Jammu and Kashmir

Shikara boats, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

State of north India; area 222,200 sq km/85,791 sq mi including area occupied by Pakistan and China; population (2001 est) 10,069,900 (Indian-occupied territory). The main cities are Jammu (winter capital), Srinagar (summer capital and the seat of state government), and Leh. The main industries include timber, silk, carpets, and handicrafts. The mountains, lakes, and rivers of the state are attractive to visitors, but the development of tourism has long been hindered by the unsettled political situation.

The state has semi-arid alluvial plains in the south and is mountainous towards the north, with the Karakoram range reaching heights of 4,000 m/13,000 ft, divided by river valleys (the Jhelum), and the Vale of Kashmir (1,600 m/5,250 ft), the most densely populated area. Agricultural products include grain and rice, and fruit round Dal Lake near Srinagar, in the Vale of Kashmir. Sheep and goats (including the Kashmir goat, whose wool is used for fine textiles) are reared in the far north.

Part of the Mogul Empire from 1586, Jammu came under the control of Gulab Singh in 1820. In 1947, although three-quarters of the population were Muslim, the Hindu Maharaja chose to become part of India after incursions by Pathan tribespeople from Pakistan. War between India and Pakistan followed. It was ended by a ceasefire agreement in January 1949 and the ceasefire line became the de facto border. Dispute over the area caused further hostilities in 1971 between India and Pakistan (ended by the Shimla agreement in 1972). Since then, separatist agitation has developed, complicating the territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. There are large numbers of Indian troops stationed in Kashmir, where Muslim separatists have been in revolt against the Indian authorities since 1990, with thousands of lives lost. In October 1996 the National Congress Party, which aims to retain the state within India, won the first local elections to be held since the separatist violence broke out in 1990. Disputes over Kashmir came close to causing war between India and Pakistan in 2002. Northeastern Ladakh, which India claims is part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, has been occupied by Chinese forces since the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The frontier between the state and Chinese-occupied Tibet still remains to be negotiated.