Where is Kashmir?
Kashmir (Click to see map) is a mountainous region located in the northwest corner of the Indian subcontinent. It is about the size of Kansas and is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Himalaya and Karakorums. What created the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir? The problem grew out of the breakup of the English empire in India in 1947 after World War 2. Despite the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi, two separate countries were created primarily for religious reasons: India and Pakistan. Pakistan was actually two entirely separate territories on either side of India. In reality, many of the remote areas of the subcontinent such as Kashmir were feudal and had little connection to a national government. These areas were ruled by monarchs known as Maharajas. India was predominantly Hindu, Pakistan was mostly Muslim. At the time of the creation of India and Pakistan the status of Kashmir (a predominantly Muslim area) was left uncertain. Two months after the countries were created, a
Who lives there? And why are two countries preparing to fight a nuclear war over it? Kashmir is a large, mostly mountainous region lying along the northwestern end of the Himalayan system. It is also traversed by the Karakoram Range and the Indus River. Covering 86,000 square miles, it is more than three times the size of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg combined. In addition to India and Pakistan, its neighbors are China and Afghanistan. The Indian-controlled population is 7.7 million; 2.8 million live in the northwestern portion, controlled by Pakistan. China occupies more disputed land in the northeast. Indigenous groups in the area include the plains-dwelling Dogras, the Pahadis hill people and two nomadic mountain tribes: the Gaddis and the Gujjars. The remote Ladakh region and its soaring mountains is populated by Tibetan-style Buddhists with their lamaseries and festivals featuring dances with masks and scarves to the accompaniment of flutes, cymbals and percussion instru
