Gilgit Baltistan formerly known as the Northern Areas.
Gilgit Baltistan formerly known as the Northern Areas, is the northernmost political entity within the Pakistan, sandwiched between the Hindukush and Karakoram on the north and western Himalaya on the south. It borders Pakistan’s Khyber Pukhtunkhwaprovince to the west, Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor to the north, China to the northeast, Azad Kashmir to the south, and Jammu & Kashmir State of India to the southeast.
The Northern Areas comprise the two districts of Baltistan and the three districts of Gilgit (where the capital is located). Gilgit-Baltistan covers an area of 72,971 km² (28,174 mi²) and is highly mountainous. It has an estimated population approaching 1,000,000. Its administrative center is the city of Gilgit(population 216,760).
Hunza, an independent principality for 950 years which only came under Pakistani rule in 1974, is also located in this region.