [[Himya]], [[Kerey]], [[Kumgyam]], [[Liktse]], [[Skitmang]], [[Tarchit]], [[Teri, Leh district|Teri]], [[Tukla, Leh district|Tukla]]
|-
|-
|Rupsho-Puga
|[[Rupshu|Rupsho]]-[[Puga valley|Puga]]<!-- Note: retain redlink to encourage article creation. -->
|[[Karzok]], [[Kharnak]], [[Samad Rakchan]]
|[[Karzok]], [[Kharnak]], [[Samad Rakchan]]
|-
|-
Line 169: Line 169:
}}
}}


According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 census]] Leh district had a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 133,487,<ref name="district census">{{cite web | url = http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php | title = District Census 2011 | year = 2011 | publisher = Census2011.co.in | access-date = 2011-09-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/DCHB_A/01/0103_PART_A_DCHB_LEH.pdf|title=Leh district census data 2011|access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref> roughly equal to the nation of [[Saint Lucia]].<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Saint Lucia 161,557 July 2011 est.}}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 609th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name="district census" /> The district has a population density of {{convert| 3 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}. Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.87%, (it was 30.15% for 1991–2001).<ref name="district census" /> Leh has a [[sex ratio]] of 690 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 77.2%.<ref name="district census" />
According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 census]] Leh district had a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 133,487,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/DCHB_A/01/0103_PART_A_DCHB_LEH.pdf|title=Leh district census data 2011|access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref> roughly equal to the nation of [[Saint Lucia]].<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 June 2007 | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Saint Lucia 161,557 July 2011 est.}}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 609th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The district has a population density of {{convert| 3 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}. Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.87%, (it was 30.15% for 1991–2001).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Leh has a [[sex ratio]] of 690 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 77.2%.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}


=== Religion ===
=== Religion ===
Line 179: Line 179:
|float=left
|float=left
|bars=
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Tibetan Buddhism|Buddhism]]|yellow|66.40}}
{{bar percent|[[Tibetan Buddhism|Buddhism]]|Gold|66.40}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|17.14}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|17.14}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in India|Islam]]|green|14.28}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in India|Islam]]|green|14.28}}
Line 186: Line 186:
}}
}}


{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible "
{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed "
|-
|-
! colspan=10 | Leh district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.<ref name="census2011-C01">{{cite report |title=C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir |url = https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW01C-01%20MDDS.XLS |publisher = Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref>
! colspan=10 | Leh district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.<ref name="census2011-C01">{{cite report |title=C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir |url = https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW01C-01%20MDDS.XLS |publisher = Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref>
Line 232: Line 232:
|-  
|-  
|}
|}
{{clear left}}


=== Languages ===
=== Languages ===
{{Pie chart
{{Pie chart
|thumb = left
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages of Leh district (2011)<ref name="census2011-C16">{{cite report |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir |url = https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0100.XLSX |publisher = Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=18 July 2020}}</ref>
|caption = Languages of Leh district (2011)<ref name="census2011-C16">{{cite report |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir |url = https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0100.XLSX |publisher = Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=18 July 2020}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] |value1 = 70.22 |color1 = seagreen
|label1 = [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] |value1 = 70.22 |color1 = seagreen
Line 241: Line 242:
|label3 = [[Balti language|Balti]] |value3 = 3.95 |color3 = lightseagreen
|label3 = [[Balti language|Balti]] |value3 = 3.95 |color3 = lightseagreen
|label4 = [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]] |value4 = 3.46 |color4 = royalblue
|label4 = [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]] |value4 = 3.46 |color4 = royalblue
|label5 = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] |value5 = 1.02 |color5 = tomato
|label5 = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] |value5 = 1.02 |color5 = pink
|label6 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]] |value6 = 1.01 |color6 = maroon
|label6 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]] |value6 = 1.01 |color6 = red
|label7 = [[Nepali language|Nepali]] |value7 = 1.01 |color7 = sandybrown
|label7 = [[Nepali language|Nepali]] |value7 = 1.01 |color7 = sandybrown
|label8 = Others |value8 =6.58 |color8 = grey
|label8 = Others |value8 =6.58 |color8 = grey
}}[[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] is the most spoken language. [[Hindi]] is the second largest language, mainly spoken in Leh. [[Balti language|Balti]] is found in [[Nubra]] near the boundary with Gilgit-Baltistan. [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]] are all mainly spoken in Leh.
}}[[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] is the most spoken language, and Hindi/Urdu is the second-largest language, mainly spoken in Leh. [[Balti language|Balti]] is found in [[Nubra]] near the boundary with Gilgit-Baltistan. [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]] are all mainly spoken in Leh. [[Urdu]] and [[English language|English]] are widely understood in Leh.<ref name=":0" />


