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A major tributary of the Indus rising from the Rimo Glacier in the eastern Karakoram and flowing about 550 km through Ladakh.
The Shyok is a major tributary of the Indus, rising from the Rimo Glacier in the eastern Karakoram range and flowing for about 550 km through northern Ladakh before entering Gilgit-Baltistan and joining the Indus near Skardu. It follows an unusual course: it first flows southeast, then makes a sharp turn to the northwest near the Pangong range, running back roughly parallel to its own upper course. The valley it carves is strategically among the most important in India, since it carries the road link to the Daulat Beg Oldi sector near the Karakoram Pass.
Type: PhenomenonRises from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of the Siachen Glacier system, in the eastern Karakoram
A tributary of the Indus river
Length of about 550 km (340 miles)
Flows southeast initially, then turns sharply northwest near the Pangong range
Joins the Indus near Skardu, at Keris, in Gilgit-Baltistan
Passes through Bogdang, Turtuk and Tyakshi before entering Baltistan
Carries the strategically vital Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road corridor
Frequency: The Indus river system and its tributaries appear regularly in UPSC Prelims and in defence examination general awareness
Rimo Glacier, eastern Karakoram
About 550 km (340 miles)
Indus
At Keris, east of Skardu
Northern Ladakh, then Gilgit-Baltistan
Nubra river
The Shyok valley is one of the few practicable routes through the eastern Karakoram, and India's road to Daulat Beg Oldi, near the Karakoram Pass and the northern end of the Line of Actual Control, runs along it. That makes the valley the logistical spine of one of the most sensitive military sectors in the country, and the reason infrastructure projects along it, including tunnels and bridges to keep the road usable year-round, attract attention out of proportion to their size. The river is also glacier-fed from the Siachen system, so its flow is highly seasonal, peaking in summer when melting is fastest — the same season in which the road is most usable.
The Shyok flows through northern Ladakh in the eastern Karakoram before entering Gilgit-Baltistan to meet the Indus.
Shyok: a tributary of the Indus
Source: Rimo Glacier, eastern Karakoram
Length about 550 km
Flows southeast, then turns sharply northwest near the Pangong range
Joins the Indus at Keris, near Skardu
Principal tributary: the Nubra
Its valley carries the strategic Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road
The Shyok is a major tributary of the Indus, joining it near Skardu after flowing about 550 km through Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan.
It rises from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of the Siachen Glacier system, in the eastern Karakoram range.
It carries the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road, India's route to the Daulat Beg Oldi sector near the Karakoram Pass at the northern end of the Line of Actual Control.
The Nubra river, which drains the Nubra valley and joins the Shyok in northern Ladakh.
Chang La is a high mountain pass in Ladakh (about 5,360 m) on the route from Leh to Pangong Tso, among the highest motorable passes in the world.
A strategically vital high-altitude pass in Ladakh connecting Leh to the Nubra Valley and Siachen Glacier, among the world's highest motorable roads.