Poonch district, India
district of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Poonch district or Punch district is a district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. With headquarters in the town of Poonch, it is bounded by the Line of Control (boundary between Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir) on three sides (north, west and south). The 1947–48 war between India and Pakistan divided the earlier district into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of the then-Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
History
Geography
Poonch district has a total area of 1,674 square kilometres (646 sq mi). The district is bordered by Kulgam district, Shopian district and Budgam district in the east, Rajouri district to the south and Baramulla district and Haveli district, Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir to the north and Poonch district, Pakistani administered Kashmir to the west.
The district also de jure includes the areas of Poonch Division under Pakistani control (Bagh District, Haveli District, Poonch District, Sudhanoti District).
Demographics
Population
According to the 2011 census Poonch district, India has a population of 476,835, roughly equal to the nation of Suriname. This gives it a ranking of 548th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 285 inhabitants per square kilometre (740/sq mi).
“Poonch district, India” enters the record as district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Poonch, district and India can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Poonch district, India” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Poonch, district and India provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2983134. VIAF identifies the subject as 158321882. The Library of Congress control number is n84025785. Authority coordinates are 33.770, 74.100. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1947 and 2011.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Poonch district, India”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Poonch district, India primary sources, Poonch district, India archive and Poonch research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Poonch district, India”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Poonch district, India” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.