Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan (/ˌɡɪlɡɪt ˌbɔːltɪˈstɑːn, -stæn/; Urdu: گِلْگِت بَلْتِسْتان [ɡɪlɪt̪ bəlt̪ɪst̪aːn] ^ⓘ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.

The territory encompassing present-day Gilgit-Baltistan became a single administrative unit as Federally Administered Northern Areas in 1972. In 2009, the region was renamed as Gilgit-Baltistan under the Self-Governance Order passed by the federal cabinet, establishing provincial institutions. The 2018 Gilgit-Baltistan Order transferred powers previously exercised by Gilgit-Baltistan Council to the elected Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, although it vests substantial executive power to the office of Prime Minister. Much of the population of Gilgit-Baltistan reportedly wants the territory to become integrated with Pakistan proper as a fifth province, and opposes integration with the rest of the Kashmir region. The Pakistani government has rejected calls from the territory for provincial status on the grounds that granting such a request would jeopardise Pakistan's demands for the entire Kashmir conflict to be resolved according to all related United Nations resolutions.

Gilgit-Baltistan covers an area of 72,496 km² (27,911 sq mi) and has a population of 1.7 million people according to the 2023 national census, which is linguistically and ethnically diverse. Gilgit is its capital as well as the most populous city, followed by Skardu and Chilas. Over two-thirds of Gilgit-Baltistan consist of glaciers, mountains and lakes; the region is home to five of the 14 eight-thousanders, including K2, and has more than fifty mountain peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The economy is dominated by agriculture and the tourism industry. The main tourism activities are trekking and mountaineering, and this industry has been growing in importance throughout the region.