ABBOTTABAD

city, east-central North-West Frontier Province, northern Pakistan. It is situated 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Rawalpindi. A hill station (4,120 feet ), it lies on a plateau at the southern corner of the Rash (Orash) Plain and is the gateway to the picturesque Kagan Valley. It is connected by road with the Indus Plain and Kashmir and by railhead (at Havelian, 10 miles south) with Peshawar. Abbottabad is a district market centre. It was founded in 1853 and named after Major James Abbott, the first British deputy commissioner of the region. There are two parks, a preparatory school, several colleges affiliated with the University of Peshawar, and a forest research centre. The Pakistan Military Academy is at Kakul, 5 miles (8 km) northeast. Three major iron-ore deposits are nearby. Pop. (1981) 65,996.