Kasjmir

Kasjmir, also known as Kashmir, is a geographic and cultural region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is centered on the Kashmir Valley in the western Himalayas and extends into the high mountains of the greater Kashmir region. The area is drained by the Jhelum River and its tributaries. The climate varies from temperate lowlands to alpine zones; major features include the Dal Lake and the Himalayan passes.

Historically, Kasjmir has been part of several empires, including the Maurya, Kushan, and Mughal empires, later ruled by the Sikh Empire and the Dogra Dynasty. In 1947, amid the partition of British India, the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India. The region has been the subject of armed conflict and separate administrative arrangements; after the 1947-48 wars, the ceasefire line became the Line of Control. The Simla Agreement of 1972 formalized the lines of control. In 2019, India reorganized the state into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Pakistan administers Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; China administers the Trans-Karakoram area including Aksai Chin. The status remains disputed, with ongoing negotiations and various lines of control and administrative arrangements.

Economy and culture: Tourism is a major activity, including houseboats on Dal Lake, the Himalayan landscape, and traditional crafts such as Kashmiri shawls and pashmina, saffron, and woodcraft. The region has diverse linguistic communities, with Kashmiri and Dogri spoken in the Indian-administered areas, Urdu widely used in Azad Kashmir, and various languages in Gilgit-Baltistan and the surrounding areas.