Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is a very sparsely populated high-mountain area in the north of Pakistan. Its natural environment is usually described with superlatives – the longest glaciers outside of the polar region, home of the world’s second highest peak (K2) and four more eight-thousanders. GB is largely a high-mountain desert; geologically, it spreads over three high mountain systems: Himalaya, Karakorum and Hindukush. The society of GB is diverse in terms of language, religion and ethnicity.