Kashmir division

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Kashmir division
Region administered by India as an Administrative division
Kashmir division
Interactive map of Kashmir division
Kashmir Division in Greater Kashmir.svg
A map of the Kashmir division (in red) of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. [1]
Coordinates: 34°14′N74°40′E / 34.233°N 74.667°E / 34.233; 74.667
Administering countryIndia
Union territory Jammu and Kashmir
Districts Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Srinagar.
Capital Srinagar
Historical divisions
List
  • Kamraz (North Kashmir) [2]
  • Yamraz (Central Kashmir) [2]
  • Maraz (South Kashmir) [2]
Government
  Type Division
   Divisional Commissioner Pandurang Kondbarao Pole
Area
  Total15,948 km2 (6,158 sq mi)
Dimensions
  Length135 [3]  km (83.885 mi)
  Width32 [3]  km (19.884 mi)
Elevation
1,620 [3]  m (5,314 ft)
Population
 (2011 [4] )
  Total6,888,475 [4]
  Density431.93/km2 (1,118.7/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Kashmiris, Koshur
Ethnicity and language
  Languages Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, [5] English, [6] Pahari-Pothwari, Gojri, Shina [7]
  Ethnic groups Kashmiri, Pahari, Gujar, Shina
  Religion (2011 [8] )96.41% Islam,
2.45% Hinduism,
0.81% Sikhism,
0.17% Christianity,
0.16% Others
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration JK
Highest peak Machoi Peak (5458 metres)
Largest lake Wular lake(260 km2 (100 sq mi)) [9]
Longest river Jhelum river(725 kilometres) [10]
Website http://kashmirdivision.nic.in/

The Kashmir division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. [1] It comprises the Kashmir Valley, bordering the Jammu Division to the south and Ladakh to the east. The Line of Control forms its boundary with the Pakistani-administered territories of Gilgit−Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the north and west and west, respectively.

Contents

Its main city is Srinagar. Other important cities include Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore and Kulgam.

Districts

The Indian administrative districts for the Kashmir Valley were reorganised in 1968, [11] and 2006, [12] each time subdividing existing districts. Kashmir Division currently consists of the following ten districts:

Name of
district
HQAreaPopulation [13]
Total
(km2)
Total
(sq mile)
Rural
(km2)
Urban
(km2)
2001
census
2011
census
Anantnag Anantnag 3,5741,3803,475.898.2 [14] 778,4081,078,692
Kulgam Kulgam 410158360.249.8 [15] 394,026424,483
Pulwama Pulwama 1,0864191,047.538.6 [16] 441,275560,440
Shopian Shopian 312120306.65.4 [17] 211,332266,215
Budgam Budgam 1,3615251,312.049.1 [18] 607,181753,745
Srinagar Srinagar 1,9797641,684.4294.5 [19] 1,027,6701,236,829
Ganderbal Ganderbal 259100233.625.4 [20] 217,907297,446
Bandipore Bandipore 345133295.449.6 [21] 304,886392,232
Baramulla Baramulla 4,2431,6384,179.463.6 [22] 843,8921,008,039
Kupwara Kupwara 2,3799192,331.747.3 [23] 650,393870,354
Total15,9486,15815,226.4721.55,476,9706,888,475

Demographics

Religion

Religions in Kashmir Division (2011) [24]

   Sunni Islam (97.06%)
   Hinduism (2.11%)
   Sikhism (0.58%)
   Christianity (0.11%)
  Others (0.05%)
  Not Stated (0.08%)

The Kashmir division is largely Muslim (97.06%) with a very small Hindu (2.11%) and Sikh (0.58%) population. [24] Among Muslims, about 10% are Shias, remaining being Sunni. Majority of the population is made up of ethnic Kashmiris, with a significant minority of Pahari-Pothwari and Gujjar-Bakarwal people mainly living near the border area adjoining Pakistani administrated Kashmir. However, originally there was originally a very large Kashmiri Hindu population in the valley prior to being ethnically cleansed in the 1990s. It is estimated that there were over 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to flee due to intense persecution by Kashmiri Muslim separatists, who saw them as a threat because they were considered close to the Indian establishment. [25]

Language

Kashmir division: mother-tongue of population, according to the 2011 Census. [26]

   Kashmiri (85.28%)
   Gojri (6.27%)
   Pahari-Pothwari (4.18%)
   Hindi (1.26%)
  Others (3.01%)

The majority of the population speaks Kashmiri (85.28%), while the remainder speaks either Gujari, Pahari-Pothwari or Hindi. [13]

Urdu is also widely understood as a literary language in Kashmir due to it being a medium of instruction in schools. [11] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir (state)</span> 1952–2019 state administered by India

Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019, constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan and China since the mid-20th century. The underlying region of this state were parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, whose western districts, now known as Azad Kashmir, and northern territories, now known as Gilgit-Baltistan, are administered by Pakistan. The Aksai Chin region in the east, bordering Tibet, has been under Chinese control since 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srinagar district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

The Srinagar District is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Situated in the centre of the Kashmir Valley, it is the second-most populous district of the union territory after Jammu District as per the 2011 national census, and is home to the summer capital city of Srinagar. Likewise, the city of Srinagar also serves as the Srinagar District's headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathua</span> City administered by India in Jammu and Kashmir

Kathua is a city and municipal council of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The city is the headquarters of Kathua district and is divided into 27 wards which constitute the Kathua Municipal Council. It is situated along NH-44 The city has a bustling industrial area and an army cantonment adjoining it. Being a transit hub for industrial activity in the state, the city has a large industrial base with textile park, Biotechnology and Pharma industrial and research park, Cement industry and many medium scale MSMEs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anantnag district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Anantnag district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of ten districts which make up the Kashmir Valley. The district headquarters is Anantnag city. As of 2011, it was the third most populous district of Jammu and Kashmir, after Jammu and Srinagar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baramulla district</span> District in Jammu and kashmir, India

