Also must read : GK for competitive Exams
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir are a Union Territory which is around 700 km. away from Delhi and consists of 1.04% population of India. It is a place full of historical facts and also a rich culture. So everyone should know about this UT while knowing India.
| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consisting of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1962. 1.2 It became a Union Territory after splitting from Ladakh on 31st October, 2019. |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: (i) The climate of Jammu and Kashmir varies with altitude and across regions. Southern and south-western areas have a sub-tropical climate, with hot summers and cool winters. (ii) This region receives most of its rainfall during the monsoon season. (iii) In the east and north, summers are usually pleasant. The effect of the monsoon diminishes in areas lying to the leeward side of the Pir Panjal, such as the Kashmir valley, and much of the rainfall happens in the spring season due to western disturbances. (iv) Winters are cold, with temperatures reaching sub-zero levels. Snowfall is common in the valley and the mountain areas. 2.2 Agriculture: (i) The majority of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are engaged in subsistence agriculture of diverse kinds on terraced slopes, each crop adapted to local conditions. (ii) Rice, the staple crop, is planted in May and harvested in late September. (iii) Corn, millet, pulses (legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils), cotton, and tobacco are—with rice—the main summer crops, while wheat and barley are the chief spring crops. (iv) Many temperate fruits and vegetables are grown in areas adjacent to urban markets or in well-watered areas with rich organic soils. (v) Sericulture (silk cultivation) is also widespread. (vi) Large orchards in the Vale of Kashmir produce apples, pears, peaches, walnuts, almonds, and cherries, which are among the union territory’s major exports. (vii) In addition, the vale is the sole producer of saffron in the Indian subcontinent. 2.3 Natural Resources: (i) The union territory has limited mineral and fossil fuel resources, much of which are concentrated in the Jammu region. (ii) Small reserves of natural gas are found near the city of Jammu, and bauxite and gypsum deposits occur in the vicinity of Udhampur. (iii) Other minerals include limestone, coal, zinc, and copper. 2.4 Major rivers: (i) Bhringi (ii) Chenab (iii) Dudhganga (iv) Jhelum (v) Lidder (vi) Markha (vii) Nala (viii) Neelum (ix) Nubra (x) Sind (xi) Tawi (xii) Indus (xiii) Zanskar 2.5 Animals: Hangul, Musk Deer, Ibex, Spotted Deer Nayan (Tibetan Sheep), Markhor, Barking Deer, Shapu, Tibetan Antelope, Serow, Tibetan Gazalle, Black Bear, Tahr, Wild Yak, Brown Bear, Goral, Snow Leopard, Common Leopard Pallas Cat and Black Necked Crane. 2.6 Neighbouring States: Ladakh – East Himachal Pradesh and Punjab – South Pakistan – West and North 2.7 Capital city: Srinagar (May–October) Jammu (Nov-April) 2.8 Total Land Area: Total area is 42,241 sq. km. |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: (i) Forest Cover: 23,611.89 sq. km. (ii) Very Dense Forest: 4,280.48 sq. km. (iii) Moderately Dense Forest: 8,612.36 sq. km. (iv) Open Forest: 10,719.05 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Dachigam National Park, Srinagar (ii) Kishtwar National Park, Jammu (iii) Qazinag National Park, Baramulla (iv) Salim Ali National Park, Srinagar 3.3 Wild Life Sanctuary: (i) Trikuta Wildlife Sanctuary (ii) Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary (iii) Ramnagar Rakha Wildlife Sanctuary (iv) Nandni Wildlife Sanctuary (v) Baltal-Thajwas Wildlife Sanctuary (vi) Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary (vii) Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary (viii) Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary (ix) Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary (x) Limber Wildlife Sanctuary (xi) Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary (xii) Hokersar Wildlife Sanctuary (xiii) Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 3.46% (ii) GDP: 176,282 Crore INR (2020-21) (iii) GDP Rank: 21st (iv) Per Capita Income: 124,299 INR (2020-21) 4.2 Industries: Major industries are as under: – (i) The Kashmir Valley is known for its sericulture and cold-water fisheries. (ii) Wood from Kashmir is used to make high-quality cricket bats, popularly known as Kashmir Willow. (iii) Major agricultural exports from Jammu and Kashmir include apples, pears, cherries, plums, saffron and walnuts. (iv) The traditional Kashmiri handicrafts industry employs a large workforce of around 340 thousand artisans and has potential for producing export goods. (v) Small-scale cottage industries include carpet weaving, silks, shawls, basketry, pottery, copper and silverware, papier-mâché and walnut wood. (vi) The horticulture sector is the next biggest source of income in the economy. The temperature of Jammu and Kashmir is also suited to floriculture and can support various species of flora. