Siachen Glacier

The Siachen Glacier is a 76-kilometer glacier in the eastern Karakoram range of Indian-administered Ladakh, the longest glacier in the Karakoram and the second-longest in the world outside the polar regions. It descends from 5,753 meters at its head near Indira Col to 3,620 meters at its terminus, and its glacier system with tributaries covers about 2,500 square kilometers. Positioned between the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control with China, it has been under Indian administration since 1984's Operation Meghdoot, becoming one of the most heavily militarized high-altitude zones on earth. More soldiers stationed there have died from the extreme weather than from combat, reflecting both the harsh environment and the ongoing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.