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Siachen Glacier

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Siachen Glacier



 
 
see Siachen conflict
Siachen conflict

see also Siachen GlacierThe Siachen Conflict, sometimes referred to as The Siachen War is a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir....
 for the military conflict over this area


The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 range in the Himalaya Mountains along the disputed India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
-Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
 border at about . India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At 70 km long, it is the longest glacier
Glacier

A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure....
 in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar areas. It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m (18,875 ft) above sea level
Sea level

Mean sea level is the average height of the sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface. Defining the reference level , however, involves complex measurement, and accurately determining MSL can prove difficult....
 at its source at Indira Col (pass) on the China border down to 3,620 m (11,875 ft) at its snout.

The Siachen Glacier lies south of the great watershed
Water divide

A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins . In hilly country, the divide lies along topography pyramidal peak and ridges, but in flat country the divide may be invisible – just a more or less notional line on the ground on either side of which falling...
 that separates China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 from the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr...
 in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 that is sometimes called the "Third Pole." The glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge immediately to the west and the main Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 range to the east.






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Encyclopedia


see Siachen conflict
Siachen conflict

see also Siachen GlacierThe Siachen Conflict, sometimes referred to as The Siachen War is a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir....
 for the military conflict over this area


The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 range in the Himalaya Mountains along the disputed India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
-Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
 border at about . India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At 70 km long, it is the longest glacier
Glacier

A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure....
 in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar areas. It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m (18,875 ft) above sea level
Sea level

Mean sea level is the average height of the sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface. Defining the reference level , however, involves complex measurement, and accurately determining MSL can prove difficult....
 at its source at Indira Col (pass) on the China border down to 3,620 m (11,875 ft) at its snout.

The Siachen Glacier lies south of the great watershed
Water divide

A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins . In hilly country, the divide lies along topography pyramidal peak and ridges, but in flat country the divide may be invisible – just a more or less notional line on the ground on either side of which falling...
 that separates China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 from the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr...
 in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 that is sometimes called the "Third Pole." The glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge immediately to the west and the main Karakoram
Karakoram

Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit District, Ladakh, and Baltistan....
 range to the east. The Saltoro Ridge originates in the north from the Sia Kangri peak on the China border in the Karakoram range. The crest of the Saltoro Ridge's altitudes range from 5,450 to 7,720 m (17,880 to 25,330 feet). The major passes on this ridge are, from north to south, Sia La at 5,589 m (18,336 ft), Bilafond La at 5,450 m (17,880 ft), and Gyong La at 5,689 m (18,665 ft) The average winter snowfall is 10.5 m (35 ft) and temperatures can dip to -50 degrees Celsius
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (-58 degrees Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
). Including all tributary glaciers, the Siachen Glacier system covers about 700 square kilometers.

Geography


Naming

Map Kashmir Standoff 2003
In spite of the severe climate
Alpine climate

Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. The climate becomes colder at high elevations—this characteristic is described by the adiabatic lapse rate of air: air tends to get colder as it rises, since it expands....
, the word 'Siachen' ironically means 'the place of wild rose
Rose

A rose is a perennial plant flower shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colors....
s', a reference some people attribute to the abundance of Himalayan wildflower
Wildflower

A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets....
s found in the valleys below the glacier, but which specifically refers to the thorny wild plants which grow on the rocky outcrops. The naming of the glacier, or at least its currency, is due to Tom Longstaff.

Rivers

The glacier's melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River
Nubra River

The Nubra River is a tributary of the Shyok River, which flows into the Indus River. It flows in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir....
, which drains into the Shyok River
Shyok River

The Shyok River is a river flowing through Ladakh and the disputed Northern Areas of Pakistan .Shyok river originates from the Rimo glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier and becomes very wide at the confluence with the Nubra River ....
. The Shyok in turn joins the Indus River
Indus River

File:Indian subcontinent CIA.pngThe Indus River is the longest river in Pakistan and the twenty-first largest river in the world, in terms of annual flow, on the Indian Subcontinent....
, thus the glacier is a major source of the river Indus. Global warming
Global warming

Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
 has had one of its worst impacts here in the Himalayas with the glaciers melting at an unprecedented rate and monsoon rains now appearing north of the mountains. The volume of the glacier has been reduced by 35 percent over the last twenty years; military activity since 1984 has also been blamed for much of the degradation of the glacier.