==Politics==
==Politics==
===Parliamentary Constituency===
===Parliamentary Constituency===
The district falls under [[Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency)]]. The present [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of Parliament]] (MP) of Ladakh is [[Jamyang Tsering Namgyal]] of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]
The district falls under [[Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency)]]. The present [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of Parliament]] (MP) of Ladakh is [[Mohmad Haneefa]] (independent candidate).
 
===Assembly constituencies===
Leh district had two assembly constituencies, Nubra and Leh under Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ceojammukashmir.nic.in/ERos_AERos.html |title=ERO's and AERO's |publisher=Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir |access-date=2008-08-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022185235/http://ceojammukashmir.nic.in/eros_aeros.html |archive-date=2008-10-22}}</ref> Since Ladakh is a union territory without legislature, it does not have a present legislative assembly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/j-k-ladakh-union-territory-with-without-legislature-difference-1577432-2019-08-05|title=J&K to be a union territory with legislature, Ladakh to be without|work=India Today|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>


===Autonomous Hill Council===
===Autonomous Hill Council===
Line 267: Line 265:


*[[National Highway 3 (India)|National Highway 3]] or [[Leh-Manali Highway]]
*[[National Highway 3 (India)|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&nbsp;m to 4,570&nbsp;m. There are a number of high passes en route among which the highest one, known as [[Tanglang La]], is sometimes (but incorrectly) claimed to be the world's second-highest motorable pass at an altitude of 5,325&nbsp;m. (17,469&nbsp;feet). See the article on [[Khardung La]] for a discussion of the world's highest motorable passes.
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&nbsp;m to 4,570&nbsp;m. There are a number of high passes en route among which the highest one, known as [[Tanglang La]], is sometimes (but incorrectly) claimed to be the world's second-highest motorable pass at an altitude of 5,325&nbsp;m. (17,469&nbsp;feet).<ref>See the article on [[Khardung La]] for a discussion of the world's highest motorable passes.</ref>


* [[Nimmu–Padam–Darcha road]]
* [[Nimmu–Padam–Darcha road]]
Line 278: Line 276:


===Rail===
===Rail===
There is no railway service currently in Ladakh, however, 2 railway routes are proposed- the [[Bilaspur–Leh line]] and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line.<ref>{{cite news|title=Himachal CM meets Union railway minister, seeks 100% Centre funding for Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Leh rail line|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/himachal-cm-meets-union-rly-minister-seeks-100-centre-funding-for-bhanupali-bilaspur-leh-rail-line/story-AGkPR9GCAei32BM6X0WhLJ.html|accessdate=9 November 2020|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref>
There is no railway service currently in Ladakh, however, 2 railway routes are proposed- the [[Bhanupli–Leh line]] and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line.<ref>{{cite news|title=Himachal CM meets Union railway minister, seeks 100% Centre funding for Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Leh rail line|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/himachal-cm-meets-union-rly-minister-seeks-100-centre-funding-for-bhanupali-bilaspur-leh-rail-line/story-AGkPR9GCAei32BM6X0WhLJ.html|accessdate=9 November 2020|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Thiksey, Tibetan Buddhism in Indus River Valley, Ladakh, North India.jpg|[[Indus River]] Valley in Thiksey
Leh, Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh, India, Trans-Himalaya.jpg|Indus Valley in Leh
Khardung La (pass), Mountains, Indus River Valley, Ladakh, North India, Himalayas.jpg|[[Khardung La]] pass in Ladakh Range
Leh-Manali Highway, Rock formations, Ladakh, India.jpg|Rock formations along [[Leh-Manali Highway]]
Leh, Mountain view in the evening, Ladakh, India.jpg|Mountain peaks around Leh
Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe.jpg|[[Tsomoriri]] lake
Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe.jpg|[[Tsomoriri]] lake
Pangong Tso 2.jpg|[[Pangong tso|Pangong]] lake
Pangong Tso 2.jpg|[[Pangong tso|Pangong]] lake
India - Ladakh - Leh - 053 - flower fields outside my guesthouse (3844435507).jpg|Leh district flower fields and mountains
India - Ladakh - Leh - 053 - flower fields outside my guesthouse (3844435507).jpg|Leh district flower fields and mountains
</gallery>
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[List of districts of Ladakh]]
* [[Geography of Ladakh]]
* [[Tourism in Ladakh]]


==References==
==References==
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{{Leh district}}
{{Leh district}}
{{Ladakh}}
{{Ladakh}}
{{India topics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|34.1667|N|77.5833|E|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IN|display=title}}


[[Category:Leh district| ]]
[[Category:Leh district| ]]
[[Category:Ladakh]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Ladakh]]
[[Category:Leh]]
[[Category:Leh]]
[[Category:Geography of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Geography of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Minority Concentrated Districts in India]]
[[Category:Minority concentrated districts in India]]
[[Category:Autonomous regions of India]]
[[Category:Districts of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Districts of Ladakh]]

Latest revision as of 02:39, 24 March 2026


Leh district
District of Ladakh administered by India[1]
View of Leh Town
View of Leh Town
A map showing Indian-administered Ladakh (shaded in tan in the disputed Kashmir region[1]
A map showing Indian-administered Ladakh (shaded in tan in the disputed Kashmir region[1]
Coordinates (Leh): 33°38′N 77°46′E / 33.633°N 77.767°E / 33.633; 77.767
Administering countryIndia
Union TerritoryLadakh
HeadquartersLeh
Established1 July 1979
HeadquartersLeh
TehsilsLeh, Khaltsi, Nyoma, Kharu, Diskit Nubra, Saspol, Durbuk and Sumoor
Government
 • Deputy CommissionerSh. Romil Singh Donk IAS
 • Chief Executive Councillorpost vacant since {1st november}
 • Lok Sabha ConstituencyLadakh
 • MPMohmad Haneefa[2]
Area
 • Total45,110 km2 (17,420 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total133,487
 • Density3.0/km2 (7.7/sq mi)
 • Urban
45,671
Demographics
 • Literacy77.2%
 • Sex ratio690 / 1000
Languages
 • OfficialHindi, English
 • SpokenLadakhi, Balti, Brokskat, Tibetan, Hindi/Urdu
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationJK 10 (till 2019) LA-02
Websiteleh.nic.in

Leh district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region.[1] Ladakh is an Indian-administered union territory. With an area of 45,110 km2, it is the second largest district in the country, second only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and Ghanche districts and Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and Hotan Prefecture, to which it connects via the historic Karakoram Pass. Aksai Chin and Tibet are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and Lahul and Spiti to the south. The district headquarters is in Leh. It lies between 32 and 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude.

