Shangla District



Shangla District
شانگله
District
ضلع شانگله
CountryPakistan
ProvinceKhyber Pakhtunkhwa
HeadquartersAlpuri
Area
 • Total1,586 km2 (612 sq mi)
Population (2014 (est))
 • Total733,000
 • Density274/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zonePST (UTC+5)
District Council28 seats
Number of Tehsils2 Alpuri&Puran
Shangla District (Urdu: ضلع شانگله) is located in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwaprovince of Pakistan. The district headquarters are located at Alpuri.[1] It was previously a subdivision of Swat District, but was upgraded to the status of a district on July 10, 1995[2] by the then Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao. The total area of the district is 1,586 square kilometres.[2] Shangla comprises two sub division, Alpuri and Puran Tehsil.[1] There are four (4) sub tehsils i.e. Besham, Chakesar, Martung and Makhuzai. Shangla has the lowest Human Development Index in the province and second lowest in the country.[3][4]

Location[edit]

The district is bounded in the north by Kohistan District, in the east by Battagram District and the tribal area of Kala Dhaka(Black Mountain of Hazara), in the west by Swat District and in the south by Buner District.[2]

History[edit]

There are relics of the ancient Greek period at Pirsar, Chakesar and Daut. it is believed that Alexander the Great camped at Pirsar for a few days. There are also relics of the Hindu Shahi in Olandar-Ajmair.[5]

Geography[edit]

Map of Shangla district
The communications with Swat are Shangla pass (Shangla top).[2]
Shangla district consists of small valleys, and is situated between the hillocks and surrounded by high mountains full of forests comprising Pindrow Fir, Morinda Spruce, Blue Pine (Kail), Chir Pine and Deodar Cedar trees. The average elevation of the district is 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level.[2] The highest point (3,440 m) is near Kuz Ganrshal in the north of the district.[2]

Administrative divisions[edit]

Under the devolved local government system Shangla is divided into two Sub-Divisions/Tehsils namely:-
and four (4) Sub-Tehsils, namely
There are 28 Union Councils. Alpuri Tehsil (Sub division) consists of 19 Union Councils and Puran Tehsil (Sub-division) consists of 9 Union Councils.
A view of Shangla Road

Population[edit]

According to the 1998 census, the district had a population of 435,563 with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% and population density of 274 persons per square kilometre.[6] The total number of households is 64,391 with an average household size of 8.1.
Almost the entire population is Muslim (99.8%) with very small numbers of Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis.[6]

Demographics[edit]

The local inhabitants are agriculturists of Pashtun (Yousafzai) origin, while the population of the district speaks Pashto. Though the agricultural area of the district is fertile but the agricultural holdings are very small as compared to the number of owners. The total cultivated area of the district is 423.6 square kilometres (104,700 acres) out of which only 30.75 square kilometres (7,600 acres) is irrigated and the remaining 392.85 square kilometres (97,080 acres) is non-irrigated. Shangla District has many natural resources, having a vast scope for investment and development.
It was severely hit during the October 8, 2005 earthquake and many people were left homeless.[citation needed] Recently, it was again hit by 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake in which more than 18 people killed. [7]

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