Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA)
Capital  • Coordinates	Gilgit  • 35.35° N 75.9° E
Population (2003)  • Density	1,500,000 (estimated)  • 20. Examples of administrative divisions English terms In many of the following terms corresponding to British cultural influence areas of relatively low mean population A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 7/km²
Area	72496 km²
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
Main language(s)	Urdu (national) Shina (official) Balti Tibetan Wakhi Khajuna Khowar
Status	dependency
• Districts	•  6
• Towns	•  7
• Union Councils	•
Established  • Governor/Commissioner  • Chief Minister  • Legislature (seats)	1st July 1970  • Imran Ali  • Irfan Ali and Shahid Hussain (dual role)  • Northern Areas Legislative Assembly (29)
Website	Development Gateway

This article details the area administered by Pakistan. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Pakistan Standard Time (PST is the time zone for Pakistan. It is usually 5 hours ahead of GMT though as of June 1 2008 it is 6 hours ahead due to the use of DST to help decrease UTC+5 is the Timezone for Pakistan Standard Time West Asia Standard Time. English is the Official language of Pakistan while Urdu is the National language despite not being a native language or being the mother tongue Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Shina (also known as Tshina is a Dardic language and is spoken by a plurality of people in Northern Areas of Pakistan. Balti ( بلتی) is a Language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and adjoining parts of Jammu and Kashmir Wakhi is an Indo-Iranian language in the sub-branch of Southeastern Iranian languages (see Pamir languages) Khowar,(کھوار)also known as Chitrali is a Dardic language spoken by 250000 people in Chitral in Northwest Pakistan, in Yasin Valley Currently the internationally recognized territory of Pakistan is subdivided into four provinces and two territories A dependent territory dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political Independence or Sovereignty as a ||} See also Local government in Pakistan The Districts of Pakistan form the third tier of government in Pakistan, ranking as subdivisions of the provinces A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan A Union Council or village council in Pakistan is an elected Local government body consisting of 21 councillors and headed by a Nazim (which is equivalent The history of Pakistan as a modern nation began with independence from British India on 14 August 1947, although A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions especially referring to a high-ranked public (administrative or Police) official or an analogous A Chief Minister is the elected Head of government of a sub-national (e A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and For the whole region see Kashmir

The Northern Areas (Urdu: شمالی علاقہ جات, Shumālī Ilāqe Jāt), officially referred to by the government of Pakistan as the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), is the northernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised It borders Pakistan to the west, Afghanistan to the north, China to the northeast, the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to the south, and the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast. The Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir, usually shortened to Azad Jammu and Kashmir ( AJK) or simply Azad Kashmir (literally "free The Northern Areas, which became a single administrative unit in 1970, was formed from the amalgamation of the Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan District of the Ladakh Wazarat, and the states of Hunza and Nagar. Northern Areas remains part of the Kashmir dispute and is claimed by India as part of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan regards the entire area of the Indian occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir as "territory in dispute" to be resolved by a plebiscite to be held throughout the former state in order to determine the area's accession to either India or Pakistan. In 1950, the government of India, ignoring a United Nations resolution on Kashmir, abandoned its pledge to hold a plebiscite. The government of Pakistan, while continuing to call for a plebiscite, has, so far, been unwilling to entertain the idea of a third option for that plebiscite, i. e. , the choice of independence for the entire former state.

History

After the partition of India in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir, in its entirety, remained an independent state, as a result of Maharaja Hari Singh's decision to refrain from joining either India or Pakistan. Tribal fighters from Pakistan invaded Kashmir and were backed by regular Pakistani troops. Fearing the might of Pakistani forces, the maharaja sought military help from India and agreed to have his state join India on a provisional basis, subject to a state-wide plebiscite to be held at a later date. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita India accepted that conditional arrangement, and the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-48 was fought to send Pakistani forces back. However, the war was not decisive, and a cease-fire was called in 1948. The end of the war saw India gaining the greater part of Kashmir, including the fertile Kashmir valley, with Pakistan securing the northern and western parts of the former state. The Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir to the north and west of the ceasefire line or the Line of Control, as it later came to be called, were divided into the Northern Areas (72,496 km²) in the north and the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) (13,297 km²) in the south. Names Specifically the term "Line of Control" (LOC refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state The Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir, usually shortened to Azad Jammu and Kashmir ( AJK) or simply Azad Kashmir (literally "free The name "Northern Areas" was first used by the United Nations, to refer to the northern areas of Kashmir. The United Nations never intended the name to refer to the northern areas of Pakistan. As far as the United Nations is concerned, the entire area of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Northern Areas, remains a disputed territory still awaiting resolution of the long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan. A small part of the Northern Areas, the Trans-Karakoram Tract, was provisionally ceded by Pakistan to the People's Republic of China in 1963. The Trans-Karakoram Tract is an area of nearly 5800 km² that India claims was transferred by a border agreement from the Pakistani administered Northern Areas Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

Subdivisions

Map of the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), showing the boundaries of the six previous districts and their tehsils. The boundary of the recently created Hunza-Nagar District is the northern boundary of the former Gilgit tehsil.

