Jammu and Kashmir State: An Overview

Abstract

The state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), lying between latitude 32.28–37.06° and longitude 72.53–80.32°, is located in the northwestern part of the Himalayan mountain arc in India, at an altitudinal range of 220 to 8611 m (amsl). The state shares border with the neighboring Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on the south and has international border and Line of Control (LOC) with Pakistan and China in the west and east, respectively. It comprises mountain ranges starting from the Siwaliks in the south, followed by the Pir Panjal, the Greater Himalaya, the Zanaskar range, and finally the Karakoram in the north. Climatologically, the state is divided into subtropical Jammu in the south, temperate zone of Kashmir in the middle, and cold desert of Ladakh in the east. Administratively, the state comprises 22 districts, 10 each in Jammu and Kashmir provinces and 2 in Ladakh. Out of the total state’s land area of 101,386 km2, Kashmir occupies 15.73%, Jammu 25.93%, and Ladakh 58.33%. Geologically, the state reveals rocks of all ages, from the Archean to the recent alluvium, and preserves a chronological record of the sedimentation, tectonics, and volcanism that accompanied the Himalayan orogeny. The areas above the altitude of 3600 m in the state are mostly covered with snow and glaciers, the largest being the Siachen glacier in Ladakh. The snow- and ice-melt waters emanating from the region sustain three major rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – providing water, food and energy security to ~300 million people living up- and downstream in the Indus basin. The state is known for its freshwater lakes and wetlands, having more than 3650 wetlands and waterbodies. Having a population of 12.55 million in 2011 with average density of ~100/km2, J&K is a quilt of different people and regions with a rich cultural diversity. With a GDP of USD 21 billion in 2016–2017, economy of the state is mainly dependent on agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, tourism, and hydropower generation. Possessing highly varied topography, altitude, and climate, J&K supports a very rich biodiversity; indeed, it belongs to the global biodiversity hotspot – the Himalaya – and represents three biogeographic zones: Trans-Himalayan zone of Ladakh, northwest Himalaya, and semiarid plains of Jammu. Owing to its unique geological, geomorphic, and climatic settings, the sate is vulnerable to all types of disasters, particularly earthquakes, floods, landslides, and avalanches.