Malakand District is a District in Malakand Division Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The District was formed in 1970 as Provincially Administered Tribal Areas, it had previously been a tribal area known as the Malakand Protected Area, part of the Malakand Agency. From 1970, the  district became part of Malakand Division. Malakand District lies in a strategically important position as it acts as a gateway to Bajaur, Lower Dir, Swat and Bunair. It is surrounded by mountains that were overgrown with different kinds of trees in the past, though they have a barren look today. The Malakand Pass which connects Mardan to Swat and Dir is located near Dargai, a site where the local Pushtun tribes fought two fierce battles with the Imperial British Army in 1895 and 1897. The Swat River flows through the district down towards Charsadda District where it falls into the Kabul River. Malakand District is bounded in the north by Lower Dir District, in the east by Swat District, in the south east and south west by Mardan and Charsadda districts respectively and in the west by Mohmand and Bajaur agencies. The area of Malakand protected area is 952 km2. Geography The soil of Malakand is loamy and moist, and is irrigated by the Swat River which flows down from Swat, passing through Swat ranizai and joins the river Kabul near Charsadda. The average rainfall is not enough, therefore the soil requires artificial irrigation. There are rare scenic places and tourist resorts in Malakand like Jabban and Malakand hydro-electric project. Water passes through a three-mile-long tunnel, and has a natural fall of 350 feet. The main income-generating source in Malakand is the two power houses at Dargai and Malakand Khas. There are about 11 other suitable sites for construction of Small Hydel Power projects that needed investors attention. Malakand as already mentioned is surrounded by high mountains rich with mineral resources. deposits of chromite iron, china clay and fuller earth have been found in Malakand.