The Northern Areas is divided into seven districts^[1] in two divisions: the two Baltistan districts of Skardu and Ghanche, and the five Gilgit districts of Gilgit, Ghizer, Diamer, Astore, and Hunza-Nagar. Baltistan (بلتستان, also known as بلتیول (Baltiyul in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan,bordering Xinjiang Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Ghanche District is the easternmost district of the Northern Areas Pakistan. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Ghizer District is northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Diamer may refer to Diamer District, Pakistan Diamer Mauritania See also Diamer-Bhasha Astore Valley is located in Astore District in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and Skardu. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's

Before the partition of Kashmir, Baltistan was part of the province of Ladakh. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Skardu was the winter capital of Ladakh for 106 years.

Geography

K2 as seen from Concordia

Satpara Lake, Skardu, in 2002

The Northern Areas borders the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, the Xinjiang autonomous region of China to the northeast, the Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir to the south and southeast, the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the south and the North-West Frontier Province to the west. K2 is the second- highest Mountain on Earth (after Mount Everest) Concordia is the name for the confluence of the Baltoro Glacier and the Godwin-Austen Glacier, in the heart of the Karakoram range of Pakistan Satpara Lake is an important lake in Skardu Valley which supplies water for the town of Skardu, which is located at 2636 meters (8650 ft Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Wakhan Corridor or Wakhan Salient is a narrow (in some places less than 10 miles wide Corridor in the Wakhan in the Badakhshan province Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Dogri: जम्मू और कश्मीर Urdu: جموں و کشمیر is the northernmost state of India. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir, usually shortened to Azad Jammu and Kashmir ( AJK) or simply Azad Kashmir (literally "free The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP ( Urdu: śimāl maġribī sarhadī sūba) is the smallest of the four main provinces of Pakistan.

The Northern Areas is a major destination for foreign tourists, especially serious mountaineers, because it is home to five of the eight-thousanders and more than fifty peaks above 7000 meters. The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent Mountains on Earth that are more than above Sea level. Gilgit and Skardu are the two main hubs for all expeditions to those mountains. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's The region is home to some of the world's highest mountain ranges — the main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia Karakoram is a mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit, Ladakh, and The Pamir mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. The Pamir Mountains are located in Central Asia and are formed by the junction or Knot of the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and The Hindu Kush is a Mountain range located between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Godwin-Austen) and Nanga Parbat, the latter being one of the most feared mountains in the world. K2 is the second- highest Mountain on Earth (after Mount Everest) Nanga Parbat ( Urdu:) is the ninth highest Mountain on Earth.

Three of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in the Northern Areas--the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier, and the Batura Glacier. The Biafo Glacier is a 63 km long Glacier in the Karakoram Mountains of the Northern Areas Pakistan which meets the 49 km long Hispar Glacier The Baltoro Glacier, at 62 kilometers long is one of the longest Glaciers outside of the Polar regions. Batura Glacier (57km long is one of the largest and longest glaciers outside the polar regions There are, in addition, several high-altitude lakes in the Northern Areas:

• Sheotsar Tso Lake in Byarsa Thang / Deosai Plains - Baltistan
• Satpar Tso Lake in Skardu - Baltistan
• Katzura Tso Lake in Skardu - Baltistan
• Zharba Tso Lake in Shigar - Baltistan
• Phoroq Tso Lake in Skardu - Baltistan
• Bara Tso Lake in Gangche - Baltistan
• Byarsa Tso Lake in Gultari - Baltistan
• Borith Lake in upper Hunza - Gilgit
• Rama Lake near Astore - Gilgit
• Rush Lake near Nagar - Gilgit
• Kromber Lake In Kromber Pass - Gilgit

The Deosai Plains, called Byarsa in Baltistan, is located above the tree line, and is the second-highest plateau in the world at 4,115 meters (14,500 feet). Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Shigar is a town in Baltistan near Skardu in northern Pakistan. Borith Lake is a Lake in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Borith is a hamlet in the surroundings of the Borith Astore Valley is located in Astore District in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Nagar can refer to Nagar Syria, an ancient city Nagar Pakistan, a town in Pakistan Nagar Valley, a valley The Deosai National Park is located in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir that is known as the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA They lie south of Skardu and west of Ladakh. Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between The area was declared to be a national park in 1993. A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The Deosai Plains cover an area of almost 5,000 square kilometres. For over half the year (between September and May), Deosai is snow-bound and cut off from rest of Baltistan. The villages of Byarsa / Deosai are connected with the Kargil district of Ladakh through an all-weather road, but due to the closure of the border with the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the people of Byarsa and Gultari are stranded for the winter months and are, therefore, not able to take advantage of the economic resources of Ladakh during that time.

