Gilgit-Baltistan map with tehsils labelled

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

is an administrative territory of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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 Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

Kharmang Shigar and Ghanche are in the

Baltistan 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 bet ...

Division, four districts of Gilgit Ghizer

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mo ...

and Nagar districts which were carved out of Gilgit District are in the

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

Division and the third division is Diamir, comprising

Chilas Chilas () is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sou ...

and Astore (which was carved out of the Diamir District in 2004). The main political centres are the towns of

and

. Gilgit-Baltistan is home to some of the world's highest mountain ranges it is home to all five of Pakistan's "

eight-thousanders The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise defi ...

." The main ranges are the

Karakoram The Karakoram () is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...

and the western

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

s. The Pamir mountains are to the north and the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) and

Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat () (; ), known locally as Diamer (), is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth and its summit is at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-a ...

, one of the most feared mountains in the world. Many of the highest peaks in Gilgit-Baltistan, such as

Baltoro Muztagh The Baltoro Muztagh (, ) is a subrange within the Karakoram mountain range. It spans across the Baltistan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is the northernmost political entity of Pakistan, and extends into Xinjiang, China. The crest of this rang ...

, K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) (8,611 m), the second-highest mountain in the world), the

Gasherbrum Gasherbrum () is a remote group of mountain, peaks situated at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram mountain range. The peaks are located within the border region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. T ...

s (7,932 - 8,080 meters, ranked 12-17 in the world), and

Masherbrum Masherbrum, formerly known as K1, is a mountain located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Karakoram mountain range. It has an elevation of 7,821 metres (25,659 feet), ranking as the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest ...

(7,821 m), 22nd-highest in the world), lie in the

Skardu District The Skardu District () is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the te ...

. Other high peaks are

Distaghil Sar Disteghil Sar or Distaghil Sar () is the highest mountain in the Baltin Bar Nallah Shishkat, Hunza. It is part of the Karakoram mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is the 19th-highest mountain on Earth, the 7th-highest in Pakistan, ...

(7,885 meters, 19th-highest in the world), Kunyang Chhish (7,852 meters, 21st-highest in the world),

Batura Sar __NOTOC__ Batura Sar (), also referred to as Batura I, is the 25th-highest mountain on Earth. It is the highest peak of the Batura Muztagh, which is the westernmost subrange of the Karakoram range. It forms the apex of the Batura Wall, a continu ...

(7,795 m), 25th-highest in the world), Kanjut Sar (7,790 m), 26th-highest in the world), and

Rakaposhi Rakaposhi (; ) also known as Dumani () is a mountain within the Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. It is situated in the middle of the Nagar and Bagrote valleys. The mountain is extremely broad, measuring almost from east to west ...

(7,788 m), 27th-highest in the world.

Gilgit Division

Gilgit District

The Gilgit District is bounded by the

Wakhan Corridor The Wakhan Corridor (; ) is a narrow strip of territory in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. This corridor stretches eastward, connecting Afghanistan to Xinjiang, China. It also separates the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajiki ...

of (

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

) in the north,

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) in the north and northeast,

in the south and southeast. The capital of the Gilgit District is

town. The district includes Gilgit City, Nomal Naltar, Danyore, Jalalabad, Bagrote, Oshikhandas, Minawar, Parri, Juglote and Haramosh Valley. The Haramosh valley having eight villages i.e. Hanuchal, Shota, Sassi, Daso, Hurban, barchy, jutiyal, and khaltaro, currently located within the Gilgit District, was previously located within the Skardu District.

Gojal Gojal ( Wakhi: , Kyrgyz: ), also called Upper Hunza, is situated in northwestern Pakistan. It borders China at the Khunjerab Pass and the Shimshal valley, and Afghanistan at the Chapursan valley. In 2019, Gojal Valley became the second Karac ...

( Upper Hunza) Gulmit Gojal is the last tehsil there and (

Sost Sclerostin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SOST'' gene. It is a secreted glycoprotein with a C-terminus, C-terminal cysteine knot-like (CTCK) domain and sequence similarity to the PARN, DAN (differential screening-selected gene a ...

) is the last stop of (

is the place where ( Pak-China Dry Port) is located near a village ( Hussainabad). The highest peak in the Gilgit District is

(7,885 m), which is the 19th-highest mountain in the world.

Diamer Division

Diamir District

The Diamir District is where the

Karakoram Highway The Karakoram Highway (, ), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (), N-35, and the ChinaPakistan Friendship Highway, is a National Highways of Pakistan, national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab p ...

enters Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The capital of the Diamir District is

. The Diamir District is bounded by the Astore District in the east, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the south and southwest (separated by the

Babusar Pass Babusar Pass or Babusar Region (Urdu: درہ بابوسر) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in Pakistan at the north of the 150 km (93 miles) long Kaghan Valley, connecting it via the Thak Nala with Chilas on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). ...

or Babusar Top), the Darel District on the west, the Ghizar District in the north and northwest, and the Gilgit District in the north and northeast. Before the

was opened in 1978, the only road to Gilgit town from the south was a rough track north from

Balakot Balakot (; ; ) is a town in Mansehra district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The town was significantly damaged during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake but was later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan. Geography Balakot is l ...

