DEMOGRAPHY

DEMOGRAPHY 

The demography and population of North Pakistan is consisted of different unique diverse linguistic, ethnic, and religious groups of this heaven on earth, there are many beautiful and isolated valleys separated by some of the world highest peaks. The population of this heaven on earth is a mixture of many ethnic groups such as Shins, Yashkuns, Kashgaris,Kashmiris,  Pathans and Kohistanis. Ismailis and Agha khanis  are also there. Urdu which is the national language of Pakistan is the lingua franca of this  region, understood by majority  of the inhabitants of this area. The Shina language (with several dialects like Asturjaa, Kharuchaa, chilasi) is the language of 60% of the population, spoken mainly in Gilgit, Astore, Diamer even in some parts of Ghizer. The Balti dialect, a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and part of the Tibetan languages group, is also main langauge in North Pakistan and this is spoken by the entire population of Baltistan. Wakhi language is also spoken in this area and alsp in upper Hunza, and in some villages in Ghizer, another language which is  Khowar is the language of Ghizer is also spoken in this area. Burushaski is an isolated language spoken in Hunza, Nagar,and Yasin and some areas of Gilgit and in some villages  and town of Punyal. Domaaki language is also spoken in this area this is very  interesting language because this language is  spoken by the musician clans in the region. In some area a  small minority of the region also speak Pashto. There are some remnants of Kashmiri is this area and in census which was held  in 1998, the population of Gilgit and Baltistan was 870,347. In this censes approx 14% of the population was urban and remaining 86 % was rural. So the demographically of this area very interesting due to large number of different linguistics and ethnic and religious groups.

Languages

There are a number of languages spoken in the northern areas of Pakistan. Prominent  one are as fol :-

Badeshi happens to be a language in northern areas that is now fast fading away in Pakistan since the speakers of this language is turning to Pashto now.

Burushaski: This one is spoken by nearly 2000 people in northern valleys like Hunza, Nagar, Yasin, Gilgit and in some parts of Northern Pakistan and Kashmir.                                                                                                 

Balti: It is spoken in Baltistan and in some of the parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dogri: It is widely spoken in Jammu and Kashmir region.

Gojri: It is spoken by the Gujjars residing in north Pakistan.

Kashmiri: It is a regional language and is spoken in the valley of Jammu and Kashmir. This language has some other names also like keshur, keshir, kashmiri or kashiri.

Khowar: It is used and spoken in Chitral and in Yasin Valley.

Kalash: It is spoken in Kalash, Chitral and in Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan.

CULTURE AND TRADITION

People of Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly known as northern areas of Pakistan) have unique cultural heritage, linguistics basis, religious and archaeological foundations and historical background of their own. The people of those areas are fair color with blue or green eyes and blond or golden hair colors.

They’re very soft spoken, very welcoming and hospitable, peaceful with different regional languages they speak while, the weather of northern areas is cold and snowy and at the extreme north of Pakistan, weather remains extremely cold with temperatures below minus and freezing since that’s the peak of the world with never melting glaciers i.e, The Himalayas – the world’s highest mountain ranges are plated around those areas. The people of northern areas live under their own ancestral traditional lifestyles and their customs, family integration and gathering, personal appearances in their own traditional dresses and celebrate their ceremonies and festivals under their own ancestral rituals and ceremonial forms.

Their traditions are very unique and blend of Greek inheritance as well since they’re said to be the remnants of Alexander the Great’s soldiers. In modern times – they’re living under their own ancestral traditional lifestyles and the center of attraction for entire world. Gilgit-Baltistan borders Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to the west, a small portion of the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to the northeast, the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast, and the Pakistani-administered state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the south.

Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the “eight-thousanders” and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Gilgit and Skardu are the two main hubs for expeditions to those mountains. The region is home to some of the world’s highest mountain ranges. The main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. The Pamir Mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) and Nanga Parbat, the latter being one of the most feared mountains in the world.

Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan: the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier, and the Batura Glacier. There are, in addition, several high-altitude lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan.

ETHINICITY

This glittering mosaic of human cultures contains many different ethnic groups and tribes, some the descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamurlane, some of Mongol, Aryan and Turanian stock all homogenized by their shared Islamic faith but for one exception, the pagan Kalash of Chitral.