Kashmir division
Region administered by India as an Administrative division
Map
Interactive map of Kashmir division
A map of the Kashmir division (neon blue) of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (shaded tan) in the disputed Kashmir region.[1]
A map of the Kashmir division (neon blue) of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (shaded tan) in the disputed Kashmir region.[1]
Coordinates: 34°14′N 74°40′E / 34.233°N 74.667°E / 34.233; 74.667
Administering countryIndia
Union territoryJammu and Kashmir
DistrictsAnantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Srinagar.
CapitalSrinagar
Historical divisions
List
  • Kamraz (North Kashmir)[3]
  • Yamraz (Central Kashmir)[3]
  • Maraz (South Kashmir)[3]
Government
 • TypeDivision
 • Divisional CommissionerPandurang Kondbarao Pole
Area
 • Total15,948 km2 (6,158 sq mi)
Dimensions
 • Length135[4] km (83.885 mi)
 • Width32[4] km (19.884 mi)
Elevation
1,620[4] m (5,314 ft)
Population
 (2011[2])
 • Total6,888,475[2]
 • Density431.93/km2 (1,118.7/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Kashmiris, Koshur
Ethnicity and language
 • LanguagesKashmiri, Urdu, Hindi,[5] English,[6] Pahari-Pothwari, Gojri, Shina[7]
 • Ethnic groupsKashmiri, Pahari, Gujar, Shina
 • Religion (2011[8])96.41% Islam,
2.45% Hinduism,
0.81% Sikhism,
0.17% Christianity,
0.16% Others
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationJK
Highest peakMachoi Peak (5458 metres)
Largest lakeWular lake(260 km2 (100 sq mi))[9]
Longest riverJhelum river(725 kilometres)[10]
Websitehttp://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.

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 		HQ Area Population[13]
Total
(km2) 		Total
(sq mile) 		Rural
(km2) 		Urban
(km2) 		2001
census 		2011
census
Anantnag Anantnag 3,574 1,380 3,475.8 98.2 [14] 778,408 1,078,692
Kulgam Kulgam 410 158 360.2 49.8 [15] 394,026 424,483
Pulwama Pulwama 1,086 419 1,047.5 38.6 [16] 441,275 560,440
Shopian Shopian 312 120 306.6 5.4 [17] 211,332 266,215
Budgam Budgam 1,361 525 1,312.0 49.1 [18] 607,181 753,745
Srinagar Srinagar 1,979 764 1,684.4 294.5 [19] 1,027,670 1,236,829
Ganderbal Ganderbal 259 100 233.6 25.4 [20] 217,907 297,446
Bandipore Bandipore 345 133 295.4 49.6 [21] 304,886 392,232
Baramulla Baramulla 4,243 1,638 4,179.4 63.6 [22] 843,892 1,008,039
Kupwara Kupwara 2,379 919 2,331.7 47.3 [23] 650,393 870,354
Total 15,948 6,158 15,226.4 721.5 5,476,970 6,888,475

Demographics

Religion

Religions in Kashmir Division (2011)[24]

  Islam (96.41%)
  Hinduism (2.45%)
  Sikhism (0.81%)
  Christianity (0.17%)
  Others (0.08%)
  Not Stated (0.08%)

The Kashmir division is largely Muslim (96.41%) with a small Hindu (2.45%) and Sikh (0.81%) 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 Gujjars and Bakarwals.

Language

Kashmir division: mother-tongue of population, according to the 2011 Census.[25]

  Kashmiri (85.50%)
  Gojri (6.27%)
  Pahari (3.86%)
  Hindi (1.36%)
  Others (3.01%)

The majority of the population speaks Kashmiri (85.50%), while the remainder speaks either Gujari, Pahari 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]

References

  1. ^ a b 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'."
  2. ^ a b "Demography of Jammu and Kashmir State". J&K; Envis Centre, Department of Ecology Environment and Remote Sensing J&K. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
    This used the Digest of Statistics, 2011-12 for its data source.
  3. ^ a b c "Spoken Kashmiri: A Language Course". Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Vale of Kashmir | valley, India". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  5. ^ "The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020" (PDF). The Gazette of India. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020". Rising Kashmir. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  7. ^ Shina, bolbosh
  8. ^ "Religion Data of Census 2011: XV Jammu and Kashmir", Centre for Policy Studies, India, Chennai and Delhi, 29 February 2016, archived from the original on 24 January 2021, retrieved 6 March 2021
  9. ^ "Wular Lake | lake, India". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Jhelum River | river, Asia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b Behera, Navnita Chadha (2006). Demystifying Kashmir. Pearson Education India. p. 28. ISBN 978-8131708460.
  12. ^ "Jammu and Kashmir to have eight new districts". Indo-Asian News Service. 6 July 2006.
  13. ^ a b c Census of India 2011, Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011 : Jammu & Kashmir. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (Report).
    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.
  16. ^ District Census Handbook Pulwama, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  17. ^ District Census Handbook Shupiyan, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. p. 10. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    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.
    Part A page 48 says the district area was 2228.0 km2 in 2001 and 1978.95 km2 in 2011.
  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.
  21. ^ District Census Handbook Bandipora, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 10, 47. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Bandipora, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 11, 20. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  22. ^ District Census Handbook Baramulla, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. p. 11. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Baramulla, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. p. 22. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  23. ^ District Census Handbook Kupwara, Part A (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
    District Census Handbook Kupwara, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 11, 12. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Population by religion community – 2011". Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
  25. ^ C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.

External links

States and union territories of India
Regions and administrative territories of Kashmir
Kashmir Valley
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
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