Subsidiary range of the Karakoram Mountains and district of northeast Kashmir, India, on the border of Tibet in the upper Indus valley, lying about 3,900 m/12,800 ft above sea level; chief town Leh. After China occupied Tibet in 1951, it made claims on the area, and since 1962 has occupied most of northeast Ladakh.
The ‘Sun of May’ was added in 1818. The blue bands are a shade known as ‘celeste’, said to be the colour of the sky which inspired Argentine revolutionary Manuel Belgrano before battle. Effective date: 16 August 1985.