Gilgit-Baltistan (Urdu: گلگت بلتستان‎), formerly known as the Northern Areas of Pakistan is the northern most administrative territory of Pakistan. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, Xinjiang, China, to the east and northeast and Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast. The region, together with Azad Kashmir, Aksai Chin, Shakshagam Valley of China and Jammu and Kashmir, is disputed between India, China and Pakistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan is an autonomous self-governing region that was established as a single administrative unit in 1970, formed by the amalgamation of the Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan region and the former princely states of Hunza and Nagar. It covers an area of 72,971 km² (28,174 sq mi) and is highly mountainous. It had an estimated population of 1,441,523 in 2011. Its capital city is Gilgit (population 216,760 est).

History

Early History