Map of N.W.F.P.
N.W.F.P. is a first-level division of Pakistan. Its largest mapped city is Saidu, with about 1.86 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on N.W.F.P., and the tables list its 8 mapped cities along with the mountains, dams, lakes, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 8
- Largest City
- Saidu
- Country
- Pakistan
- Highest Point Mapped
- 4,755 m
Interactive Map of N.W.F.P.
About N.W.F.P.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (abbreviated KP) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Pakistan by land area and the third-largest province by population. It is bordered by Balochistan to the south; Punjab, Islamabad Capital Territory, and Azad Kashmir to the east; and Gilgit-Baltistan to the north and northeast. It shares an international border with Afghanistan to the west. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a varied geography of rugged mountain ranges, valleys, rolling foothills, and dense agricultural farms.
The history of the present province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is characterized by frequent invasions by various empires, largely due to its geographical proximity to the historically important Khyber Pass. It was the site of the ancient Gandhara, and was historically a stronghold of Buddhism. Islam became dominant in the region after the 11th-century conquest of the Hindu Shahi kingdom by the Ghaznavids. The predecessor of the present province was constituted in 1901, under the British Raj, when the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) was created by bifurcating the northwestern districts of the erstwhile Punjab Province. In 1969, the princely states of Chitral, Swat and Dir were merged into the province, while on 24 May 2018, the FATA as well as the PATA were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the 25th Constitutional Amendment.
Although it is colloquially known by a variety of other names, the present name was brought into effect for the North-West Frontier Province in April 2010, following the enactment of the 18th Constitutional Amendment. While it is the third-largest Pakistani province in terms of both its population and its economy, it is geographically the smallest. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a multiethnic province that makes up 16.9% of Pakistan's total population. Numerous ethnolinguistic and ethnic groups reside across different parts of the province.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
N.W.F.P. in Depth
History
The Indus Valley Civilisation (3300 BCE – 1700 BCE) was one of the earliest human civilisations to emerge in the region. Considered a cradle of civilisation, its decline was followed by migration of Indo-Iranian peoples from Central Asia, which gave rise to Gandhara grave culture, later developing into the Gandhara civilisation. Gandhara features prominently in the Vedic mythology, and was known for its art and sculptures, as well as Buddhist culture. The people of Gandhara spoke Gandhari language. Gandhara was conquered by Alexander the Great, who crossed the Hindu Kush in the spring of 327 BCE and defeated the tribes of Assakenoi and Gouraios.
Geography
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sits primarily on the Iranian plateau and comprises the junction where the slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains on the Eurasian Plate give way to the Indus-watered hills approaching South Asia. This situation has led to seismic activity in the past. The well-known Khyber Pass links the province to Afghanistan, while the Kohalla Bridge in Circle Bakote Abbottabad is a major crossing point over the Jhelum River in the east.
Geographically the province can be divided into two zones: the northern zone extending from the ranges of the Hindu Kush to the borders of the Peshawar basin and the southern zone extending from Peshawar to the Derajat basin.
Economy
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the third largest provincial economy in Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's share of Pakistan's GDP has historically comprised 10.5%, although the province accounts for 11.9% of Pakistan's total population. The part of the economy that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dominates is forestry, where its share has historically ranged from a low of 34.9% to a high of 81%, giving an average of 61.56%. Currently, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for 10% of Pakistan's GDP, 20% of Pakistan's mining output and, since 1972, it has seen its economy grow in size by 3.6 times.
Agriculture remains important and the main cash crops include wheat, maize, tobacco (in Swabi), rice, sugar beets, as well as fruits are grown in the province.
Demographics
The province is home to 16.9 percent of Pakistan's total population. It had a population of 40.9 million at the time of the 2023 Census of Pakistan. About 85% of the population lived in rural areas.
As per a 2025 Dawn News report, based on data compiled by research organisation Population Council, UK Aid and the United Nations Population, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had an annual growth rate of 2.38%. According to demographic projections, if the province’s current total fertility rate of 4 children per woman remains unchanged, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's population could reach approximately 78 million by 2050.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of Pakistan's most diverse provinces.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
N.W.F.P.: Key Facts
| Population | 26,896,829 (2011) |
|---|---|
| Area | 74,521 km² |
| Capital | Peshawar |
| Head of government | Shah Farman |
| Established | 25 October 1901 |
Facts from Wikidata Q183314 (CC0).
History of N.W.F.P.: Empires and States
The atlas records 39 polities whose mapped territory included part of N.W.F.P., from Median Kingdom in 615 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
Historical Maps of N.W.F.P.
N.W.F.P. on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting N.W.F.P.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (abbreviated KP or KPK), borders the rest of Pakistan to the south and east, central Afghanistan to the west, and the Wakhan Corridor to the north. Beautiful and scenic it may be, but it is one of the most dangerous regions of Pakistan.
The region has a varied landscape including rugged mountains, valleys, hills and dense agricultural farms. There are a number of Buddhist archaeological sites from the Gandharan civilisation such as Takht Bhai and Pushkalavati. There are a number of other Buddhist and Hindu archaeological sites including Bala Hisar Fort, Butkara Stupa, Kanishka stupa, Chakdara, Panjkora Valley and Sehri Bahlol.
The region has had other names. In the era of the British Raj, it was generally called the Northwest Frontier. After Pakistan's independence, much of it was known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, FATA. On maps, it was part of the Raj and is now part of Pakistan, but neither Britain nor Pakistan has ever fully controlled the area; the local Pashtun tribal chiefs remain very influential.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in N.W.F.P.
8 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saidu | 1.86 million | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 2 | Peshawar | 1.30 million | N.W.F.P. | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Abbottabad | 1.18 million | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 4 | Bannu | 622,419 | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 5 | Kohat | 343,027 | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 6 | Mardan | 300,424 | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 7 | Dera Ismail Khan | 101,616 | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
| 8 | Mansehra | 66,486 | N.W.F.P. | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in N.W.F.P.
2 mountains mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sikaram | 4,755 m | 15,600 ft | Asia |
| 2 | Khyber Pass | 1,070 m | 3,510 ft | Asia |
Major Dams in N.W.F.P.
1 dam mapped. Ranked by structural height. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarbela Dam | 143 m | Indus | 4,888 MW | 1976 |
Largest Lakes in N.W.F.P.
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarbela Dam | 404 km² | Reservoir |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in N.W.F.P.
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol | 1980 | Cultural | (iv) |
N.W.F.P.: Quick Answers
- Where is N.W.F.P.?
- N.W.F.P. is a first-level division of Pakistan, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 33.7336° N, 71.9061° E.
- What is the largest city in N.W.F.P.?
- Saidu is the largest city mapped in N.W.F.P., with a metropolitan population of about 1.86 million.
- How many cities are in N.W.F.P.?
- YearMaps maps 8 cities and towns in N.W.F.P., with a combined metropolitan population of about 5.78 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in N.W.F.P.?
- The highest summit mapped in N.W.F.P. is Sikaram at 4,755 m.
- What is the largest lake in N.W.F.P.?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside N.W.F.P. is Tarbela Dam, at about 404 km².