The word Kohistan in Persian literally means Country of the Hills. The Kohistan district has a rich local history as a crossroads between Central, South and Southwestern Asia. Predominantly inhabited by Dardic and Pashtun tribes since ancient times, Kohistan has been invaded and contested by Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Kushans, Turks, Mughals and the British. Farsi may refer to: Farsi is the native name for the modern Persian language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and some other parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia (Ossetians speak Ossetic, which also is a branch of Iranian languages). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Composite satellite image of South Asia Map of South Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Dardic languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages. ... The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, ethnic Afghan, or Pathan) are an ethno-linguistic group consisting mainly of eastern Iranian stock living primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan, and the North West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan. ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... Scythia was an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by an Indo-Aryans known as the Scythians. ... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ...

Geography

Kohistan is a sparsely populated district of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan and is also a region that stretches from the border with Azad Kashmir in the east to Afghanistan's Nuristan province in the west. Located in an area where the Eurasian landplate and Indian subcontinent meet and collide, Kohistan is susceptible to earthquake activity such as the Kashmir earthquake of 2005. North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Urdu: آزاد کشمیر), is part of the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, along with the Northern Areas. ... Nurestan Province (also spelled Nuristan) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. ... The Eurasian plate is shown in green on this map. ... Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ... The Kashmir earthquake (also known as the Northern Pakistan earthquake or South Asia earthquake) of 2005 was a major seismological disturbance (earthquake) that occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:38 UTC, 09:20:38 India Standard Time, 08:50:38 local time at epicenter) on October...

Lush green forests, meadows and streams as well as massive mountains and hills literally make Kohistan resemble the Scottish Highlands of Britain. The Indus river divides Kohistan into two parts with the eastern portion referred to as the Indus Kohistan and the western portion refrred to as Swat Kohistan. The Indus is a river; the Indus River. ...

Climate

The weather of the region tends to be relatively mild with rain, snow and cold temperatures in the winter and mildly hot summers.

Economy

Most Kohistanis rely upon animal husbandry for sustenance and income and tend to use cows, sheep, goats for milk and meat. In addition, the timber industry is on the rise, while many local men travel to find work in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. Peshāwar (پیشاور) literally means City on the Frontier in Persian and is known as Pai-khawar in Pashto. ... Islamabad (اسلام آباد, abode of Islam), population 955,629, is the capital city of Pakistan, and is located in the Potwar Plateau in the northwest of that country. ... South section of the Hazuri Bagh, looking south towards the Roshnai Gate The Minar-e-Pakistan, south-side view Lahore (لاھور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Karachi (كراچى) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...

People and culture

Kohistan's population is estimated to be over 2 million and is spread across the various towns and villages. Kohistan is predominantly home to various Dardic peoples including the Shina, Kohistanis, Torwalis, Kashmiris, as well as Hindko-speaking Pathans in the central, northern, and eastern sections. Pashtun tribes and Afghan refugees can be mainly found in the western part of the district. The Kohistanis are all Sunni Muslims. The Dardic languages include some 27 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about many people in Asia; this language family is a part of the Northwestern Indo-Aryan language family. ... Shina can refer to: Shina (word), a Japanese term for China that is considered offensive by the Chinese. ... For other uses, see Kashmiri (disambiguation) Kashmiri is a Dardic language spoken primarily in Kashmir, an Asian region now split between India, Pakistan and China. ... Hindko is an ancient language spoken in the Indian subcontinent. ... The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, or ethnic Afghan; in referring to the period of the British Raj or earlier, sometimes Pathan) are an ethnic/religious group of people, living primarily in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India who follow Pashtunwali, their indigenous religion. ... The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, ethnic Afghan, or Pathan) are an ethno-linguistic group consisting mainly of eastern Iranian stock living primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan, and the North West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan. ... An Afghan or an Afghani is the name used to describe a person from the country of Afghanistan. ...

Education

The literacy rate is amongst the lowest in Pakistan and hovers around 10%, but education is slowly expanding due to government efforts.

See also

• North-West Frontier Province
• Pashtuns