Federally Administered Tribal Areas

Introduction

The FATA are bordered by: Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the Durand Line, the North-West Frontier Province and the Punjab to the east, and Balochistan to the south.

The total population of the FATA was estimated in 2000 to be about 3,341,070 people, or roughly 2% of Pakistan's population. Only 3.1% of the population reside in established townships.  It is thus the most rural administrative unit in Pakistan.

The Tribal Areas comprise seven Agencies namely Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, and North and South Waziristan and five F.Rs (Frontior Regions) namely F.R Peshawar, F.R Kohat, F.R Tank, F.R Banuu and F.R D.I. Khan. The main towns include Miran Shah, Razmak, Bajaur, Darra Bazzar and Wana.

Waziristan 

(Pashto: وزیرستان) is a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11 585 km² (4,473 mi²). It comprises the area west and southwest of Peshawar between the Tochi River to the north and the Gomal River to the south, forming part of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The North-West Frontier Province lies immediately to the east. The region was an independent tribal territory from 1893, remaining outside of British-ruled empire and Afghanistan. Tribal raiding into British-ruled territory was a constant problem for the British, eliciting frequent punitive expeditions between 1860 and 1945. The region became part of Pakistan in 1947.

Waziristan is divided into two "agencies", North Waziristan and South Waziristan, with estimated populations (as of 1998) of 361,246 and 429,841 respectively. The two parts have quite distinct characteristics, though both tribes are subgroups of the Waziris and speak a common Waziri language. They have a formidable reputation as warriors and are known for their frequent blood feuds. The tribes are divided into sub-tribes governed by male village elders who meet in a tribal jirga. Socially and religiously Waziristan is an extremely conservative area. Women are carefully guarded, and every household must be headed by a male figure. Tribal cohesiveness is so strong through so-called Collective Responsibility Acts in the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Geographical locations

The 7 tribal areas lie in a north-to-south strip that is adjacent on the west side of the 5 frontier regions, which also lie in a north-to-south strip. The areas within each of those 2 regions are geographically arranged in a sequence from north to south. The geographical arrangement of the 7 tribal areas in order from north to south is: Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Orakazi. The geographical arrangement of the 5 frontier regions in order from north to south is: Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan.