克什米爾(克什米爾語:कश्मीर, كشمير 英語: Kashmir)全稱查謨及喀什米爾。位於南亞北部和中亞南部之間的一個地區。The term Kashmir historically described the valley just to the south of the westernmost end of the Himalayan mountain range. Currently, Kashmir refers to a much larger area which includes the regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. The main "Valley of Kashmir" is a low-lying fertile region surrounded by magnificent mountains and fed by many rivers. It is renowned for its natural beauty and quaint lifestyle.
Srinagar, the ancient capital, lies alongside Dal Lake and is famous for its canals and houseboats. Srinagar (alt. 1,600 m. or 5,200 ft.) acted as a favoured summer capital for many foreign conquerors who found the heat of the Northern Indian plains in the summer season to be oppressive. Just outside the city are the beautiful Shalimar, Nishat, and Chashmashahi gardens created by Mughal emperors.
The region is currently divided between three countries: Pakistan controls the northwest portion (Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir), India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir), and the People's Republic of China controls the northeastern portion (Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). India and Pakistan both control the Siachen Glacier. Though these regions are in practice administered by their respective claimants, India has never formally recognized the accession of the areas claimed by Pakistan and China. India claims that these areas, including the area ceded to China by Pakistan in the Trans-Karakoram Tract in 1963, are a part of its territory, while Pakistan claims the region, excluding Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract. Both countries view the entire Kashmir region as disputed territory, and do not consider each other's claim to be valid. An option favoured by many Kashmiris is independence, but both India and Pakistan oppose this for various reasons. Kashmir is considered one of the world's most dangerous territorial disputes due to the nuclear weapons capabilities of India and Pakistan. The two countries have fought two wars over the territory: the first Kashmir war in 1947 and the second Kashmir war in 1965. More recently, in 1999, there was a limited border conflict (also referred to by some as the third Kashmir war) in the Kargil area of India-controlled Kashmir.
The rest of this article will, for the sake of clarity, refer to the parts of Kashmir administered by India, Pakistan and China as "Indian Kashmir", "Pakistani Kashmir", and "Chinese Kashmir" respectively. By this nomenclature, the word "Kashmir" in "Indian Kashmir" is used in a general sense to refer to what India calls "Jammu and Kashmir".
The Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir, is divided up into the following 2 main regions:
Azad Kashmir: 250 miles in length with width varying from 10 to 40 miles, 13,350 km² (5134 miles²).
Northern Areas, a much larger area, 72,496 km² (27,991 mi²), incorporated into Pakistan and administered as a de facto dependency.