Kathua

Kathua is a city and municipal council of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The city is the headquarters of Kathua district and is divided into 27 wards which constitute the Kathua Municipal Council. It is situated along NH-44. The city has a bustling industrial area and an army cantonment adjoining it. Being a transit hub for industrial activity in the state, the city has a large industrial base with a textile park, biotechnology and pharma industrial and research park, cement industry, and many medium-scale MSMEs.

==Geography== thumb|left|View of the Shivalik foothills and distant snow-capped Pir Panjal Range from Kathua town|alt=View of the Shivalik foothills and distant snow-capped Pir Panjal Range from Kathua Kathua is located at , at the foothills of Sivaliks. It has an average elevation of . The city is surrounded by three rivers. Ravi is down Kathua while Ujjh is about ahead on Jammu Highway. Kathua itself is situated along the banks of a khad (Dogri term for seasonal stream or rivulet), dividing it into two boroughs: Parliwand, meaning the other side; and Orliwand, meaning this side. Itself being a Plain the area is surrounded in the North by Sivalik hills and snow-capped Pir Panjal range. The large Ranjit Sagar Lake is 25 kms away and has a cooling effect on its climate. Kathua lies 88 kilometres south of Jammu.