In which state, is the Nelong Valley located?

The correct answer is D) Uttarakhand. Nelong (Nelang) Valley lies in the Uttarkashi district, along the Jadh Ganga, close to the India-China (Tibet) border. It is a cold, high-altitude valley, and the Nelang village there is one of the border settlements of Uttarakhand.

• A) Himachal Pradesh: Wrong. Its trans-Himalayan border areas are Spiti, Lahaul and Kinnaur, not Nelong.
• B) Jammu & Kashmir: Wrong. The Nubra, Shyok and Chang Chenmo valleys are in Ladakh, which was part of J&K until 2019 and is now a separate Union Territory. Nelong is not there.
• C) Sikkim: Wrong. Yumthang, Zemu and Tsomgo are the famous high-altitude spots in Sikkim, not Nelong.

The core concept here is the geography of the Himalayan border valleys and which state each one belongs to. For Mains (GS-1 Geography and GS-3 Border Management), villages like Nelang are relevant to the Vibrant Villages Programme, which aims to reduce depopulation in border areas.

Trap: Candidates often pick Himachal or J&K because the valley looks like the Ladakh or Spiti type of terrain. Anchor it to Uttarkashi district and the Jadh Ganga.