Climate

The climate of the Northern Areas varies from region to region. There are towns like Gilgit and Chilas that are very hot during the day in summer, yet cold at night, and valleys like Astore, Khaplu, Yasin, Hunza, and Nagar where the temperatures are cold even in summer. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Chilas (چلاس is a small town located in the Northern Areas, Pakistan. Astore Valley is located in Astore District in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Khaplu is the capital town of the Ghangche District of northern Pakistan. The Yasin ( ياسين) anti-tank rocket launcher is a weapon developed by Hamas ' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, named after the group's spiritual leader Nagar Valley ( Urdu. نگر is a valley near Gilgit Valley and Hunza Valley in the northern areas of Pakistan.

Sports

Polo is the favourite game of the people of Gilgit, Chilas, Astore, Hunza, and the surrounding areas. People are very fond of that game. Every year, a great number of tourists come to enjoy polo in the Northern Areas. Others games such as cricket, gulli danda, kabadi, and volleyball are also played there.

Rock art and petroglyphs

Ancient petroglyphs near Chilas

There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the Karakoram Highway in the Northern Areas, that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading Chilas (چلاس is a small town located in the Northern Areas, Pakistan. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading The Karakoram Highway (KKH is the highest paved international road in the world The carvings were left by various invaders, traders, and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. Pilgrims, or Pilgrim Fathers (or Pilgrim Mothers) is a name commonly applied to the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BCE, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that proves their age. Patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as Oxides or Carbonates formed on the surface of metal during exposure to Weathering. The archaeologist Karl Jettmar has pieced together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in Rock Carvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan^[2] and the later released Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads - Rock Carvings Along the Karakoram Highway^[3].

Transport

Prior to 1978, the Northern Areas was cut off from Pakistan due to the harsh terrain and the lack of accessible roads. All of the roads to the south opened towards the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AKJ) and to the southeast towards the present-day Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir, usually shortened to Azad Jammu and Kashmir ( AJK) or simply Azad Kashmir (literally "free During the summer, people could walk across the mountain passes to travel to Rawalpindi. The fastest way to travel, however, was by air, but air travel was accessible only to a few privileged local people and to Pakistani military and civilian officials. Then, with the assistance of the Chinese government, Pakistan began construction of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was completed in 1978. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu, which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Karakoram Highway (KKH is the highest paved international road in the world |name = Islamabad|native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Capital City |total_type Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The journey from Islamabad to Gilgit takes approximately 20-24 hours. |name = Islamabad|native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Capital City |total_type Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Landslides on Karakoram Highway are very common. The Karakoram Highway (KKH is the highest paved international road in the world KKH connects Gilgit to Taxkorgan and Kaxgar in Xinjiang, China via Sust (the customs and health inspection post on Pakistan side) and theKhunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at 4,693 metres (15,397 feet). The Karakoram Highway (KKH is the highest paved international road in the world Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Kashgar or Kashi (officially transliterated as Kaxgar in Uyghur; قەشقەر/K̡ǝxk̡ǝr, is an Oasis Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National This article is about the town in Gojal For the steroid see Sustanon; for the town in Afghanistan see Sost Afghanistan; for the village in Azerbaijan see Süst Khunjerab Pass ( (el 4693 m/15397 ft is a high Mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains on the northern border of Pakistan and the Xinjiang

NATCO (Northern Areas Transport Corporation) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and several other popular destinations, lakes, and glaciers in the area.

