Bandipore district (also spelt as Bandipora or Bandipur) is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.<ref name=tertiary-kashmir> The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below). (a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories."; (b) (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; (c) C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; (d) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." (e) Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir."; (f) (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962."; (g) Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." (h) Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; (i) Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." It is one of the 20 districts in the Jammu and Kashmir. Bandipore town is the administrative headquarters of the district. Bandipore is located in the foothills of the snow-clad peaks of Harmukh overlooking the shores of Wular Lake and has produced hundreds of scholars and intellectuals. The district is known for its tourist places such as Wular Vintage Park, Athwatoo and Gurez valley. Before 1947, this town was a big trade and literary centre of Kashmir. This district was carved out from the erstwhile Baramulla district in 2007. The district is bounded by Kupwara district from the north, Baramulla district from west,Ganderbal district from the east, Kargil district in Ladakh, Neelum District in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and Astore district in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. Bandipore district is the only district in Kashmir Division that shares border with Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region. This district occupies an area of 398 km2. The district has a population of 392,232 as per 2011 census.

Administration

District Development Council

Education

Some of the institutions and colleges of Bandipur which provide quality education to the students of district Bandipore.

Divisions

The district comprises seven tehsils: Ajas, Aloosa, Bandipore, Sumbal, Hajin, Gurez and Tulail. The district has three Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Gurez, Bandipore and Sonawari. All of these are part of Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. The district comprises twelve community development blocks: Aloosa, Arin, Baktoor, Bandipore, Bonkoot, Ganastan, Gurez, Hajin, Naidkhai, Nowgam, Sumbal and Tulail.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Bandipore district has a population of 392,232, roughly equal to the nation of Maldives. This gives it a ranking of 561st in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 1117 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 26.31%. Bandipore has a sex ratio of 899 females for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 57.82%. At the time of the 2011 census, 82.39% of the population spoke Kashmiri, 8,82% Gojri, 4.18% Shina, 1.91% Pahari and 1.27% Hindi as their first language.