Kupwara district
Kupwara district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 10 districts located in the Kashmir Valley Division of Indian administered Kashmir. The Pohru River and Mawar river are two main rivers in the district. Both of them meet Jhelum river in Baramulla district.
History
The district was carved out of the erstwhile Baramulla district in 1979 with Kupwara Town as the district headquarters.Geography
Kupwara district has a total area of. The district is bordered by Bandipora district in the east, Baramulla district to the south and Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir to the north and west. The district is mostly rural/agricultural.Adjacent districts
- Bandipora district, Indian administered Kashmir – east
- Neelum district, Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir – northeast
- Neelum district, Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir – northwest
- Muzaffarabad district and Hattian Bala district, Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir – west
- Baramulla district, Indian administered Kashmir – south
Economy
Most of the people depend on agriculture and horticulture. There is a good production and business of walnuts in Kupwara.The Department of Horticulture have developed a high density walnut nursery in Kupwara.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Kupwara district has a population of 870,354. This gives it a ranking of 470th in India. The district has a population density of. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 34.62%. Kupwara has a sex ratio of 843 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 75.60% Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 0.12% and 8.08% of the population respectively.At the time of the 2011 census, 71.11% of the population spoke Kashmiri, 14.12% Pahari, 9.21% Gujari and 2.70% Hindi as their first language. Urdu is widely-spoken as a second language. Kashmiri is spoken throughout the district, while Pahari-Pothwari is the predominant language in Karnah tehsil along the Line of Control.
Notable people
- Anwar Shah Kashmiri, Renowned Islamic scholar from Kashmir, known for his expertise in hadith, fiqh, and theology. A key figure at Darul Uloom Deoband.
- Aadil Manzoor Peer, Stock athlete who has represented India internationally with his right-hand playing style.
- Abdul Gani Lone, Kashmiri separatist leader, founder of People’s Conference, assassinated in 2002 for his moderate views.
- Ali Mohammad Shahbaz, Kashmiri poet, satirist, humanist, and philanthropist, whose work focused on the Kashmir conflict.
- Ashraf Sehrai, Separatist leader and chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, elected after Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s resignation.
- Engineer Rashid, Kashmiri politician, founder of Awami Ittehad Party, and an advocate for Kashmir’s autonomy and self-determination.
- Maqbool Bhat, Kashmiri separatist leader, founder of NLF, and was hanged in 1984 for his activism.
- Sajad Gani Lone, Kashmiri politician, leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, and former minister in the region’s government.
- Shah Faesal, Former IAS topper and founder of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement
- Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Formar Rajhya Sabha MP of India, and current MLA of Kupwara constituency