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Air, Railways and Roads are the major transportation means of Jammu and Kashmir. 5.2 Other Important facts: (i) The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, a segment of the NH44, is the main highway in the territory connecting the two capitals by road. (ii) National Highways 1, 144, 144A, 444, 501, 701 and 701A are the other NHs in the territory. 5.3 Major Railway Stations (i) Kathua (ii) Budhi (iii) Jammu Tawi (iv) Udhampur (v) Banihal (vi) Qazigund (vii) Anantnag (viii) Sadura (ix) Srinagar (x) Baramulla 5.4 Major Air Ports: International Airports: Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport, Srinagar Domestic Airports: (i) Jammu Airport (ii) Kishtwar Airport (iii) Rajouri Airport Indian Air Force Stations: (i) Awantipur Air Force Station (ii) Udhampur Air Force Station |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: (i) Total Power: 3443.07 MW (ii) Thermal: 846.50 MW (iii) Nuclear: 67.98 MW (iv) Hydro: 2321.88 MW (v) Renewable Energy Source: 206.71 MW |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 12,541,302 (1.25 Crores) (ii) Male: 6,640,662 (iii) Female: 5,900,640 (iv) Gender Ratio: 889 females per 1000 males (v) Population Growth: 23.64% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 1.04% (vii) Density: 56/sq. km. (viii) Rural Population: 9,108,060 (72.62%) (ix) Urban Population: 3,433,242 (27.38%) (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 3,566,674 (28.44%) (ii) Christianity: 35,631 (0.28%) (iii) Islam: 8,567,485 (68.31%) (iv) Jainism: 2,490 (0.02%) (v) Buddhism: 112,584 (0.90%) (vi) Sikhism: 234,848 (1.87%) (Based on 2011 census) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Literature: Literary work is majorly found under categories: (i) Sanskrit (ii) Persian (iii) Urdu (iv) Hindi (v) English 8.2 Major Poets & Authors: (i) Pushpadanta (ii) Jagadhar Bhatta (iii) Ratnakara (iv) Manikyacandra (v) Muhammad Tahir Ghani (vi) Sheikh Yaqub Sarfi Ganai (vii) Mohsin Fani Kashmiri (viii) Habibullah Ghanai (ix) Mirza Dirab Big Juya (x) Mirza Beg Akmal Kamil (xi) Muhammad Aslam Salim (xii) Mulla Muhammad Taufiq (xiii) Muhammed Azam Didamari (xiv) Mulla Muhammad Hamid (xv) Birbal Kachru Varasta (xvi) Rasheed Amjad (xvii) Shahid Nadeem (xviii) Zeeshan Jaipuri (xix) Amar Nath Kak (xx) Chandrakanta (xxi) Omkar N. Koul (xxii) Rattan Lal Shant (xxiii) Hari Krishen Kaul (xxiv) Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani (xxv) Bhushan Lal Koul (xxvi) Shiban Krishen Raina (xxvii) Agnishekher (xxviii) Maharaj Krishan Santoshi (xxix) Nayantara Sahgal (xxx) M.J. Akbar (xxxi) Salman Rushdie (xxxii) Hari Kunzru (xxxiii) Kailas Nath Kaul (xxxiv) Agha Shahid Ali (xxxv) Basharat Peer 8.3 Major Festivals: (i) Lohri (ii) Baisakhi (iii) Bahu Mela (iv) Chaitre Chaudash (v) Purmandal Mela (vi) Jhiri Mela 8.4 Folk Dance: (i) Dumhal (ii) Kud (iii) Chajja (iv) Crow Dance (v) Dogri Bhangra 8.5 Major Religious Places: Hindu Pilgrimage: (i) Vaishnodevi (on the top of Trikuta Hills; devoted to Goddess Vaishnavi) (ii) Amarnath Cave (in Pahalgam; devoted to Lord Shiva) (iii) Raghunath Temple (Jammu; dedicated to Lord Rama) (iv) Shankracharya Temple (Jammu; devoted to Lord Shiva) (v) Sudh Mahadev (Patnitop; devoted to Lord Shiva) (vi) Avantipur Temple (Avantipur; devoted to Lord Surya) (vii) Babor Temple (Srinagar; six different temples for Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Bhairav, Bhrish vahan Shiva, Lord Ganesh & Lord Sun) (viii) Bahu Fort & Temple (Jammu; dedicated to Mahamaya) (ix) Peer Kho Temple (Jammu) Muslim Pilgrimage: (i) Peer Mitha (Jammu) (ii) Peer Budhan Ali Shah or Peer Baba (Jammu) (iii) Charar-e-sharif (Kashmir) (iv) Hazratbal mosque (Kashmir) (v) Khanqah-e-moulah (Kashmir) (vi) Takht-e-Suleiman (Kashmir) Buddhist Pilgrimage: (i) Rizong Monastery (ii) Likir Monastery (iii) Lamayuru Monastery (iv) Shey Monastery (v) Stakana Monastery (vi) Thiksey Monastery (vii) Spituk Monastery (viii) Stongdey Monastery Sikh Pilgrimage: (i) Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Jammu) (ii) Nangli Sahib Gurudwara (Poonch) (iii) Chhatti Padshahi Gurudwara (Srinagar) |
