Since 1942, most of the former kingdom of Ladakh has belonged to India. Situated on the western edge of Tibet, this largely mountainous region with broad, high-altitude plateaux is dissected by fertile river valleys, which form the main areas of human habitation. Ladakh has an extremely dry climate, so that the water from melted mountain snow and ice forms the existential basis for the population in the villages and monasteries. The climate is also characterized throughout the year by large daily differences of temperature.