Swat District
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Swat سوات |
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|---|---|
| District | |
| Nickname(s): Switzerland of the East | |
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| Coordinates: 35°23′N 72°11′E / 35.383°N 72.183°ECoordinates: 35°23′N 72°11′E / 35.383°N 72.183°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,337 km2 (2,061 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 2,161,000 |
| • Density | 236/km2 (610/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PKT (UTC+5) |
| Area code(s) | Area code 0946 |
| Languages (1981) | 90.28% Pashto 8.67% Kohistani |
Swat (Pashto: سوات pronounced [ˈswaːt̪]; historically known as Uddyana, lit. garden); is a river valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora. It was a princely state, the Yusafzai State of Swat, until 1969, when it was dissolved along with the states of Dir and Chitral and made part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, then known as North West Frontier Province. The valley is populated mostly by ethnic Pashtuns and Gujjar and Kohistani communities. The languages spoken in the valley are Pashto, Gojri, Torwali and Kohistani.
With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty and is popular with tourists. Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the The Yusafzai State of Swat called it "the Switzerland of the east."
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Wikipedia