The Karakoram Highway

In March 2006, the respective governments announced that, commencing on June 1, 2006, a thrice weekly bus service would begin across the boundary from Gilgit, Northern Areas to Kashgar, China and road widening work would begin on 600 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway (KKH is the highest paved international road in the world Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Gilgit ( Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a Tehsil (headquarters of Gilgit District Kashgar or Kashi (officially transliterated as Kaxgar in Uyghur; قەشقەر/K̡ǝxk̡ǝr, is an Oasis China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National There would also be one daily bus in each direction between the Sust and Taxkorgan border areas of the two countries. This article is about the town in Gojal For the steroid see Sustanon; for the town in Afghanistan see Sost Afghanistan; for the village in Azerbaijan see Süst ^[4]

Pakistan International Airlines used to fly a Fokker F27 daily between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport. Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, more commonly known as Pakistan International Airlines or PIA ( Urdu: پی آئی اے or پاکستان WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Gilgit Airport is a small domestic airport situated 125 nm (2 The flying time is approximately 50 minutes, and the flight is one of the most scenic flights in the world, as its route passes over Nanga Parbat, and the peak of the mountain is higher than the aircraft's cruising altitude. Nanga Parbat ( Urdu:) is the ninth highest Mountain on Earth. PIA also offers regular flights of Boeing 737 between Skardu and Islamabad. Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, more commonly known as Pakistan International Airlines or PIA ( Urdu: پی آئی اے or پاکستان WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Skardu ( Urdu: سکردو is the principal town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's |name = Islamabad|native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Capital City |total_type However, the Fokker F27 was retired after the crash at Multan in 2006. Currently flights are being operated by PIA to Gilgit on the brand new ATR42-500 aircraft purchased in 2006. Due to this the cancellation of flights is much less than in the Fokker days. All flights, however, are subject to weather clearance, and in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.

Demographics

The population consists of many diverse linguistic, ethnic and religious groups due in part to the many isolated valleys separated by some of the world's highest mountains. Urdu is the lingua franca of the region, understood by most male inhabitants. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely The Shina language (with several dialects) is the language of 40% of the population, spoken mainly in Gilgit, throughout Diamer, and some parts of Ghizer. Shina (also known as Tshina is a Dardic language and is spoken by a plurality of people in Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Balti language, a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and part of Tibetan language group is spoken by the entire population of Baltistan. Balti ( بلتی) is a Language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and adjoining parts of Jammu and Kashmir Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas Minor languages spoken in the area include Wakhi spoken in upper Hunza, and some villages in Ghizer, while Khowar is the major language of Ghizer. Wakhi is an Indo-Iranian language in the sub-branch of Southeastern Iranian languages (see Pamir languages) Khowar,(کھوار)also known as Chitrali is a Dardic language spoken by 250000 people in Chitral in Northwest Pakistan, in Yasin Valley Burushaski is an isolated language spoken in Hunza, Nagar, Yasin (where Khowar is also spoken), some parts of Gilgit and some villages of Punyal. Burushaski (بروشسکی - burū́šaskī is a Language isolate not known to be related to any other language of the world Nagar can refer to Nagar Syria, an ancient city Nagar Pakistan, a town in Pakistan Nagar Valley, a valley Another interesting language is Domaaki, spoken by the musician clans of the region. Domaaki - also known as Dumaki or Doma - is a Language spoken in parts of northern Pakistan. A small minority also speaks Pashto. Pashto ( Naskh: پښتو‎ pəʂ'to also rendered as Pakhto, Pushto, Pukhto, Pashtu, Pushtu, also known as Despite being called a part of Kashmir, not a single person living in the Area speaks Kashmiri or any of its dielects.

At the last census (1998), the population of the Northern Areas was 870,347. ^[5] Approximately 14% of the population was urban. ^[6]>>

National honours

The Northern Light Infantry was primarily used during the Kargil War and suffered heavy losses; The Herald, a Pakistani publication, stated that more than 500 soldiers were killed and buried in the northern areas^[7]. The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July Lalak Jan from Yasin, Northern Areas was awarded Pakistan's highest medal, Nishan-e-Haider for his courageous actions during the Kargil conflict. Lalak Jan Shaahed ( Urdu: لالک جان; w1967 7 July, 1999 Nishan-e-Haider ( نشان حیدر, translated as "The Mark of Haider, where Haider is the name of Ali and means Lion " abbreviated

References

Further reading

• Pakistan Trekking Guide, by Isobel and Ben Shaw, 1993.
• Raman, Anita D (February 2004). "Of Rivers and Human Rights: The Northern Areas, Pakistan's Forgotten Colony in Jammu and Kashmir". International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 11: 187-228. doi:10.1163/1571811041631272. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. ISSN (Print) 1571-8115 (Online) 1385-4879 (Print) 1571-8115 (Online). An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  

See also

• Karakoram
• Karakoram Highway
• Indus River
• List of mountains in Pakistan
• Kargil War
• Gorikot
• Northern Light Infantry
• List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir”
• Glacier growing

External links

• Northern Areas Government website
• Northern Areas Development Gateway
• Northern Areas tourism
• Northern Areas at the Open Directory Project
• Northern Areas (Pakistan) travel guide from Wikitravel
• Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Pakistan