(via Kaghan, Naran,

Besal The Besal, properly named "Gun, Light, Machine, Faulkner, .303-inch", was a light machine gun of British origin. The weapon was intended as an alternative to the Bren gun as it was lighter, simpler, cheaper and easier to manufacture and therefor ...

, and Gittidas) and further north through

. The road up to Besal is now in better condition. Darel valley the oldest civilization of whole gilgit baltistan. There is a Buddhist University in muhallah Phuguch.

Astore District

The Astore District was carved out of the Diamir District in 2004. Before that date, Gilgit-Baltistan was composed of five districts. The capital of the Astore District is

Eidgah Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah ( "site of Eid bservances; ; ; ; ) is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city (or at the outskirts) reserved for Eid prayers offered in the morning ...

, which includes many villages in the

Astore Valley The Astore Valley (; el. ) is a valley located in the Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. History According to '' The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', around 1600: See also * Rama Lake * Minimarg Valley * Rupal Valley ...

. Astore district formerly comprised the area of Gilgit Wazarat. The Astore District is bounded by the Diamir District in the west and the Skardu District in the east. Some notable places in the district are Tarashing, Rupal, and Rama sar Lake.

Baltistan Division

Skardu District

The capital of the Skardu District is

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

, the subrange of the

that includes the mighty peaks of K2 (8,611 m),

Broad Peak Broad Peak (; ) is one of the eight-thousanders, and is located in the Karakoram range spanning Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. It is the 12th highest mountain in the world with elevation above sea level. The first ascent of t ...

(8,047 m), the Gasherbrums (8,000+ meters) and

(7,821 m), is included in the Skardu District. Askole is the last settlement in the district for all treks to Concordia, the confluence of the

Baltoro Glacier The Baltoro Glacier (; ) is a glacier located in the Shigar District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. It stretches for in length. It is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. It is home to some of the world’s high ...

and the Mount Godwin-Austen Glacier). The

Biafo Glacier The Biafo Glacier () is a glacier located within the Karakoram mountain range in the Hispar Valley, Nagar District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It extends over a considerable distance, measuring in length, and ranks as one of the largest gla ...

and a major part of the

Hispar Glacier Hispar Glacier (; ) is a 49-km (30-mile) long glacier situated in the Karakoram Mountains of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. It converges with the Biafo Glacier, which extends for 67 kilometers (42 miles), at the Hispar La (Pass), reaching an al ...

are also located in the Skardu District. The district also includes almost all of the

Deosai National Park Deosai National Park () is a high-altitude alpine climate, alpine plain and national park located between the Skardu District and Astore District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Lying to the east of Nanga Parbat and in the western Himalaya Range, ...

, which is located on the second-highest plateau in the world. (Only the Tibetan Plateau is higher). Skardu also is the district in which the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

enters Gilgit-Baltistan from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Other towns in the Skardu District include: * Gamba Skardu, Shigar Khas, Mehdi Abad,

Sermik Sermik is a village in Skardu District in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northeastern Pakistan. it is approx 45 Km away from Skardu.The people of sermik is very kind and Generous ,furthermore sermik is at a great location,it is located approximatel ...

, Stak, Gulab Pur, Kharmang Khas, Kachura, Gultari, and Thowar. The highest peak in the Skardu District is K2 (8,611 m), which is the second-highest peak in the world.

Hispar Pass Hispar Pass or Hispar La (; ) (el. 5,128 m/16,824 ft) is a high-altitude, non-technical mountain pass in the Karakoram Range in Nagar District, Pakistan. At the pass, the Biafo Glacier (63 km long) and Hispar Glacier (49 km long) ...

and Gondoghoro Pass are also in the Skardu District. Some of the lakes in the district are Snow Lake,

Satpara Lake Satpara Lake also spelled ''Sadpara Lake'' () is a natural lake near Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The lake supplies water to Skardu Valley. Fed by the Satpara Stream originating from the Deosai plains, the stream is the ...

, Sheosar Lake, Kachura Lake, and Shangrila Lake.

Ghanche District

The Ghanche District ("Ghanche" means the 'great glacier' and is written as "Gangche" by the local people) is the easternmost district of Baltistan. To the east is the

Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...

District of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

(under administration of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

). To the Northeast is

(

), to the north and northwest is the

, to the west is the

Astore District Astore District () is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the te ...

, and to the south is the Indian territory of

. The

Actual Ground Position Line The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) divides current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops along the entire long frontline in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier. AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains ran ...

