Gilgit

Gilgit is the capital and most populous city of Gilgit-Baltistan, a Pakistani-administered territory in the disputed Kashmir region. It sits in the broad Gilgit Valley near the confluence of the Gilgit and Hunza rivers, in the Karakoram mountains of northern Pakistan. The city is a major tourist destination and serves as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions. It was once a major centre of Buddhism and an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Today it is a junction on the Karakoram Highway, with road connections to Kashgar in China and to the Pakistani cities of Skardu, Chitral, Peshawar and Islamabad. Local economic activity centres on agriculture, with wheat, maize and barley as the main crops.