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| “Moving east, high over the “roof of the world” – the Himalayas – Conrad remembers saying to himself,
“Why must men fight each other instead of enjoying the bounty and beauty of the world?” these are the
snow capped peaks – including K2 (28, 250 feet), world’s second highest mountain – in the extreme
north section of Indian Kashmir on the ill-defined India-China border. China invaded India in 1962
in a dispute over border claims in the area; now India and Pakistan are fighting 150 miles to the south.“
Kashmir from Space. |
One might look at this and wonder: which one is Dal Lake? Which one is Wular? Is that Jhelum?
Here’s the fun part. None of them are there. Even K2 (mentioned in the article) isn’t there. It isn’t even capturing Kashmir as we know it. These photographs were taken by Gemini 5 in 1965. Although the accompanying article doesn’t mention the details. Here are the details (thanks to Google Earth): These photographs were shot while they were over Tibet (‘the roof of the world’) and the region known as Aksai Chin (where the fighting was and where famously “not a blade of a grass grows”). The lakes seen here (from bottom to top) are:
1. Bangongcuo Lake, Tibet
2. Ze Cuo lake at the foot of Zangqung Kangri , Tibet
3. Surigh-yilganing-Kol Lake, Lingzi Thang plains in Aksai-Chin
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