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Gilgit-Baltistan: an overview

Gilgit is the capital city of the Gilgit-Baltistan. Its ancient name was Sargin, later to be known as Gilit, and it is still called Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by local people. Gilgit has an area of 38,000 square kilometres.

Gilgit-Baltistan consists of six districts.

Gilgit district

The district is bounded by the Wakhan Corridor of (Afghanistan) in the north, Xinjiang (China) in the north and northeast, Skardu district in the south and southeast. The capital of the district is Gilgit town.

Skardu district

The capital of the district is Skardu town. Skardu was part of Ladakh before the partition of Kashmir in 1948.

Ghanche district

The capital of the district is Khaplu. This is the coldest place within Pakistan also called the "Third Pole" with temperatures reaching below -20 °C in the winter.

Ghizar district

The district is bounded by the NWFP on three sides (north, west, and south), by Diamer district in the south and southeast, and by Gilgit district in the east. A small strip of the district is sandwiched between the NWFP and the Wakhan Corridor of (Afghanistan). The capital of the district is Gahkuch.

Diamir district

The district is where the Karakoram Highway enters Gilgit-Baltistan from the NWFP. The capital of the district is Chilas. The district is bounded by Astore district in the east, the NWFP in the south, Ghizar district in the north and northwest, and Gilgit district in the north.

Astore district

The Astore district was carved out of Diamer district in 2004. The capital of the district is Gorikot. The district is bounded by the Diamir district in the west and the Skardu District in the east.

Parks

Khunjerab National Park

It is one of the highest altitude parks in the world and provides the habitat for a number of endangered and threatened species such as snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, blue sheep and Himalayan ibex. With the establishment of the park and laying down strict rules for the locals as well as the hunters, visitors can view plenty of wildlife from the main Karakoram Highway. Ibex can easily be seen grazing on distant ridges, golden marmots play alongside the road and sometimes even a brown bear can be spotted.

Deosai National Park

It is located in Skardu. The park is located on the Deosai Plains, that are among the highest plateaus in the world with an average height of 4,114 metres above the sea level, covering an area of about 3,000 square kilometers. For just over half the year - between November and May – Deosai is snow-bound. In the summer months when the snow clears up, Deosai is accessible from Skardu in the north and Astore Valley in the west. Deosai is well known for its spring season when it is covered by a carpet of millions of flowers and a wide variety of butterflies.

Languages

Urdu is the lingua franca of the region, understood by most male inhabitants. The Shina language (with several dialects) is the language of 40% of the population, spoken mainly in Gilgit, throughout Diamer, and in some parts of Ghizer. The Balti dialect, a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and part of Tibetan language group, is spoken by the entire population of Baltistan. Minor languages spoken in the region include Wakhi, spoken in upper Hunza, and in some villages in Ghizer, while Khowar is the major language of Ghizer. Burushaski is an isolated language spoken in Hunza, Nagar, Yasin (where Khowar is also spoken), in some parts of Gilgit and in some villages of Punial. Another interesting language is Domaaki, spoken by the musician clans in the region. A small minority of people also speak Pashto.

Population

At the last census (1998), the population of Gilgit-Baltistan was 870,347. Approximately 14 percent of the population was urban. The main ethnic groups are Baltis, Yashkuns, Mughals, Kashmiris, Ladakhis, Tajik, Mongol, Turkmen and population of Greek origin.

Peaks

Many of the highest peaks in Gilgit-Baltistan, such as Baltoro Muztagh, K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) (8,611 m), the second-highest mountain in the world), the Gasherbrums (7,932 - 8,080 meters, ranked 12-17 in the world), and Masherbrum (7,821 m), 22nd highest in the world), lie in the Skardu District.

Other high peaks are Distaghil Sar (7,885 meters, 19th-highest in the world), Kunyang Chhish (7,852 meters, 21st-highest in the world), Batura Sar (7,795 m), 25th highest in the world), Kanjut Sar (7,790 m), 26th highest in the world), and Rakaposhi (7,788 m), 27th highest in the world.

Sports

Polo

The favourite sport in Gilgit is polo which local folks claim originated here. It’s more rugged, free-style version than the sedate variety known in the plains. The polo tournament held from November 1 to 7 is a festive occasion and draws a large number of visitors.

Angling

The streams and lakes of Gilgit are full of trout. These are at Kargah Nullah 10 Kms from Gilgit, and Phandar Valley 117 Kms from Gilgit. Permits for fishing are issued by the assistant director, Fisheries Department, Gilgit.

Trekking and hiking

Trekking and hiking in the rugged mountains and verdant valleys of Gilgit are allowed only in the "open zone" which extends up to 16 Kms short of the control line on the Kashmir border and up to 50 Kms short of the Afghan border.

Mountaineering

Gilgit city is one of the two major hubs on the Northern Areas for all mountaineering expeditions of Karakoram to the peaks of the Himalayas, the other hub being Skardu. Around Gilgit are towering mountain peaks, waiting to be scaled. Permits for mountaineering are issued by the Tourism Ministry, Islamabad.

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