Poonch

Poonch town, the headquarters of the district by the same name, is situated at a distance of 246 kms north-west of Jammu. The town is at a height of 3,287 feet above sea level. It is surrounded by the Line of Control (LoC) from three sides and is separated from the Kashmir Valley by the mighty Pir Panjal range in the north. The geographical area of the district is 1,674 sq. kms. comprising four tehsils - Mendhar, Surankot, Mandi and Poonch. There are three assembly constituencies in this district including, Surankot, Mendhar and Poonch Haveli. The district comes under the Jammu Parliamentary constituency. The border is manned by both the Army and the BSF. The literacy rate in this district is 22.87 per cent - male 32.54 and female 10.7 per cent. Economy: The people of Poonch district are mainly dependent on agriculture and government jobs. There are no industrial units in the district. The terrain is hilly with little fertile land.

Population 1981 censes

    Muslims(%)    200000(90)            Hindus(%)15000(6.8)	    Sikhs(%)7300(3.3)    Others(%)23(.01)