Gilgit District


The Gilgit District is one of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The headquarters of the district is the town of Gilgit. At the 1998 census, the Gilgit District had a population of 243,324. The district includes Gilgit, the Bagrot Valley, Juglot, Danyore, Sultanabad, Naltar Peak, and the Nomal Valley. The highest peak in the district is Distaghil Sar, which is the seventh-highest peak in Pakistan and 19th highest in the world.

Geography

Gilgit District is bounded on the north by the Nagar District, on the east by the Shigar District and the Rondu District, on the south by the Tangir District, the Diamer District, and the Astore District, and on the west by the Ghizer District. Less than 26% of the district consists of alpine pastures, with over 65% of remaining area being barren or permanently snow covered.

Rivers

The main rivers in the district are:
There are many tributaries of the main rivers, some of which are the Ghujerab River, the Hispar River, the Naltar River, the Shimshal River, and the Yaheen River.

Lakes

Demographics

In the 1941 census, the Gilgit District had a population of 22,495, distributed in 46 villages divided further into 12 subdivisions. Roughly 50% of the population followed Shia Islam and 49% other forms of Islam. According to scholar Martin Sökefeld, the Sunni missionaries came from the south, Shia from the east and Ismaili from the north.

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings of 2015, the Gilgit District was ranked 35th out of 148 districts of Pakistan in terms of education. In terms of facilities and infrastructure, the district was ranked 67 out of 148.

Administration

Gilgit District is divided into three tehsils: