Jammu and Kashmir are
located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the vicinity
of the Karakoram and western Himalayan mountain ranges. The state is part
of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute
between India, Pakistan, and China since the partition of India in 1947.
Formerly one of the largest princely states of India, it is bounded to
the northeast by the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang and to the east
by the Tibet Autonomous Region (both parts of China), to the south by
the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, and to the northwest and west
by the Pakistani-administered portion of the territory. The administrative
capitals are Srinagar in summer and Jammu in winter. Area, 38,830 square
miles (100,569 square km). Pop. (1994 est.), 8,435,000. |
