why is Ladakh regarded as a cold desert? Why does it have this type of climate?
Answers
Ladakh is made up of two words – La meaning mountain pass and Dak meaning country. Ladakh is a cold desert in India, lying in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir. It is enclosed in the north by the Karakoram Range and in the south by the Zanskar mountains. Several rivers flow through Ladakh. The most important river is the Indus. The rivers form deep valleys and gorges. Several glaciers are found in Ladakh. The Gangri glacier is an example. The altitude in Ladakh varies from about 3000m in Kargil to more than 8000 m in the Karakoram.
The Cold Desert: Ladakh
Climate: Due to the high altitude, it is freezing cold and dry in Ladakh. The air is so thin that the sun’s heat can be felt intensely. In summers the temperature during the day is just above zero degree and the night temperature is much below -30 degree. In winters the temperature remains as low as -40 degrees most of the time. The rainfall in this region is low. It is as low as 10 cm annually. This is because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The area experiences freezing winds and burning sunlight. Consequently, if someone sits in the sun with his hand in the shade; he will experience sunstroke as well as frost bite at the same time.
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