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Katpana Desert | |
---|---|
Cold Desert | |
Floor elevation | 2,226 m (7,303 ft) |
Geography | |
Country | Pakistan [1] |
Adm. Unit | Gilgit-Baltistan |
District | Skardu District |
Population center | Skardu |
Coordinates | 35°18′38″N75°35′27″E / 35.310522°N 75.590747°E |
The Katpana Desert (Biang-a Naqpo) or Katpana Biang-a or Cold Desert [2] is a high-altitude desert located in Skardu Valley in District Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. [1] The desert contains large sand dunes that are sometimes covered in snow during the winters. Situated at an elevation of 2,226 metres (7,303 ft) above sea level, the Katpana Cold Desert is one of the highest deserts in the world. While the desert technically stretches from the banks of Indus River in the south of Skardu to New Ranga Village in the north, the portion of the desert that is most frequented by tourists is located near Katpana Lake close to Skardu Airport. [3]
Temperatures range from a maximum of 27 °C (81 °F) and a minimum (in October) of 8 °C (46 °F), which can drop further to below −17 °C (1 °F) in December and January. The temperature occasionally drops as low as −25 °C (−13 °F).
Baltistan also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and constitutes a northern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. It is located near the Karakoram and borders Gilgit to the west, China's Xinjiang to the north, Indian-administered Ladakh to the southeast, and the Indian-administered Kashmir Valley to the southwest. The average altitude of the region is over 3,350 metres (10,990 ft). Baltistan is largely administered under the Baltistan Division.
Gilgit is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the capital of the Gilgit-Baltistan region. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit and the Hunza rivers. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Karakoram mountain range.
Skardu is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. Skardu serves as the capital of Skardu District and the Baltistan Division. It is situated at an average elevation of nearly 2,500 metres above sea level in the Skardu Valley, at the confluence of the Indus and Shigar rivers. The city is an important gateway to the eight-thousanders of the nearby Karakoram mountain range. The Indus River running through the region separates the Karakoram from the Ladakh Range.
The Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) is a light infantry regiment in the Pakistan Army, based and currently headquartered in Gilgit, Pakistan. Along with other forces of the Pakistani military, the NLI has the primary responsibility of conducting ground operations in the interest of defending the strategically-important territory of Gilgit−Baltistan, a Pakistani-controlled region that constitutes part of Kashmir, which has been disputed between Pakistan and India since 1947. The NLI draws a majority of its recruits from native tribes present in the nearby mountainous areas who are reportedly less prone to altitude sickness and the cold temperatures that characterize high-altitude mountain warfare, allowing the regiment to conduct its duties optimally.
Kargil or Kargyil is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the joint capital of Ladakh, an Indian-administered union territory. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located 204 kilometres (127 mi) east of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and 234 kilometres (145 mi) to the west of Leh. It is on the bank of the Suru River near its confluence with the Wakha Rong river, the latter providing the most accessible route to Leh.
Skardu International Airport is an international airport in Skardu, in the Pakistani territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. It also serves as a forward operating base of the Pakistan Air Force.
Gilgit Airport is a small domestic airport situated 1.25 nm (2.3 km) east of Gilgit, a city in the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The city of Gilgit is one of the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the northern areas of Pakistan.
Babusar Valley or Babusar Region is a mountain pass in Pakistan at the north of the 150 km long Kaghan Valley, connecting it via the Thak Nala with Chilas on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). Babusar Top is the highest point in Kaghan Valley that can be easily accessed by cars.
The Kachora Tso Lakes (Urdu: کچورہ جھیل) are three lakes in the Skardu District of Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. The lakes, at 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in elevation, are Foroq Tso (Upper Kachura Lake) and Lower Kachura Lake. The latter is also known as Shangrila Lake and is within a tourist resort named Shangrila Resort outside the town of Skardu. Another lake called Zambakha Tso (Lake) is situated in the small village Zambakha adjacent to Shangri-la. The lakes are in the Karakoram mountain range of the western Himalayas, the greater Baltistan Region, and in the Indus River basin.
The Skardu District is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. Skardu District is bounded on the east by the Ghanche District, on the south by the Kharmang District, on the west by the Astore District, on the north-west by the Rondu District and on the north by the Shigar district. The district headquarters is the town of Skardu, which is also the division headquarters.
Shigar is the headquarter of its namesake district and tehsil in the Baltistan division of Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan. It is located on the bank of the Shigar River in the most remote part of the region. It is a popular site for tourists and trekkers and contains many historical buildings of architectural significance associated with several different communities.
Cadet College Skardu is a military high school located at Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Gilgit-Baltistan is an administrative territory of Pakistan in the northern part of the country. It was given self-governing status on August 29, 2009. Gilgit-Baltistan comprises 14 districts within three divisions. The four districts of Skardu Kharmang Shigar and Ghanche are in the Baltistan Division, four districts of Gilgit Ghizer Hunza and Nagar districts which were carved out of Gilgit District are in the Gilgit Division and the third division is Diamir, comprising Chilas and Astore. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and Skardu.
Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern 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. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.
Since its independence in 1947, governments have not spent much on quality education in this region. While the literacy rates of the areas in Gilgit is higher than most of the citites in Pakistan, yet no professional universities were constructed in the region. In 2002, under the reign of Pervez Musharraf, a general university of the name of Karakoram International University was constructed. Various primary schools were constructed by NGO's from around the world including the Aga Khan Development Network.
Tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, an administered territory of Pakistan, focuses on its access to various mountain ranges and alpine terrain. Various tourist destinations attract millions of travelers from within Pakistan. On the other hand, tourists from other countries also routinely visit GB. An estimated 1.72 million tourists visited the region in 2017 according to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). Travelers had contributed Rs.300 million to the local economy in 2017. The authorities were expecting 2.5 million tourists in 2018 which would have meant an additional Rs.450 million to the economy.
Strategic Highway 1 (S-1), also known as the Gilgit–Skardu Road or Skardu Road, is a 167-kilometre-long highway in Pakistan that links the cities of Gilgit and Skardu in Gilgit−Baltistan. It was constructed by the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and the Association of Chinese Engineers from 1970 to 1982.
Siksa is a village in the sub division Chorbat Valley, Ghanche District of Gilgit-Baltistan, lying 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of Skardu, near the border of Pakistan and India at an elevation of 2,725 metres (8,940 ft).
Bunji (Urdu:بنجی) is a town in Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. It was historically important, being on the edge of the ancient Yagistan. It was economically a hub for barter trade between Yagistan and Dogras. The distance from Bunji to Gilgit is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) on the Karakoram Highway. Bunji, located at the junction of three Great Mountain Ranges, has its historical importance. The village has its prominent traces in the socio-political and economical situations of the region in History. Literacy rate of bunji is almost 100 percent except outsider coming from other places for jobs. River Indus covers the village from North to west while from eastern side it is connected with river Astore. Baltistan region joins its territory from the North-East.