Swat is historically known as Uddyana,it is a river valley and an administrative district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora. It was a princely state (The Yusafzai State of Swat) until 1969 when it was dissolved alongside Dir s
tate and Chitral state and made part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa then known as North West Frontier Province. The valley is populated mostly by ethnic Pashtuns and Gujjar and Kohistani communities. The languages spoken in the valley are Pashto, Gojri, Torwali and Kohistani. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty and is popular with tourists. Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the The Yusafzai State of Swat called it "the Switzerland of the east. Swat is surrounded by Chitral, Upper Dir and Lower Dir in the West, Gilgit-Baltistan in North Kohistan, Buner and Shangla in the East and south East. Azad Jammu and Kashmir commonly known as Azad Kashmir, is a self-governing administrative division of Pakistan. The territory also borders Pakistan's Punjab province to the south and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the west. The culture of Azad Kashmir has many similarities to that of northern Punjabi (Potohar) culture in Punjab province. The natives of Azad Kashmir speak Urdu, Potwari, and the Pahari languages. The Kashmiri language is spoken by fewer than 3% of the population. Kashmir as a whole is the one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Some well-known and popular tourist destinations are the following:
• Muzaffarabad, the capital city of Azad Kashmir, is located on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. It is 138 kilometers (86 mi) from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Well-known tourist spots near Muzaffarabad are the Red Fort, Pir Chinassi, Patika, Subri Lake and Awan Patti.
• The Neelam Valley is situated to the north and northeast of Muzaffarabad, The gateway to the valley. The main tourist attractions in the valley are Athmuqam, Kutton, Keran, Changan, Sharda, Kel, Arang Kel and Taobat.
• Rawalakot city is the headquarters of Poonch District and is located 122 kilometers (76 mi) from Islamabad. Tourist attractions in Poonch District are Banjosa Lake, Devi Gali, Tatta Pani, and Toli Pir.
• Bagh city, the headquarters of Bagh District, is 205 kilometres (127 mi) from Islamabad and 100 kilometers (62 mi) from Muzaffarabad. The principal tourist attractions in Bagh District are Bagh Fort, Dhirkot, Sudhan Gali, Ganga Lake, Ganga Choti, Kotla Waterfall, Neela Butt, Danna, Panjal Mastan National Park, and Las Danna.
• The Leepa Valley is located 105 kilometers (65 mi) southeast of Muzaffarabad. It is the most charming and scenic place for tourists in Azad Kashmir.
• Mirpur city is the headquarters of Mirpur District. The main tourist attractions near Mirpur city are the Mangla Lake and Ramkot Fort.