(AGPL) at the easternmost part of Ghanche District is located across the Saltoro Ridge. The

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...

along the easternmost region of the Ghanche District ends before the start of the

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

(entirely under control of

) at

NJ9842 NJ9842, also called NJ 980420 (in full: NJ 38 98000, 13 42000, yard based Indian Grid Coordinates), is the northernmost demarcated point of the India-Pakistan cease fire line in Kashmir known as the Line of Control (LoC). The India–Pakistan ...

. There has been a proposal made to turn the

region into a

peace park A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks. TBPAs exist in ma ...

. The capital of the Ghanche District is

Khaplu Khaplu (Urdu: , pronounced: əpluː Balti: ཁཔ་ལུ།), also spelt Khapalu, is a city that serves as the administrative capital of the Ghanche District in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, within the disputed Kashmir region. Lo ...

. The

and

Hushe Valley Hushe Valley (; ) is a valley in Ghanche District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Formed by the Hushe River, the valley runs from Masherbrum Mountain (at 7,821 meters) and nearby glaciers south to the Shyok River, opposite Khaplu. Hushe village li ...

s form the gateway for the great

, the subrange of the

that includes the mighty peaks of K2 (8,611 m),

(8,047 m), the Gasherbrums (8,000+ meters), and

(7,821 m)--all of which are located in the

The highest peak in Ghanche District is

Saltoro Kangri Saltoro Kangri, previously known as Peak 36, stands as the highest peak within the Saltoro Mountains subrange, which is part of the larger Karakoram range. This subrange is also referred to as the Saltoro Range and is situated within the Karakor ...

(7,742 m), which is the 31st-highest peak in the world and is, in fact, under Indian control since 1984. Some of the towns in the district are

Keris The kris or is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight ...

, Doghani, Siksa, Balghar, Thaghas and Ghuwari. Some rivers in the district are the

Shyok River The Shyok River (sometimes spelled Shayok) is a major tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh in India and into Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. Originating from the Central Rimo Glacier in the eastern Karakoram, it runs f ...

, the

Hushe River The Hushe River is a tributary river to the Shyok River which itself is a tributary to the Indus River. The main source of the Hushe River is the Gondogoro Glacier. Some streams also flow from other glaciers of the Hushe valley. The Hushe rive ...

, and the Thalle River.

Ghizar District

The Ghizar District is the westernmost district of the Gilgit-Baltistan. It is bounded by Pakistan's

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

province on three sides (north, west, and south), by the Diamir District in the south and southeast, and by the Gilgit District in the east. A small strip of the Ghizar District (roughly 35x12 km) is sandwiched between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the

of (

). The capital of the Ghizar District is Gakuch. The highest peak in the Ghizar District is Koyo Zum (6,871 m) in the (

Range) which lies on the boundary of the Ghizar District and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some of the main places in the district are the Gulapur, singul,

Ishkoman The Ishkoman () valley lies in the north of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It borders Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asi ...

, and the Yasin valleys. Other places include

Gupis Gupis Tehsil is an administrative division (a tehsil) of Gupis-Yasin District, in Gilgit-Baltistan, a northern region of Pakistan. Gupis Tehsil lies in the southern part of the district. There are many villages and lush green and very pleasant pla ...

Chatorkhand Chatorkhand is a village in Pakistan. It is situated in Ghizer District (2019–), Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is the headquarter of Ishkoman tehsil. Geography Chatorkhand is located at an elevation of 6850 feet above sea level. It ...

, Imit, and Utz. Some of the passes in the district are: * Karumbar Pass, Chillingi Pass. *

Hayal Pass Hayal Pass (el. 4700 m) is a high mountain pass to the north of Shani Peak in the Naltar Valley of northern Pakistan. The pass lies in the west of Naltar Pass. References See also *Naltar Valley The Naltar Valley is a valley situated a ...

and

Naltar Pass Naltar Pass is a mountain pass to the north of Shani Peak in Naltar Valley in Pakistan. The pass lies west of Chaprot Pass and east of Hayal Pass. See also *Naltar Valley The Naltar Valley is a valley situated about from the city of Gi ...

(on the boundary of Ghizar and Gilgit Districts). * Bichhar Pass (on the boundary of Ghizar and Gilgit Districts). * Assumbar Pass, Thui Pass, Atar Pass, Nazbar and Zagar Pass, Darkot Pass. Darmadar Pass The main river in the district is the Ghizar River, which is known as the

Gilgit River The Gilgit River () is a tributary of the Indus River, flowing through various districts of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region, including Gupis-Yasin, Ghizer and Gilgit. The Gilgit River originates from Shandur Lake and proceeds to join the I ...

to the east of

town. Some of its tributaries include the Karambar River, the Ishkoman River, the Phakora River, and the Hayal River.

References

External links

Gilgit-Baltistan detailed placemarks in Google Earth (with an overlay for district boundaries)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Gilgit-Baltistan