Kalam ( Kalami,

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

and ) is a valley located in the Swat Kohistan region of

Swat District Swat District (), also known as the Swat Valley, is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Known for its stunning natural beauty, the district is a popular tourist destination. With a populati ...

in the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

province,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is the site where the

Swat River The Swat River (, ) is a perennial river in the northern region of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The river's source is in the high glacial valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains, where it then flows into the Kalam Valley before for ...

forms as a result of the confluence of two major

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

, the Gabral and Ushu rivers. Located north from Mingora and at an elevation of about above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

itself provides a plateau that is located above the river and is used for

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. There are a number of visible

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

, also visible from Matiltan, a valley close to Kalam Valley, including Mount Falak Sar at , and another unnamed peak at high.Archived a
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Climate

With a mild, generally warm and temperate climate, Kalam features a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. The average temperature in Kalam is , while the annual precipitation averages . November is the driest month with of precipitation, while April, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of . July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of . The coldest month, January, has an average temperature of .

Lakes

Kalam has numerous alpine

glacial lakes A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

. Two notable lakes in the Kalam Valley are the Mahodand lake and Kandol lake, both of which are frequently visited due to their easy access routes. Other lakes in the region, such as Izmis lake, are harder to enter and need to be done so through trekking. Mahodand Lake is a large lake in the Swat Valley, located approximately 40 km from Kalam, in the Usho Sub-valley, at the base of the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

mountains. Another notable lake in the Kalam Valley is the Kundol Lake, located in the north of Utror region, 19 km away from Kalam. It is located at the base of the Hindu Kush mountains.

Gallery

File:9 Kalam Valley, Swat.jpg File:Kalam 302.jpg File:Kalam in Swat Pakistan G.jpg

References

{{Authority control Hill stations in Pakistan Swat District Swat Kohistan Populated places in Swat District Tourist attractions in Swat Valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Climate

Lakes

Gallery

See also

References