Kashmir is the northwestern region of the subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" referred only to the valley lying between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range. since then, it has been used for a larger area that today includes the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir consisting of the Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh; the Pakistani-administered provinces of the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir, and the Chinese-administered regions of Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract. The United Nations and several sources use the designation Jammu and Kashmir to refer to this entire geographical area.
