Hari Singh Nalva, a Sikh General of Ranjit Singh's army, who was Governor of Kashmir in 18822-23 A.D., founded Haripur in 1822. Haripur is surrounded by mountains, a piece of land adorned with beautiful streams, springs, rivers, lakes, gardens, lush green plains and meadows. Haripur district has two tehsils, i.e. Ghazi and Haripur. According to the 1998 District Census Report, Hindko is the predominant language in the district, representing 88 percent of population, followed by Pushto (8.9 percent), Punjabi (1.8 percent), and Urdu (0.5 percent) each. The majority of people living in the villages are farmers. 

Source of Income: They are engaged in agriculture either directly or indirectly. The industrial labour has increased after the establishment of Industrial Estate Hattar and National fertilizer Factory. Considerable number of young people usually looks for government jobs. A number of people are doing government service in local offices and armed forces to earn their livelihood. 

Climate: Climate of the district is hot in summer and cold in winter. June and July are the hottest months, while December and January are the coldest months. Besides other natural resources, nature has gifted the district with huge water resources in shape of rivers, streams, lakes, springs, and underground water. These resources of water are sufficient for meeting requirements of irrigation and drinking. A number of canals have also been constructed for irrigation purposes in the district.

The major crops: The major crops are wheat, maize, jowar, sugarcane, barley, groundnut and rice. Major vegetables include garlic, onion and potato. Main fruits are oranges, peaches, plums, pears, mangos and loquat. 

Industry: Industrially the district has rapidly progressed since 1985, when Hattar Industrial Estate was set up. Presently there are about 214 industries including a large number of chemical industries, cotton, fiber, textiles and brick plants in the estate.

Population: Area and Density According to 1998 Census, Haripur has a population of 692,228 (including 345,561 males and 364,667 females). Out of those only 12.0 percent of the population live in urban areas, while, the rest of 88.0 percent of the population lives in the rural areas. This population is spread over 1,725 sq. km, with population density of 401.3 persons per sq. km, as compared to the population density of 233 persons per sq. km, in the NWFP. The average household size of the district is 6.6 persons per household as compared to 8 at the provincial level. 

Growth Rate: The average annual growth rate for the district during the 1981 to 1998 inter-census period has been 2.19 percent, lower than the provincial average i.e. 2.8 percent and almost equal to the national average i.e. 2.2 percent. 

Sex Ratio: The sex ratio as recorded in 1998 was 99.7:100. The rural: urban ratio was 99: 100 and 106: 100 respectively, while the sex ratio for province in 1998 was 105:100.

Abbottabad | Batagram | Haripur | Kohistan | Mansehra