Rama Lake () is a lake situated near Astore in

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 ...

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# ...

. It is located within 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 ...

, which is characterized by a light covering of

oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...

s and other vegetation. As of 2013, the region has experienced significant

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, low average rainfall, and reduced vegetation, largely due to widespread illegal logging practices.

Location

On the way to Rama Lake from Astore Valley, there are three small lakes known locally as Sarot in the

Shina language Shina ( , ) is a Dardic languages, Dardic language of Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language family spoken by the Shina people. In Pakistan, Shina is the major language in Gilgit-Baltistan spoken by an estimated 1,146,000 people living mainl ...

. Before 2005, Astore was a

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

within the Diamir District, which was the fifth district of Gilgit-Baltistan. It has since been upgraded to a district. The area surrounding Astore consists of more than 50 small villages, including Chilm, Bubin, Gorikot, Eid Ghah, Fena, Bulen, Choungrah, and Parishing.

Rama Valley

Rama Valley is thickly forested with huge

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

and

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

trees. The valley is about 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) above sea level and is snow covered for 7–8 months of the year. In summer, it becomes lush green; conditions favored by local

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

s. From here one can trek to the east side of the

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 ...

, the world's 9th highest mountain.

Demographics

Rama Lake is located in Choungrah and the people of Choungrah are called Choungroch.

References

External links

Lakes of Gilgit-Baltistan Astore District {{Gilgit-Baltistan Lake Stub