Location of Northern Areas of Pakistan

The Northern Areas covers an expanse of about 27,188 square miles of and the population is about 197,361,691 in 2011.      

  The region lies between 70° and 75° degrees E and 32° and 37° N. Administratively the Northern Areas has been divided into six districts with its main town Gilgit, Diamer, Ghizar, Astore, Skardu, Baltistan and Ganche. Formerly all of these were autonomous states two agencies of Gilgit Baltistan. Gilgit agency included Hunza and Nagir, political districts of Ishkoman, Yasin, Punial and Koh-e-Ghizar and also the sub-division of Chilas and tribal areas of Darel and Tangir. Chilas sub-division extended from the confluence of Astore River with the Indus to Seo on the right bank of Jalkote on the left bank of Indus River. Today the western boundary of Chitias, the district is limited to Shatial bridge, on the Indus. Territory beyond is incorporated in the Kohistan district of Khyber Puktoon Khawn (N.W.F.P) province. This Kohistan is really the Yahistan of the British, where the British authority was hardly felt. Ghizar district on the west touches the boundary of Chitral a district of KPK province, on the East  and Gilgit town touches the China border at Khunjerab and Shimshal pass, and on the north Wakhan border a province of Afghanistan and culminated at Mintika pass where meet Afghanistan, USSR, China and Pakistan.

     Baltistan had been known as Tebit-e-Khurd. Originally it is consist of Skardu, Shigar, kiris, Khapolo, Tulti and Karmang, each having its semi-independent raja and autonomous ruler. In 1947, two tehsils of kargil and Ladakh also belonged to Baltistan but they fell outside of the control administration of Baltistan as a result of the ceasefire agreement with India in 1948. The Baltistan agency as constituted was made up of Skardu district tehsil of original Ladakh district and thirty-four villages of Kargil tehsil and Curez sub-tehsil. The administration of Baltistan taken over by the government of Pakistan in November 1948 and an Additional political Agent appointed at Skardu under the overall control of the political agent in Gilgit. From 1961 onwards, however, the Additional Political Agent, Skardu was made directly responsible to the Resident in January 1964. The Additional Political Agency of Baltistan was formerly upgraded to a full-fledged Agency headed by political Agent. This position continued until 1972 when Baltistan became a district under a deputy Commissioner which still the same.