Rawalpindi Division
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Rawalpindi Division is an administrative division of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Rawalpindi serves as the headquarters of the division which consists of 6 districts: Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Jhelum, Murree, and Rawalpindi.
Divisions are the third tier of government below the federal and provincial levels. In 2000, local government reforms abolished administrative divisions and raised the districts to become the new third tier of government. But in 2008, the division system was restored again.
History
British rule
Following the British conquest of the region in 1849, the area around Rawalpindi became a division of the Punjab province of British India, primarily because of the strategic location of the city of Rawalpindi. It was one of the five divisions of colonial Punjab.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India describes the division as follows:
"North-western Division of the Punjab, lying between 31°35' and 34° 1' N. and 70° 37' and 74°29' E. The Commissioner's headquarters are at Rawalpindi and Murree. The total population of the Division increased from 2,520,508 in 1881 to 2,750,713 in 1891, and to 2,799,360 in 1901. Its total area was 25,000 Km Square (15,736) square miles, and the density of the population is 178 persons per square mile, compared with 209 for the Province as a whole"
The division was composed of four districts:
| District | Area (sq mi) | Population (1901) |
|---|---|---|
| Shahpur | 4,840 | 524,259 |
| Jhelum | 2,813 | 501,424 |
| Rawalpindi | 2,010 | 558,699 |
| Attock | 4,022 | 464,430 |
| Total | 13685 | 2,048812 |
After independence
On independence in 1947, the division was one of four divisions of the province of West Punjab but from 1955 to 1970, the division was one of twelve (later thirteen) divisions of West Pakistan province under the One Unit policy. On the dissolution of West Pakistan, the division was restored to the new Punjab province, but parts of the division were transferred with parts of Lahore Division to form the new Gujranwala Division.
Geography
Rawalpindi division shares borders with Gujrat division, Mianwali division and Sargodha division.
Demographics
Population
The first censuses of Rawalpindi Division were done during colonial rule by British authorities when it was part of British India, the original division of Rawalpindi was bigger than the modern division which is why the 1901 census shows a significantly larger population than the 1951 census. According to 2023 census, Rawalpindi division had a population of 11,406,496, roughly equal to the nation of Jordan or the US state of Georgia.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1881 | 2,520,508 | — |
| 1891 | 2,750,713 | +0.88% |
| 1901 | 2,799,360 | +0.18% |
| 1951 | 1,835,178 | −0.84% |
| 1961 | 2,587,061 | +3.49% |
| 1972 | 3,218,873 | +2.01% |
| 1981 | 3,934,861 | +2.26% |
| 1998 | 6,101,052 | +2.61% |
| 2017 | 9,783,183 | +2.52% |
| 2023 | 11,416,686 | +2.61% |
| Sources: |
- Punjabi (73.6%)
- Urdu (11.1%)
- Pashto (8.40%)
- Hindko (5.10%)
- Others (1.80%)
List of the Districts
| # | District | Headquarter | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²)(2023) | Lit. rate (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rawalpindi | Rawalpindi | 4,547 | 5,745,964 | 1,868.79 | 83.06% |
| 2 | Jhelum | Jhelum | 3,587 | 1,382,308 | 385.7 | 80.65% |
| 3 | Attock | Attock | 6,858 | 2,170,423 | 316.7 | 70.22% |
| 4 | Murree | Murree | 738 | 372,947 | 480 | 86.01% |
| 5 | Chakwal | Chakwal | 3,593 | 1,132,608 | 314.42 | 79.36% |
| 6 | Talagang | Talagang | 2,932 | 602,246 | 226.3 | 74.63% |
| Rawalpindi Division | 22,255 | 11,406,496 | 574.50 | 79.9% |
List of the Tehsils
| Tehsil | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²)(2023) | Lit. rate (2023) | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attock | 1,002 | 516,277 | 515.25 | 74.80% | Attock District |
| Fateh Jang | 1,249 | 374,726 | 300.02 | 66.94% | |
| Hassan Abdal | 350 | 253,670 | 724.77 | 70.22% | |
| Hazro | 348 | 386,544 | 1,110.76 | 66.45% | |
| Jand | 2,043 | 330,328 | 161.69 | 71.59% | |
| Pindi Gheb | 1,865 | 308,878 | 165.62 | 70.36% | |
| Chakwal | 2,167 | 768,622 | 354.69 | 79.63% | Chakwal District |
| Choa Saidan Shah | 473 | 167,537 | 354.20 | 79.28% | |
| Kallar Kahar | 953 | 196,449 | 206.14 | 79.23% | |
| Dina | 678 | 277,182 | 408.82 | 84.75% | Jhelum District |
| Jhelum | 586 | 507,788 | 866.53 | 83.45% | |
| Pind Dadan Khan | 1,176 | 371,971 | 316.30 | 73.98% | |
| Sohawa | 1,147 | 225,367 | 196.48 | 80.41% | |
| Rawalpindi | 1,682 | 3,744,590 | 2,226.27 | 83.97% | Rawalpindi District |
| Gujar Khan | 1,457 | 781,578 | 536.43 | 79.72% | |
| Kahuta | 637 | 237,843 | 373.38 | 84.05% | |
| Kallar Syedan | 459 | 242,709 | 528.78 | 82.23% | |
| Taxila | 312 | 739,244 | 2,369.37 | 81.98% | |
| Daultala | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Kotli Sattian | 304 | 120,421 | 396.12 | 88.20% | Murree District |
| Murree | 434 | 252,526 | 581.86 | 84.79% | |
| Talagang | 2,022 | 457,635 | 226.33 | 75.63% | Talagang District |
| Lawa | 910 | 144,611 | 158.91 | 71.37% | |
| Multan Khurd | ... | ... | ... | 75.63% |
Constituencies
See also
33°10′N 73°00′E/33.167°N 73.000°E/ 33.167; 73.000
This article incorporates text from theImperial Gazetteer of India, a publication now in the public domain.