The road from Manali to Leh is the world's second highest motorable road, reaching an elevation of 5378 meters at Tanglangla pass. Ladakh is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in North India and sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. The largest
town in Ladakh is Leh. It is one of the most sparsely populated areas in India. The region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Ngari (West Tibet) to the east, and Nubra valleys to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range. Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and Central Asia to the north. Ladakh is renowned for its mountain beauty and Buddhist culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" because it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture. In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes. Since 1974 the Indian Government has encouraged tourism in Ladakh. A majority of Ladakhis are Tibetan Buddhists and the majority of the remainder are Shia Muslims.
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