Swat District Pashto is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. With lush forests forest with richly green alpine meadows, , the swirling waterfalls with the roaring river and snow-capped mountains, Swat is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The average elevation of Swat is (3,220 ft), resulting in a considerably cooler and wetter climate compared to the rest of Pakistan.
Centered upon the upper portions of the Swat River, the modern-day district was a major center of early Buddhism under the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, due to which a strong presence of Buddhist cultural influence exists in the region. The region was seized by the Tehrik-i-Taliban in late-2007, and its highly-popular tourist industry was subsequently decimated until Pakistani control was re-established in mid-2009. The swat economy 38% of economy of depends on tourism and 31% depends on agriculture.
Places
Swat is surrounded by Chitral, Upper Dir and Lower, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kohistan, Buner and Shangla, respectively. The Swat Valley is located in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is surrounded by the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. Swat’s physical terrain can be divided into mountainous ranges and plains, e.g . Kalam Valley, Kumrat Valley, Madyan, Bahrain, Marghazar, Saidu Sharif, Mahodand Lake, Malam Jabba, Fizaghat, Kundol Lake.
Agriculture
In swat, Mingora village and one of those few villages which produces 18 varieties of apples due to its temperate climate in summer season. The apple produced here is consumed in Pakistan as well as exported around the world. Swat is famous for peach production of the country. Mostly marketed in the national markets with a brand name of “Swat Peaches”. The supply starts from April to September continues till.
Festivals
“Every year, Pakistan Army and provincial government organize this event with the aim to boost up tourism and socio-economic activities in the valley, The five-day event was scheduled to be opened on August 11 but was postponed to express solidarity with Chitral people affected by the massive flash floods lately. According to organizers, the festival slated to end on Sept 7 is meant to promote tourism, strengthen peace and increase socio-economic activities for creating job opportunities in the region.
