Gilgit District

The Gilgit District (Urdu: ضلع گلگت) is one of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.^[1] The headquarters of the district is the town of Gilgit. At the 1998 census, the Gilgit District had a population of 243,324. The district includes Gilgit (the capital city), the Bagrot Valley, Juglot, Danyore, Sultanabad, Naltar Peak, and the Nomal Valley. The highest peak in the district is Distaghil Sar 7,885 metres (25,869 ft), which is the seventh-highest peak in Pakistan and 19th highest in the world.

Gilgit District ضلع گلگت گلیٗت ضلع
District of Gilgit-Baltistan
Interactive map of Gilgit district
A map showing Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan (shaded in sage green) in the disputed Kashmir region[1]
Coordinates: 35°57′N 74°28′E
Administering country	Pakistan
Territory	Gilgit-Baltistan
Division	Gilgit Division
District Headquarters	Gilgit
Government
• Type	District Administration
• Deputy Commissioner	Ameer Azam Hamza (DMS)
• District Police Officer	Ahmad Shah (PSP)
• District Health Officer	N/A
Area [2]
• Total	4,208 km2 (1,625 sq mi)
Population  (2022)
• Total	338,968[2]
Number of tehsils	3

Geography

Map of Gilgit–Baltistan with the Gilgit District highlighted in red

Gilgit District is bounded on the north by the Nagar District, on the east by the Shigar District and the Rondu District, on the south by the Tangir District, the Diamer District, and the Astore District, and on the west by the Ghizer District. Less than 26% of the district consists of alpine pastures, with over 65% of remaining area being barren or permanently snow covered.^[3]

Rivers

The main rivers in the district are:

• Astore River
• Gilgit River – enters the Gilgit District from the west, south of the Bichhar Pass (Naltar Valley) and flows west through the town of Gilgit
• .Hunza River – flows further south and joins the Gilgit River northeast of the town of Gilgit
• Indus River – enters the Gilgit District from the Shigar District about six kilometers north of Jaglot, where the Gilgit River joins the Indus River and flows south along the Karakoram Highway.
• Khunjerab River – flows south along the Karakoram Highway from the Khunjerab Valley and is known as the Hunza River south of Sost

There are many tributaries of the main rivers, some of which are the Ghujerab River, the Hispar River, the Naltar River, the Shimshal River, and the Yaheen River.

Districts of Gilgit–Baltistan

Lakes

• Borit Lake
• Naltar Lake
• Nomal Lake
• Pahote Lake
• Rush Lake

Demographics

In the 1941 census, the Gilgit District (then a tehsil) had a population of 22,495, distributed in 46 villages divided further into 12 subdivisions. Roughly 50% of the population followed Shia Islam and 49% other forms of Islam (Sunni).^[4] According to scholar Martin Sökefeld, the Sunni missionaries came from the south, Shia from the east and Ismaili from the north.^[5]

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings of 2015, the Gilgit District was ranked 35th out of 148 districts of Pakistan in terms of education. In terms of facilities and infrastructure, the district was ranked 67 out of 148.^[6]

Administration

Gilgit District is divided into three tehsils:

• Danyor Tehsil
• Gilgit Tehsil
• Juglot Tehsil

See also

• Districts of Pakistan
  • Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
  • Districts of Punjab, Pakistan
  • Districts of Balochistan, Pakistan
  • Districts of Sindh, Pakistan
  • Districts of Azad Kashmir
  • Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan
• Divisions of Pakistan
  • Divisions of Balochistan
  • Divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Divisions of Punjab
  • Divisions of Sindh
  • Divisions of Azad Kashmir
  • Divisions of Gilgit-Baltistan

• 1988 Gilgit massacre