| 9 Education | 9.1 State Literacy Data: (i) Total: 7,067,233 (67.16%) (ii) Male: 4,264,671 (76.75%) (iii) Female: 2,802,562 (56.43%) 9.2 Major Universities: (i) Baba Ghulam Shah Badhshah University, Rajouri (ii) University of Kashmir, Srinagar (iii) University of Jammu, Jammu (iv) Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra (v) Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar (vi) Central University of Kashmir, Srinagar (vii) Central University of Jammu, Jammu (viii) Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Jammu (ix) Cluster University of Jammu, Jammu (x) Islamic University of Science and Technology, Pulwama 9.3 Major Institutions: (i) National Institute of Technology, Srinagar (ii) Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar |
| 10 Tourism | 10.1 Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Sindh Valley and Lidder Valley. Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, the Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Jammu. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had significant impact on the state’s economy. 10.2 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Gulmarg (ii) Pahalgam (iii) Sonmarg (iv) Dal Lake in Srinagar (v) Verinag (vi) Patnitop (vii) Sanasar (viii) Jai Valley (ix) Udhampur (x) Sarthal Valley (xi) Bani-Basholi |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: Popular sports in Jammu and Kashmir include cricket, football and winter sports along with sports like golf, water sports and adventure sports. 11.2 Major Stadium: (i) Bakhshi Stadium, Srinagar (ii) Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar 11.3 International Players from the state: Cricket: (i) Aamir Aziz (ii) Iqra Rasool (iii) Mithun Manhas (iv) Abid Nabi (v) Abdul Samad (vi) Parvez Rasool (vii) Rasikh Salam (viii) Jasia Akhtar Football: Mehrajuddin Wadoo Kickboxing: Tajamal Islam Skiing: Gul Mustafa Dev |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 20 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 55 (iii) Number of Urban Towns: 3 (iv) Number of Villages: 6,652 12.2 Official Languages: (i) Kashmiri (ii) Dogri (iii) Urdu (iv) Hindi (v) English (Based on census-2011) 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Assembly seats: 114 (ii) Number of Parliament seats: 5 (iii) Number of Rajya Sabha Seats: 4 (iv) Number of Gram Panchayats: 1470 (v) Legislature: Unicameral 12.4 Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha First Lieutenant Governor: Girish Chandra Murmu (2019) 12.5 Judiciary: 12.5.1 The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is the common high court for union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. 12.5.2 It was established as the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir on 26 March 1928 by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. (i) Number of Judges: 17 (ii) (Permanent: 13 Addl: 4) (iii) Judge Retirement Age: 62 |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Silk Road Sites in India (Proposed) (ii) The Neolithic Settlement of Burzahom (Proposed) (iii) Mughal Gardens in Kashmir (Chashma Shahi, Achabal Gardens, Nishat Bagh, Pari Mahal, Shalimar Bagh, Verinag Garden) (Proposed) 13.2 GI Tags: (i) Kashmir Pashmina (ii) Kashmir Sozani Art (iii) Kani Shawl (iv) Kashmir Paper Machie (v) Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving (vi) Khatamband (vii) Kashmiri Hand Knotted Carpet (viii) Kashmir Saffron 13.3 Number of Archaeological Sites: (i) Akhund Mullah Shah Masjid (ii) Ancient Temple, Ladhoo (iii) Bumzuva Cave and Temple (iv) Burzahom archaeological site (v) Gufkral (vi) Krimchi temples (vii) Manda, Jammu (viii) Manwal (ix) Martand Sun Temple (x) Purmandal (xi) Semthan (xii) Silk Road sites in India (xiii) Wangath Temple complex 13.4 UT Symbols: UT Animal: Kashmir Stag UT Bird: Kalij pheasant UT Fish: Golden Mahseer UT Flower: Common rhododendron UT Tree: Chinar |
If you found this article to be helpful and informational, please like and share this article. Also, we would be grateful if you like, share and follow our page, EduPadhai, on Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter.
