Geography of Jammu and Kashmir :

Strategically located Jammu and Kashmir State constitutes the northern most extremity of India. Situated between 32.17 degree and 36.58 degree north latitude and 37.26 degree and 80.30 degree east longitude, the total area of the State is 22,22,236 sq. kms including 78114 sq kms under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and 42,685 sq kms under that of China, of which Pakistan illegally handed over 5130 sq kms to China.

The State is bounded by Pakistan, Afghanistan and China from the West to the East. The State ranks 6th in area and 17th in population among the States and Union Territories of India. The State consists of 14 districts, 59 tehsils, 119 blocks, 3 municipalities, 54 towns and notified area committee, 6477 inhabited villages and 281 uninhabited villages. It has four geographical zones:

1. Sub-mountain and semi-mountain plain known as kandi or dry belt'
2. The Shivalik ranges;
3. The high mountain zone constituting the Kashmir Valley, Pir Panchal range and its off-shoots including Doda, Poonch and Rajouri districts and part of Kathua and Udhampur districts; and
4. The middle runs of the Indus River comprising Leh and Kargil.

The State of Jammu and Kashmir is the northern most state of India comprising three distinct Climatic regions- Arctic cold desert areas of Ladakh, temperate Kashmir valley and sub-tropical region of Jammu. There is a sharp rise of altitude from 1000 feet to 28250 feet above the sea level within State's four degree of latitude.

Climate of Jammu & Kashmir :

The climate varies from tropical in Jammu plains to semi-arctic cold in Ladakh with Kashmir and Jammu mountainous tracts having temperate climatic conditions. The annual rainfall also varies from region to region with 92.6 mm in Leh, 650.5 mm in Srinagar and 1115.9 mm in Jammu. A large part of the State forms part of the Himalayan Mountains. The State is geologically constituted of rocks varying from the oldest period of the earth's history to the youngest present day river and lake deposits.

Jammu and Kashmir is encompassed by valleys. Some of the dominant valleys of the state are Kashmir Valley, Tawi Valley, Chenab Valley, Poonch Valley, Sind Valley and Lidder Valley etc. Jhelum River is the only major Himalayan River which flows through the Kashmir valley. Indus, Tawi, Ravi and Chenab Rivers are the major ones flowing through the region.

Topography :

Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Tawi Valley, Chenab Valley, Poonch Valley, Sind Valley and Lidder Valley.The Kashmir valley is 100 km (62 mi) wide and 15,520.3 km2 (5,992.4 sq mi) in area.The Himalayas divide the Kashmir valley from the Tibetan plateau while the Pir Panjal range, which encloses the valley from the west and the south, separates it from the Great Plains of northern India. Along the northeastern flank of the Valley runs the main range of the Himalayas.This valley has an average height of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) above sea-level,but the surrounding Pir Panjal range has an average elevation of 10,000 feet (3,000 m).The Jhelum River is the major Himalayan river which flows through the Kashmir valley. The Tawi, Ravi and Chenab are the major rivers flowing through the region.

Forests :

Forests of the state are spread over three broad geo-climatic zones covering Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions of the State. Vegetation and climate can broadly be categorized into sub-tropical, temperate and alpine zones with wide diversity of fauna and flora. More than 50% of the plant species used in British pharmacopoeia are reported to grow in Jammu and Kashmir. Literature indicates that 572 plant species belonging to 109 different families have medicinal value.

The recorded Forest area is 20230 Sq. Kms. which constitutes 19.95 % of geographical area of the State. Forests are largely distributed in Kashmir Valley and Jammu regions. Leh and Kargil are devoid of Forest Vegetation as the region is cold desert.
There are five forest types occurring in the State Viz. Subtropical Dry Evergreen, Himalayan Moist Temperate, Himalayan Dry Temperate, Subtropical Pine and Sub-alpine and alpine Forests.