ABSTRACT
The Northern Areas are an administrative unit in northeastern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan to the north, China to the northeast, and India to the south. Lying in the Himalayan-Karakorum mountain ranges, the region has never had direct links with the lowlands, and relations with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent have always been erratic. The population is characteristically segmented into valley societies, each encompassing one or part of one valley. Until recently, semiautonomous rulers reigned over some valleys, as in Astor, Baltistan, and the Gilgit District, while village councils organized other valley societies into so-called republics, as in the Diamar District. The urban centers are Gilgit and Skardu.