All 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 grievance between Buddhists and Muslims since the late 20th century and contributed to this division.[3]

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."[4]

In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed the act that contained provisions to make Leh a district of the new union territory of Ladakh, which was formed 31 October 2019.[5]

Administration[edit | edit source]

Leh district has seven sub-divisions and eight tehsils. The sub-divisions are: Nubra, Durbuk (Durbok), Khalatse (Khaltsi/Khalsi), Leh, Kharoo, Likir, Nyoma.[6] The tehsils are: Sumoor, Diskit, Durbuk, Khalatse, Saspol, Leh, Kharoo, and Nyoma.[7]


As a result of The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019, Leh district claimed de jure jurisdiction over the following areas of Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, and Tribal territory.[8]

The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh (LAHDC Leh) is the Autonomous District Council that administers the Leh district.[9]

Sub–divisions, Blocks and Villages in Leh[10]
District Sub-Division Blocks Villages
Leh district Khaltsi Khaltsi Kanji, Khaltsi, Lamayuru, Leh Dho, Nurla, Skindiang, Takmachik, Temisgam, Tia
Singaylalok Photoksar, Lingshet, Wanla, Youl Chung
Skurbuchan Dah, Domkhar, Hanoo, Skur Buchan
Leh Chuchot Chuchot Yakma, Chuchot Gongma, Chuchot Shama, Mathoo, Stakna, Stok
Leh Phey, Saboo, Phyang, Spituk, Choglamsar
Thiksay Nang, Rambir Por, Shey, Thiksey
Nubra Diskit Diger, Diskit, Hundar, Hundar Dok, Hundri, Khalsar, Khardong, Khema Khungru, Lakjung, Largiab, Partapur, Skanpuk, Skuru, Tangyar, Terchey, Udmaru, Warisfistan
Panamic Chamshan Charasa, Khemi, Kubed, Panamic, Sumoor, Tiggar
Turtuk Bogdang, Chulungkha, Taksi, Thanga Chathang, Turtuk
Durbuk Durbuk Chushul, Durbuk, Kargyam, Man Pangong, Shachukul, Tangtse
Kharu Kharu Changa, Chemrey, Gia, Hemis, Igoo, Khargu, Langokor, Matselang, Miru, Phuktse, Serthi, Shang, Shara, Sharnose, Upshi
Likir Nimoo Bazgoo, Chiling Sumda, Likir, Ney, Nimoo, Rumbak, Skiumarkha, Taroo, Umla
Saspol Alchi, Giramangu, Saspochey, Suspol, Tarhipti, Hemishok Pachan
Nyoma Nyoma Anlay, Demjok, Koyul, Mood, Nyoma
Rong-Chumathang Chumathang, Himya, Kerey, Kumgyam, Liktse, Skitmang, Tarchit, Teri, Tukla
Rupsho-Puga Karzok, Kharnak, Samad Rakchan
Total 7 16 113

Demographics[edit | edit source]

Sex Ratio in Leh District in 2011 Census.[11]
(no. females per 1,000 males)
Religion (and population) Sex Ratio
Buddhist (pop 88,635)
1,014
Hindu (pop 22,882)
42
Muslim (pop 19,057)
816
Other (pop 2,913)
165
Total (pop 133,487)
690

According to the 2011 census Leh district had a population of 133,487,[12] roughly equal to the nation of Saint Lucia.[13] This gives it a ranking of 609th in India (out of a total of 640).[citation needed] The district has a population density of 3 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.8/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.87%, (it was 30.15% for 1991–2001).[citation needed] Leh has a sex ratio of 690 females for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 77.2%.[citation needed]

Religion[edit | edit source]

Religion in Leh district (2011)[11]
Religion Percent(%)
Buddhism
66.40%
Hinduism
17.14%
Islam
14.28%
Sikhism
0.82%
Other or not stated
1.36%
Leh district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.[11]
Hindu Muslim Christian Sikh Buddhist Jain Other Not stated Total
Total 22,882 19,057 658 1,092 88,635 103 54 1,006 133,487
17.14% 14.28% 0.49% 0.82% 66.40% 0.08% 0.04% 0.75% 100.00%
Male 21,958 10,493 469 1,018 44,019 49 29 936 78,971
Female 924 8,564 189 74 44,616 54 25 70 54,516
Gender ratio (% female) 4.0% 44.9% 28.7% 6.8% 50.3% 52.4% 46.3% 7.0% 40.8%
Sex ratio
(no. females per 1,000 males)
42 816 403 73 1,014 75 690
Urban 14,542 5,169 358 927 24,023 24 53 575 45,671
Rural 8,340 13,888 300 165 64,612 79 1 431 87,816
% Urban 63.6% 27.1% 54.4% 84.9% 27.1% 23.3% 98.1% 57.2% 34.2%

