Kotli District
Kotli (Urdu: ضلع کوٹلی) is one of the eight districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Kotli is the capital city of the district. Kotli used to be a small town between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad, but has recently grown in size.
 Map of Azad Kashmir with Kotli highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 33°31′N 73°54′E / 33.51°N 73.90°ECoordinates: 33°31′N 73°54′E / 33.51°N 73.90°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Established | 1975 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,862 km2 (719 sq mi) |
| Population (1998) | |
| • Total | 640,000 |
| • Density | 352/km2 (910/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Number of Tehsils | 5 |
Meaning of name
There are two theories about the origin of the name "Kotli". One is that in ancient times Prince Raja Shahswar Khan built a small house here and called it "Kot", which became "Kotli". Another theory is that the name is derived from the Sanskrit word Kotli which means to reside or to live in. At one time the area was inhabited by the Mangran and Solhan peoples, and was called Kotli Solwhan. The modern town of Kotli was built in the 14th century by Raja Agar Khan.
Administration
The district of Kotli used to be a sub-division of Mirpur District until 1975. Before 1947, it was a part of the Jammu area. The district is bounded by the Indian part of Kashmir in the east, and by Mirpur District in the south and Rawalakot to its north. The district is divided into three tehsils (sub-divisions)
The district covers a total area of 1862 square kilometres. Kotli is now the largest city by population, (656,000).
Before the division of Kashmir in 1947, Nakyal was part of Mehndar sub-division of Poonch.