Jammu and Kashmir was the northmost state of India. The state covered and is mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir used to be a British protectorate in 1860. Jammu and Kashmir borderd the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south-east and south respectively. The other parts of state are administered by Pakistan as Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Jammu and Kashmir has been a subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and China since 1962.
Demographics
Jammu and Kashmir has a Muslim majority population. Though Islam is practiced by about 67% of the population of the state and by 97% of the population of the Kashmir valley, the state has large communities of Buddhists, Hindus (inclusive of Meghwal and Sikhs).
Jammu and Kashmir consisted of three divisions: Jammu region, Kashmir Valley, and the Ladakh region. Srinagar is the summer capital, and Jammu its winter capital. The Kashmir valley, often called paradise on Earth, is famous for its beautiful mountainous landscape. Jammu's numerous holy shrines attracts millions of Hindu pilgrims every year from all over the India. Ladakh, also known as "Little Tibet", is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture.