Shopian district, known as Shupyan in Kashmiri, 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 a hill district with its administrative headquarters in Shopian town. As it is situated on the historical road commonly known as Mughal Road, most of its area is occupied by forests. Shopian district comes under the Pir Panjal Range which makes it very cold in winter. After partition of India, it was a tehsil of Pulwama district. In March, 2007, the district status was granted by the Government of India. The economy of the district depends on agriculture, particularly apple growing. Shopian district is called "the apple bowl of Kashmir".

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the Shopian district has a population of 266,215. This gives the Shopian district a ranking of 577th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 852 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the 2001–2011 decade was 25.85%. Shopian has a sex ratio of 951 females for every 1,000 males (this varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 62.49%. At the time of the 2011 census, 87.99% of the population spoke Kashmiri, 8.80% Gojri and 1.78% Pahari as their first language.

Education

In 1988, The Government of Jammu and Kashmir established a college namely Government Degree College, Shopian which provides higher education infrastructure to the people of Shopian district. The Government Polytechnic college was established recently in the Shopian town, which provides technical engineering diploma level education. Some of the other notable educational institutions are:

Economy

The local economy depends on agriculture. Apple growing "provides employment to about 60% of the population and is the main source of livelihood of many households." Apple growing is more profitable than other crops, partly because the hilly nature of the land makes it harder to cultivate other crops than apples. The apple orchards in District Shopian cover an extensive area of 26,231 hectares, establishing it as the second-largest apple producer in the region after district Anantnag, which holds the distinction of being the top apple producer with its vast apple orchards spanning 33,768 hectares. District Shopian produces around 3 to 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of apple annually.

Apple Cluster

To enhance apple production in Shopian district, the Union government has granted approval for an "Apple Cluster" under the Cluster Development Programme. The project aims to boost Shopian apple's competitiveness globally by focusing on three key areas: pre-production-production, post-harvest management and value addition, and logistics, marketing, and branding. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 135.23 crore, with the Ministry providing around Rs 37.05 crore as grant-in-aid.

Healthcare

The district has a number of hospitals and healthcare facilities, some of which include its adjoining areas they are:

Places of interest

Shopian district has many places with tourism potential: Arshi Pora Lahanthour, Sedow, Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Dubijan - 6 km from Heerpora Village; Peer Marg/Peer Gali - 20 km away from Heerpora on the historical Mughal Road; Lake Nandansar - 2 km away from the Peer Ki Gali; Hash Wang Bagam Pather, Sok Saray, and Mughal Saray at Jajinar. The Jamia Masjid in Shopian is one of the famous historical monuments built during the Mughal reign resembling that of jamia Masjid Srinagar. The Aasar-i-Sharief Dargah at Pinjura, attracts thousands of devotees on the occasion of Eid-i-Milad-un- Nabi and Shab-i-Mehraj. Darul Uloom Islamia Pinjura where large people gather to seek (spiritual and moral) knowledge and propagate to others.Another famous muslim seminary called Jamia Sirajul Uloom is situated at Imamsahib. On the outskirts of Shopian town near Nagbal area, there is a Siva temple called Kapalmochan Mandir with three natural springs and a unique Shivling with small Rudraksh shaped knots spread all over it.

Transport

The major roads connecting Shopian with neighbouring districts are: .