The location of Chakgang is often marked on maps and atlases as being half-way between
Rutog and
Shiquanhe. The location is virtually identical with that of
Churkang in older maps. The location is on a wide plain in the Maga Zangbo valley where a number of routes arrive, from
Ladakh via Chang La, from
Demchok via Jara La, and from
Tashigang and
Shiquanhe via Kalinka La. A monthly fair used to be held at this location, visited by traders from
Ladakh and
Lahul, who would exchange the produce of India for
pashm, wool, salt and other products. The Maga Zangbo (or Tsangpo) river is formed from the streams on the southern slopes of the mountains south of Rutog. It flows in a wide arc, eventually trending north and draining into the
Pangong Lake at its eastern end. Churkang and Chakgang are at the location where the river starts flowing north, and several streams from the south and east join it. The land is fertile and barley has been traditionally cultivated in the area. At present, under Chinese administration, a village has been incorporated under the name "Jiagang Cun", which appears to include several settlements other than Chakgang. At a location called Jibajiawu (or Gie Bajiawu), 15 km west of Chakgang, a model village has been constructed between 2014 and 2018, which is described as part of Jiagang Cun. Another settlement called
Chiakang () further upstream on Maga Zangbo may also be part of Jiagang Cun. == Sino-Indian border dispute ==