Dir (region)
Dir
دیر | |
|---|---|
Location of Dir | |
| Coordinates: 35°10′N 72°00′E / 35.167°N 72.000°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,282 km2 (2,039 sq mi) |
| Population (1998) | |
• Total | 1,373,710 |
| • Density | 260.1/km2 (673.6/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Spoken Language(s) | Pashto, Gawri |
| Time zone | PST |
| Largest city or town | Timergara, Wari and Dir |
Dir is a region in northwestern Pakistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It became a princely state in 1897 under the British Raj a status it retained following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, until 1969 when it was abolished by a presidential declaration, and Dir District was created the following year. The region covers an area of 5,280 square kilometres, and in 1996 Dir District was officially divided into Lower Dir District and Upper Dir District.
The region is situated between Chitral and Peshawar. It is bordered by Chitral to the northwest and north, Swat to the east, Malakand to the south, Bajaur to the southwest, and Afghanistan to the west.