Baramulla district or Varmul is one of the 20 districts in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. Baramulla town is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district covered an area of 4,588 km2 (1,771 sq mi) in 2001, but it was reduced to 4,243 km2 (1,638 sq mi) at the time of 2011 census. In 2016, the district administration said that the area was 4,190 km2 (1,620 sq mi). Muslims constitute about 98% of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulwama district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

The Pulwama district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located to the south of Srinagar. Its district headquarters are situated in the city of Pulwama. It is located in the central part of the Kashmir Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagh District</span> District of Azad Kashmir administered by Pakistan

Bagh District is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the ten districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Previously part of Poonch District, Bagh was established as a separate district in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poonch District, Pakistan</span> District of Azad Kashmir administered by Pakistan

Poonch District is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 10 districts of this Pakistan-administered territory. It is bounded on the north by Bagh District, on the north-east by Haveli District, on the south-east by the Poonch District of Indian-administered Kashmir, on the south by Azad Kashmir's Sudhanoti and Kotli districts, and on the west by Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. The Poonch District is part of the greater Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. The district headquarters is the city of Rawalakot. It is the third most populous district of Azad Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doda district</span> District in Jammu and Kashmir

Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Jammudistrict is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the most populous district in the Jammu division.

Pulwama is a city and notified area council in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the summer capital of the state, Srinagar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poonch district, India</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India in Jammu & Kashmir

Poonch or Punch is a district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. With headquarters in the town of Poonch, it is bounded by the Line of Control on three sides. The 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan divided the earlier district into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of the then-Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anantnag</span> City administered by India. in Jammu and Kashmir

Anantnag, also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located at a distance of 53 kilometres from the union territory's capital Srinagar. It is the third largest city in Jammu and Kashmir after Srinagar and Jammu with an urban agglomerate population of 159,838 and a municipal limit population of 109,433.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kupwara district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Kupwara district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 10 districts located in the Kashmir Valley Division of Indian administered Kashmir. The Pohru River and Mawar river are two main rivers in the district. Both of them meet Jhelum river in Baramulla district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathua district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Kathua district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is surrounded by Jammu to the northwest, the Doda and Udhampur districts to the north, the state of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Punjab to the south, and Pakistan's working boundary to the west. Its terrain is diverse, consisting of rich agricultural areas along the Punjab/Kashmir border, plains sweeping eastward to the foothills of the Himalaya, and the mountainous Pahari region in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samba district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Samba district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It was formed in 2006. Before its formation, this area was part of Jammu district and Kathua district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramban district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Ramban district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located in a valley surrounded the Pir Panjal range. It was carved out as a separate district from erstwhile Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division. The district headquarters are at Ramban town, which is located midway between Jammu and Srinagar along the Chenab river in the Chenab valley on National Highway-44, approximately 151 km from Jammu and Srinagar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopian district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Shopian district, known as Shupyan in Kashmiri, is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is a hill district with its administrative headquarters in Shopian town. As it is situated on the historical road commonly known as Mughal Road, most of its area is occupied by forests. Shopian district comes under the Pir Panjal Range which makes it very cold in winter. After partition of India, it was a tehsil of Pulwama district. In March, 2007, the district status was granted by the Government of India. The economy of the district depends on agriculture, particularly apple growing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandipore district</span> District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India

Bandipore district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 20 districts in the Jammu and Kashmir. Bandipore town is the administrative headquarters of the district. Bandipore is located in the foothills of the snow-clad peaks of Harmukh overlooking the shores of Wular Lake and has produced hundreds of scholars and intellectuals. The district is known for its tourist places such as Wular Vintage Park, Athwatoo and Gurez valley. Before 1947, this town was a big trade and literary centre of Kashmir. This district was carved out from the erstwhile Baramulla district in 2007. The district is bounded by Kupwara district from the north, Baramulla district from west and Kargil district in Ladakh and Ganderbal district from the east. This district occupies an area of 398 km2. The district has a population of 392,232 as per 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)</span> Region administered by India

Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consists of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh which is administered by India as a union territory.

References

  1. 1 2 The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below).
    (a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
    (b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
    (c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN   978-0-7172-0139-6 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
    (d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN   978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
    (e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN   978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
    (f) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962.";
    (g) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN   978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
    (h) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN   978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
    (i) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN   978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
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  7. Shina, bolbosh
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    Annexure V, Ranking of Districts by Population Size, 2001 - 2011 (Report).
  14. District Census Handbook Anantnag, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. p. 9. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Anantnag, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  15. District Census Handbook Kulgam, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. p. 10. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Kulgam, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    Part B page 12 says the area of the district is 404 km2, but page 22 says 410 km2.
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    District Census Handbook Shupiyan, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    Part B pages 12 and 22 say the district area is 312.00 km2, but Part A page 10 says 307.42 km2.
  18. District Census Handbook Badgam, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 10, 46. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Badgam, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 11, 12, 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    Part A says the district area is 1371 km2, Part B says 1371 km2 (page 11) and 1361 km2 (page 12s and 22).
  19. District Census Handbook Srinagar, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 11, 48. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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  20. District Census Handbook Ganderbal, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 11, 12 and 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    Part B page 11 says the district area is 393.04 km2, but pages 12 and 22 say 259.00 km2.
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    District Census Handbook Kupwara, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 11, 12. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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