Jammu and Kashmir as a State

Jammu and Kashmir as a State 

Kashmir, if literally translated, means land desiccated from water: "ka" (the water) and shimeera (to desiccate). Tradition says that Kashmir was originally a lake that was drained by the great saint of ancient India Kashyap. It was included in the empire of Ashoka Maurya who is credited with the foundation of the city of Srinagar around the year 250 BC.

Cradled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas, Kashmir is the arguably most beautiful place in the world.

Among the States and Union Territories of India, Jammu and Kashmir stands 6th in terms of area and 17th in population. Jammu and Kashmir constitutes of 14 districts, 54 towns 119 blocks, 3 municipalities, 59 tehsils, and notified area committee, 6477 inhabited villages and 281 uninhabited villages.

Vast areas of Jammu and Kashmir consist of the western Himalayas, with mountains ranging from 3000 to 6000 meters. Apart from these passes, plateaus, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and plains. The major rivers flowing through the state are Ravi, Jehlum, Indus, and Chenab. Within the four degrees of latitude of Jammu and Kashmir, the altitude varies from 1000 feet to 28250 feet above the sea level.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been demarcated into four geographical zones:
The Shivalak ranges
The high mountains comprising of the Kashmir Valley and Pir Panchal range
Sub-mountain and semi-mountain plain
The middle portion of the Indus River constituting of Leh and Kargil.