Chitral

Chitral چترال Chetrar
town
View of valley and river
Chitral Location in Pakistan
Coordinates: 35°50′46″N 71°47′09″E / 35.84611°N 71.78583°E / 35.84611; 71.78583Coordinates: 35°50′46″N 71°47′09″E / 35.84611°N 71.78583°E / 35.84611; 71.78583
Country	Pakistan
Province	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District	Chitral District
First mention	325 BC
Government
• Type	MPA
• Body	Shahzada Iftikharuddin
Area
• Total	57 km2 (22 sq mi)
Elevation	1,517 m (4,977 ft)
Population (2003)
• Total	20,000
• Density	350/km2 (910/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Khowar
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
PIN	1720 – 0xx
Area code(s)	+94 - xx
Website	chitral.gov.pk

Chitral (Urdu: چترال‎, Khowar: چھترار), also spelled Chetrar, translated as field, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Chitral River (also called Kunar River), in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It also served as the capital of the princely state of Chitral until 1969. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, which is 25,289 ft (7,708 m) high. It has a population of 20,000. The elevation of the valley is 3,700 ft (1,100 m).

The entire region that now forms the Chitral District was a fully independent monarchy until 1895, when the British negotiated a subsidiary alliance with its hereditary ruler, the Mehtar, under which Chitral became a princely state, still sovereign but subject to the suzerainty of the British Raj. Chitral retained a similar status even after its accession to Pakistan in 1969, but was completely incorporated into Pakistan and became an administrative district of Pakistan in 1969.