Languages[edit | edit source]

Languages of Leh district (2011)[14]

  Ladakhi (70.22%)
  Hindi (12.75%)
  Balti (3.95%)
  Tibetan (3.46%)
  Punjabi (1.02%)
  Marathi (1.01%)
  Nepali (1.01%)
  Others (6.58%)

Ladakhi is the most spoken language, and Hindi/Urdu is the second-largest language, mainly spoken in Leh. Balti is found in Nubra near the boundary with Gilgit-Baltistan. Tibetan, Punjabi, Marathi and Nepali are all mainly spoken in Leh. Urdu and English are widely understood in Leh.[3]

Politics[edit | edit source]

Parliamentary Constituency[edit | edit source]

The district falls under Ladakh (Lok Sabha constituency). The present Member of Parliament (MP) of Ladakh is Mohmad Haneefa (independent candidate).

Autonomous Hill Council[edit | edit source]

Leh District is administered by an elected body known as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. The LAHDC was established in 1995.[15]

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

Transportation[edit | edit source]

Road[edit | edit source]

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 via Kargil 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.

The overland approach to Ladakh from the Kashmir valley via the 434-km. National Highway 1 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, a tortuous pass in the Great Himalayan Wall. The Jammu and Kashmir 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. Taxis (cars and jeeps) are also available at Srinagar for the journey.

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, is sometimes (but incorrectly) claimed to be the world's second-highest motorable pass at an altitude of 5,325 m. (17,469 feet).[16]

This is the third road axis to Leh. It is currently under construction.

Air[edit | edit source]

Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport

Leh's Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport has flights to Delhi at least daily on Air India which also provides twice-weekly services to Jammu and a weekly flight to Srinagar. Passengers connect in Delhi for other destinations. Go First operates Delhi to Leh daily flights during peak time.

Rail[edit | edit source]

There is no railway service currently in Ladakh, however, 2 railway routes are proposed- the Bhanupli–Leh line and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line.[17]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).
    (a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
    (b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
    (c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
    (d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
    (e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
    (f) Skutsch, Carl (2015) [2007], "China: Border War with India, 1962", in Ciment, James (ed.), Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II (2nd ed.), London and New York: Routledge, p. 573, ISBN 978-0-7656-8005-1, The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.
    (g) Clary, Christopher, The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, p. 109, ISBN 9780197638408, Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.
    (h) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN 978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
    (i) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN 978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
    (j) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
  2. "Lok Sabha Members". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Muslim Precedence Politics - How it operates in Ladakh". Kashmir Sentinel. August 2002. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008.
  4. "Leh Declared Tobacco-Free". The Tribune India. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  5. "Article 370 revoked Updates: Jammu & Kashmir is now a Union Territory, Lok Sabha passes bifurcation bill". Business Today. 6 August 2019.
  6. "Subdivisions & Blocks". District Leh - Ladakh.
  7. Leh tehsils.
  8. "J&K Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019 -- [Territory of Leh district shall constitute, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, Tribal territory & 'Leh & Ladakh' except present territory of Kargil]". 2 November 2019.
  9. "Ladakh Autonomous Hill development Council act 1997" (PDF). Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. "Villages | District Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh | India". District Leh - Ladakh – Government of India. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  12. "Leh district census data 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  13. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Saint Lucia 161,557 July 2011 est.
  14. C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  15. "Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh". Leh. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  16. See the article on Khardung La for a discussion of the world's highest motorable passes.
  17. "Himachal CM meets Union railway minister, seeks 100% Centre funding for Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Leh rail line". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 November 2020.

External links[edit | edit source]

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