Fun4khybeR: Some Nice Views of Abbottabad (Part-1)

Sep 2, 2009

Some Nice Views of Abbottabad (Part-1)

Abbottabad is a city located in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan and is the third-largest city in the province after Peshawar and Mardan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, 150 km north of Islamabad and 200 km east of Peshawar at an altitude of 4,120 feet (1,260 m). The city is well-known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high standard educational institutions and military establishments. It remains a major hub for tourism of the Northern Areas in the summer.

British era

Abbottabad in British India was the headquarters of Hazara Division, and named after Major James Abbott who settled this district in 1848 after the annexation of the Punjab. He soon after became the first Deputy Commissioner of the district between 1849 until 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled "Abbottabad", prior to his departure back to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it.

Abbottabad became and is still an important military cantonment and sanatorium, being the headquarters of a brigade in the Second Division of the Northern Army Corps. The garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry (Gurkhas) and four native mountain batteries. In 1901 the population of the town and cantonment was 7764 and the income averaged around Rs. 14,900. This increased to Rs. 22,300 in 1903, chiefly derived from octroi. During this time chief public institutions were built such as the Albert Victor unaided Anglo-Vernacular High School, the Municipal Anglo-Vernacular High School and the Government dispensary. In 1911 the population had risen to 11,506 and the town also contained four battalions of Gurkhas. In June 1948, the British Red Cross opened a hospital in Abbottabad to deal with thousands of patients who were being brought in from the Kashmir fighting areas. On the October 8th, 2005 Abbottabad was devastated by the Kashmir earthquake. Although most of Abbottabad survived, many old buildings were destroyed or damaged

Geography

The city is bounded at all four sides by the Sarban hills, from which residents and tourists can see breathtaking views of the region and city. The location of the city and the hills allows Abbottabad to experience pleasant weather in the summer, and cold winters. Neighbouring districts are Mansehra to the north, MuzaffarabadAzad Kashmir to the east, Haripur to the west and Rawalpindi to the south. Tarbela Dam is situated just west of Abbottabad.

Topography

Abbottabad is situated in the Orash Valley lying between 34°09′N latitude and 73°13′E longitude at an altitude of 1250m.

Climate

Abbottabad's climate is cold during winters and mild during summers with humid temperatures during June and July. During the winter, the temperature may drop to below 0°C and snowfall is common, especially in January. Most rainfall occurs during the monsoon season in summer, stretching from May to August, and can sometimes cause flooding.

Weather data for Abbottabad, Pakistan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	12 (53)	14 (57)	18 (64)	23 (73)	28 (82)	33 (91)	30 (86)	28 (82)	28 (82)	25 (77)	20 (68)	15 (59)	22 (71)
Average low °C (°F)	2 (35)	4 (39)	8 (46)	12 (53)	16 (60)	20 (68)	20 (68)	19 (66)	17 (62)	13 (55)	8 (46)	4 (39)	11 (51)
Precipitation cm (inches)	7.3 (2.9)	10.3 (4.1)	12.3 (4.9)	10.4 (4.1)	7.3 (2.9)	7.7 (3.0)	24.7 (9.7)	24.4 (9.6)	9.6 (3.8)	5.1 (2.0)	3.1 (1.2)	4.7 (1.9)	127 (49.9)
Source: Weatherbase March 2008