Kashmir division

Not to be confused with Kashmir.

The Kashmir division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.^[1] It comprises the Kashmir Valley, bordering the Jammu Division to the south and Ladakh to the east. The Line of Control forms its boundary with the Pakistani-administered territories of Gilgit−Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the north and west and west, respectively.

Kashmir division
Region administered by India as an Administrative division
Interactive map of Kashmir division
A map of the Kashmir division (neon blue) of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (shaded tan) in the disputed Kashmir region.[1]
Coordinates: 34°14′N 74°40′E
Administering country	India
Union territory	Jammu and Kashmir
Districts	Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Srinagar.
Capital	Srinagar
Historical divisions	List Kamraz (North Kashmir)[2] Yamraz (Central Kashmir)[2] Maraz (South Kashmir)[2]
Government
• Type	Division
• Divisional Commissioner	Pandurang Kondbarao Pole
Area
• Total	15,948 km2 (6,158 sq mi)
Dimensions
• Length	135[3] km (83.885 mi)
• Width	32[3] km (19.884 mi)
Elevation	1,620[3] m (5,314 ft)
Population  (2011[4])
• Total	6,888,475[4]
• Density	431.93/km2 (1,118.7/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Kashmiris, Koshur
Ethnicity and language
• Languages	Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi,[5] English,[6] Pahari-Pothwari, Gojri, Shina[7]
• Ethnic groups	Kashmiri, Pahari, Gujar, Shina
• Religion (2011[8])	96.41% Islam, 2.45% Hinduism, 0.81% Sikhism, 0.17% Christianity, 0.16% Others
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	JK
Highest peak	Machoi Peak (5458 metres)
Largest lake	Wular lake (260 km2 (100 sq mi))[9]
Longest river	Jhelum river (725 kilometres)[10]
Website	http://kashmirdivision.nic.in/

Its main city is Srinagar. Other important cities include Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore and Kulgam.

Districts

The Indian administrative districts for the Kashmir Valley were reorganised in 1968,^[11] and 2006,^[12] each time subdividing existing districts. Kashmir Division currently consists of the following ten districts:

Name of district	HQ	Area					Population[13]
		Total (km2)	Total (sq mile)	Rural (km2)	Urban (km2)		2001 census	2011 census
Anantnag	Anantnag	3,574	1,380	3,475.8	98.2	[14]	778,408	1,078,692
Kulgam	Kulgam	410	158	360.2	49.8	[15]	394,026	424,483
Pulwama	Pulwama	1,086	419	1,047.5	38.6	[16]	441,275	560,440
Shopian	Shopian	312	120	306.6	5.4	[17]	211,332	266,215
Budgam	Budgam	1,361	525	1,312.0	49.1	[18]	607,181	753,745
Srinagar	Srinagar	1,979	764	1,684.4	294.5	[19]	1,027,670	1,236,829
Ganderbal	Ganderbal	259	100	233.6	25.4	[20]	217,907	297,446
Bandipore	Bandipore	345	133	295.4	49.6	[21]	304,886	392,232
Baramulla	Baramulla	4,243	1,638	4,179.4	63.6	[22]	843,892	1,008,039
Kupwara	Kupwara	2,379	919	2,331.7	47.3	[23]	650,393	870,354
Total		15,948	6,158	15,226.4	721.5		5,476,970	6,888,475

Demographics

Religion

Religions in Kashmir Division (2011)^[24]

1. Islam 97.16 (95.4%)
2. Hinduism 2.45 (2.41%)
3. Sikhism 0.81 (0.80%)
4. Christianity 0.17 (0.17%)
5. 0.16 (0.16%)
6. 0 (0.00%)
7. Others 0.9 (0.88%)
8. Not Stated 0.2 (0.20%)

The Kashmir division is largely Muslim (97.16%) with a very small Hindu (2.45%) and Sikh (0.81%) population.^[24][25] The Muslim population consists of both Shias and Sunnis. The majority of the Muslim population is made up of ethnic Kashmiris, with a significant minority of Pahari-Pothwari and Gujjar-Bakarwal people mainly living at the border area adjoining Pakistani administered Kashmir. The valley had a small but visible minority of Kashmiri Hindus prior to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the 1990s. It is estimated that during the peak of the insurgency, 60,000 - 100,000 were forced to leave the valley. ^[26]

Language

Kashmir division: mother-tongue of population, according to the 2011 Census.^[27]

1. Kashmiri (85.28%)
2. Gojri (6.27%)
3. Pahari-Pothwari (4.18%)
4. Hindi (1.26%)
5. Others (3.01%)

The majority of the population speaks Kashmiri (85.28%), while the remainder speaks either Gujari, Pahari-Pothwari or Hindi.^[13]

Urdu is also widely understood as a literary language in Kashmir due to it being a medium of instruction in schools.^[11][13]