KASHMIR

region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent. It is bounded to the northeast by the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang and to the east by the Tibet Autonomous Region (both parts of China), to the south by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, to the west by Pakistan, and to the northwest by Afghanistan. The region, with a total area of 85,806 square miles (222,236 square km), has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two part of a territory called the Northern Areas. The southern and southeastern portions constitute the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian state and Pakistani-administered portions are divided by a line of control agreed to in 1972. In addition, China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and since 1962 has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region).