Jammu and Kashmir, Former administrative region in northern India.
Jammu and Kashmir was a former administrative entity in northern India that stretched across mountainous terrain between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The territory bordered Pakistan along the Line of Control and included three distinct geographical zones with different elevations and climates.
This region received special autonomous status within India in 1954 with its own constitutional rights. The Indian state modified this arrangement in August 2019 and dissolved the autonomous structure into a directly administered model.
The administrative center shifted twice a year between Srinagar during warmer months and Jammu through winter. This back-and-forth movement brought waves of government staff and paperwork across mountain passes each spring and autumn.
The territory divided into three main zones: the temperate Kashmir Valley, the subtropical Jammu region, and the high-altitude areas of Ladakh. Each zone brought its own climate conditions and terrain types that affected travel planning and accessibility.
The region maintained its own separate flag design and constitution during its existence. These symbols of independence disappeared with the dissolution of autonomous status and restructuring into directly administered union territories.
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