Conflict Zone


The glacier's region is the highest battleground on earth, where India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 and Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
 have fought intermittently since April 1984. Both countries maintain permanent military personnel in the region at a height of over . The site is a prime example of mountain warfare
Mountain warfare

Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains....
.

Both sides have been wishing to disengage from the costly military outposts but after the Kargil War
Kargil War

The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an war between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir....
 in 1999, India has backed off from withdrawing in Siachen, wary that the Kargil scenario could play out again if they vacate their Siachen Glacier posts without any official confirmation of their positions.

During her tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, in Urdu language ???? ???? Wazir-e- Azam meaning "Grand Minister", is the Head of Government of Pakistan....
, Ms Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party , a centre-left List of political parties in Pakistan. Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim world, having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan ....
, visited the area west of Gyong La, making her the first premier from either side to get to the Siachen region. On June 12, 2005, Prime Minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
 Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh is the 17th and current Prime Minister of India of the Republic of India. He also serves as the Ministry of Finance , succeeding P....
 became the first Indian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India

The Prime Minister of India is the head of government of the India, and head of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of India, appointed by the President of India to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the Executive in India....
 to visit the area, calling for a peaceful resolution of the problem. In the previous year, the President of India
President of India

The President of India or Rashtrapati is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Military of India....
, Abdul Kalam
Abdul Kalam

Bharat Ratna Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul KalamIndian names#Initials, was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007....
 became the first head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 to visit the area.

India based Jet Airways
Jet Airways

Jet Airways is an airline based in Mumbai, India. It is the country's largest international airline before Air India and the largest domestic airline, along with Jetlite....
 plans to open a chartered service to the glacier's nearest airlink, the Thoise
Thoise

Thoise is a military airfield and small village in Shyok Valley, Jammu and Kashmir, India, lending name to the only big piece of flat land in the area converted to a major military airstrip....
 airbase
Airbase

An airbase is a military base that provides basing and support of military aircraft. They are different to civilian airports in that they do not provide for large volume of passenger transits, and cargo handling is not processed by the Customs and immigration facilities....
, mainly for military purposes. Pakistan's PIA
Pakistan International Airlines

Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, more commonly known as Pakistan International Airlines or PIA , is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan, based in Karachi....
 flies tourists and trekkers daily to Skardu
Skardu

Skardu is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Northern Areas....
, which is the jumping off point for K2
K2

K2 is the second-List of highest mountains mountain on Earth . With a peak elevation of , K2 is part of the Karakoram segment of the Himalayan mountain range, and is located on the border between Pakistan's northern territories, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China....
, the world's second highest point just 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) northwest of the Siachen area, although bad weather frequently grounds these scheduled flights.

Since September 2007, India has opened up mountaineering and trekking expeditions to the forbidding glacial heights. The expeditions are also meant to show to the international audience that Indian troops hold "almost all dominating heights" on the important Saltoro Ridge and, to show that Pakistani troops are not within of the Siachen Glacier. Despite protests from Pakistan, India maintains that it doesn't need Pakistan's approval to send trekkers to Siachen, in what it says is essentially an Indian territory.

See also

  • Sia La
    Sia La

    Sia La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, which sits immediately west of the vast Siachen Glacier. Currently held by India, the pass lies near the line of control dividing Indian- and Pakistani-administered territory....
  • Bilafond La
    Bilafond La

    Bilafond La , also known as the Saltoro Pass, is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, which sits immediately west of the vast Siachen Glacier....
  • List of glaciers
    List of glaciers

    Due to somewhat sparse information, some glaciers, especially those in the tropics, may no longer exist as listed. This is especially true for glaciers in Africa and New Guinea....


External links

  • The Northern Kashmir WebSite
  • BBC News
    BBC News

    BBC News, formerly BBC News and Current Affairs, is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporation's news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online....
     report: ; May 26, 2005