Geographical Location of District Kinnaur
Kinnaur is eastern most district of Himachal Pradesh. Total area of Kinnaur is 6401 Km2. It share international border with Tibet, Shimla border it on South ,South West, Uttarakhand on South, Kullu on North and Spiti on North east.
Physiographic Division of District Kinnaur
Physiographically district can be divided into Zanskar mountain range, Greater Himalaya and Dhauladhar. Few scholars have also divided the Kinnaru as Lower Kinnaur( Rampur Bushahr to kalpa), Middle Kinnaur(Kalpa to Kanam) and Upper Kinnaur( Beyond kanam).
- Lower Kinnaru is located between Dhauladhar and Greater Himalaya. Monsoonal wind able to penetrate deep into the valley, thus area receive Good rainfall in Monsoon, dominant vegetation of area is Temperate forest.Rupi Bhaba and Lippa asrang wildlife sanctuaries are also located here. Lower Kinnaur share many cultural affinity with adjoining area of Shimla.
- Middle Kinnaur and Upper Kinnaur are entirely located in midst of Greater Himalaya and Zanskar respectively. This region is comparatively dry zone. Greater Himalaya prevent the monsoonal wind to proceed farther .Dominant vegetation here is Subalpine forest.
Mountain Ranges of District Kinnaur, a unique Geographical Perspective
Greater Himalayan Range is the principal mountain range of Kinnaur. It enter the district from Spiti. Its height get increase slightly once it enter the district, Kinner Kailash, Raldang,Jorkanden, Phawranga and rangrik etc are important peaks located on this range. River Satluj cut the Greater Himalayan and formed the long narrow “V Shaped valley”. There are numerous small and large hydro project located both side of Satluj.
- Zanskar mountain range touch the district briefly and formed the international border with Tibet. River Satluj formed the famous Shipki Gorges in this mountain range. Dhauladhar range pass the district from southern side forming the boundary with Shimla and Uttarakhand. It also delineate the Satluj basin and Yamuna basin. Borasu, Shinka and Nalgan are important passes of this range.
Inner mountain ridges of Greater Himalaya has many beautiful sparsely populated valleys, these valley are good example of Hanging valleys connected to main valley (Satluj valley).
- Hangrang Valley, lies at an elevation of 3,500 to 4,000 meters in the trans-Himalayan zone near the Tibet border. Valley is known for high-altitude desert landscape, the valley features barren mountains, rocky terrains, and narrow valleys shaped by glacial and fluvial processes. Rive spiti drained the valley ,it is also home to famous Nako Lake. The region experiences a cold desert climate with minimal precipitation, harsh winters, and short summers. Its sandy, less fertile soil supports sparse vegetation and limited agriculture, with crops like barley and potatoes grown using glacial melt water.
Valleys of Kinnaur
Sangla valley also known as Baspa valley is the most important and beautiful valley of district. It is connected to Har Ki Dun valley in Uttarakhand by Borsu Pass. River Baspa flow through it. The valley is rich in biodiversity, with pine, oak, and cedar forests alongside a variety of wildflowers.
Tidong Valley is encircled by Kinner Kailash on one side and Dhar Wishtang on other side. All these valleys are sparsely populated.Ropa valley also known as Sunam valley is another important valley of district it joined the main Satluj valley from north near Poo.
Drainage System of Kinnaur
Entire area of Kinnaur expect area beyond Sangal valley is part of Satluj Drainage Basin. Satluj enter the district in Kinnaru ( See:- 3d map here GeoVirtual World) and follow through the narrow valley until it open near Rampur. Kinnaur is the largest district in term of catchment area of Satluj. However Satluj itself cover 94% area of Kinnaur and remaining area near border of Uttrakhand is part of Bhagirathi, which is part of Ganga river system. ( – The calculations were performed using SRTM 30 m DEM in QGIS 3.40.5. The district boundary vector data was downloaded from the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The Coordinate Reference System (CRS) used is EPSG:32643 (WGS 84 / UTM zone 43N).
