Ramban is one of the 22 districts in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ramban is located in the lap of Pir Panjal range of the mighty Himalayas. It was carved out of erstwhile Doda District keeping in view the backwardness, remoteness and aspiration of people of the area. District Ramban started functioning as an independent unit on 1 April 2007. Ramban town is the district headquarters. The town is located midway between Jammu and Srinagar along the Chenab river in Chenab Valley on National Highway-44, approximately 150 km from Jammu and Srinagar.
Administration
Ramban District is divided into eight tehsils: Banihal, Ramban, Khari, Rajgarh, Batote, Gool, Pogal Paristan and Ramsoo. Each tehsil has its tehsildar, who is the administrative head. The district consisted of 116 census villages and 127 revenue villages in 2001. The total number of panchayat Halqas in the district was 124.
Geography
Ramban district is 1,156 metres above sea level. The boundary lines of Ramban district encompass hill stationPatnitop as its southernmost point, Assar on its eastern edge, Gool to the west, and Banihal to the north. The terrain of district Ramban is tough and hilly. District Ramban shares its boundary with Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Anantnag and Kulgam.
Climate
The climate of the District varies according to altitude. The temperature rises as high as 42 °C in the low-lying areas like Ramban town located in between steep mountains on the banks of river Chenab and drops to sub-zero in the high altitude areas like Sangaldan, Gool, Dhagantop, Asthanmarg, Lalagundi, Budhan. The working season in most of the district is about eight months because of typical weather conditions in the district.
Politics
Ramban district has three assembly constituencies: Ramban, Banihal and Gool.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Ramban district has a population of 283,713. roughly equal to the nation of Barbados. This gives it a ranking of 573rd in India. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 31.81%. Ramban has a sex ratio of 902 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 54.27%. Kashmiri, Pogali and its dialects is the most widely spoken language in the district. The other languages spoken here are Urdu, Punjabi, Dogri, and Gojri. Ramban has a Muslim majority, with Muslims constituting about 63% and Hindus constituting about 28% of the population.
