North-WestFrontier Province
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The
North-West Frontier Province
śimāl maġribī sarhadī sūba
یبرغم لاش بوص دحرس
ہ
) is the smallestof thefour main provinces of
Pakistan. The NWFP is home to themajorityPashtuns (locally referred to
as
Pukhtuns
) as well as other smaller ethnic groups. The province bordersAfghanistanto the northwest, the Northern Areasto the northeast,AzadKashmir to the east,FederallyAdministered Tribal Areas (FATA) tothe west and south, andPakistaniPunjabandIslamabad CapitalTerritoryto the southeast. The principal language isPashtoand the provincial capital isPeshawar . ThePakistan Peoples Party, toaccommodate a demand by theAwami National Party, proposed the province be changed to Pakhtunkhwa.
Contents
North-West Frontier Province
74,521 km²
)
•Governor /Commissione
r •Chief Minister •Legislature(seats)1st July 1970•Owais Ahmed Ghani•Ameer Haider Khan Hoti• Provincial Assembly (124)
Mountains in Northern Pakistan.View of Siran Valleyin Mansehra District(2006)
The NWFP is largely located on theIranian plateaualong the peripheral junction between theIndian subcontinentand theEurasian plate,and this has led to seismic activity in the past (see
Kashmir Quake
)
. The famous Khyber Passlinks the province to Afghanistan, while theKohalla
BridgeinCircle Bakote is a major crossing point over theJhelum river in the east. The province
has an area of (28,773 square miles) or 74,521 km²of Pakistani territory and its districts include
Hazara Division,home to the town of Havelian,the western starting point of the Karakoram
Highway.The capital and largest city of the province isPeshawar . Peshawar 's is divided into various
sections with the Old City being notable for its
chai-khanas
(or tea houses) and other ancientstructures.
Qissa Kahani Bazaar
and other parts of Peshawar can remind visitors of an Arabian Nightstale with its myriad corridors and its multicultural vendors. The Afghan character of thecity was enhanced by the refugees from Afghanistan and the burgeoning population of tribesmenwho have flocked to the city from rural areas in search of employment.Other main cities include Nowshera, Mardan,Mansehra, Charsadda,Ayubia, Nathia Galiand
Abbottabad. The province's main districts include Dera Ismail Khan,Kohat, Bannu, Peshawar ,
Abbottabadand Mansehra.
The region varies in topography from dry rocky areas in the south to forests and green plains inthe north. The climate can be extreme with intensely hot summers to freezing cold winters.Despite these extremes in weather, agriculture remains important and viable in the area. The hillyterrain of Swat, Kalam, Upper Dir , NaranandKaghan is renowned for its beauty and attracts a
great many tourists from neighbouring regions and from around the world. Swat-Kalam is alsotermed 'a piece of Switzerland'as there are many landscape similarities between it and the
mountainous terrain of Switzerland.It covers an area of 74,521 km
2
(28,773 sq mi). According to the 1998 census, the total population of N.W.F.P. was approximately 17 million
out of whom 52% are males and 48%females. The density of population is 187 per km² and the intercensal change of population is of about 30%. Geographically the province could be divided into two zones: the northern oneextending from the ranges of theHindu Kushto the borders of Peshawar basin; and the southernone extending from Peshawar to the Derajat basin. The northern zone is cold and snowy inwinters with heavy rainfall and pleasant summers with the exception of Peshawar basin, which ishot in summer and cold in winter. It has moderate rainfall. The southern zone is arid with hotsummers and relatively cold winters and scantly rainfall. Its climate varies from very cold(Chitral in the north) to very hot in places like D.I. Khan. The major rivers that criss cross the province are Kabul River, Swat River, Chitral River, Panjgora River, Bara River, Karam River,Gomal River and Zob River.Its snow-capped peaks and lush green valleys of unusual beauty attract tourists from far and widewhile its art and architecture no less known than the historic Khyber Pass. Once the cradle of
Gandharacivilization, the area is now known for its devout Muslims who zealously guard their religion and culture and the way of life that they have been following for centuries.
Theclimateof North-West Frontier province varies immensely for a region of its size, most of the many climate types found in Pakistan.
The north, comprisingChitral District,has a typically continental steppe climate, with average
annual precipitationranging from 100mm (4 inches) per year in the far north to 585 mm (23
inches) in Drosh in the south. Most of this precipitation from frontal cloudbands during thewinter and heavythunderstorms in the spring. Of Chitral's average 420 mm (16.5 inches) of
rainfall per year, 350 mm (13.8 inches) falls from December to May. At high elevations in theHindukush,snowfallcan be much heavier than this and consequently largeglaciersare a
prominent feature of the landscape. Snow also cuts off evenChitraltown from the outside worldfor most of the year. Temperatures in the valleys vary from 40 °C (105 °F) in July to as low as-10 °C (15 °F) in January. In the previous few years flood have created problems in Mastujtehsil.
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