It is the third largest district in Jammu and Kashmir after Leh and Kargil. Doda acquired the status of a district when it was carved out of the erstwhile district of Udhampur in 1948. Lying in the middle and outer Himalayan ranges, the district has mostly a hilly terrain. In view of its vastness and due to the inconvenience faced by people living in its far-flung areas and for making the whole ar
ea administratively manageable, the State Government, in July, 2006, trifurcated the district into the districts namely Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar. The district is surrounded by Anantnag district of Kashmir Division on its north, Kishtwar district in the northeast, Chamba area of Himachal Pradesh in the south, Kathua district in the south, Udhampur district in the southwest and Ramban district in the west. Due to its varying physical features, the District does not have a uniform climate. The climate is temperate in the places like Kishtwar, Bhadarwah etc. and sub tropical in areas like Ramban. Average rainfall in District Doda has been recorded as 35.08 inches per year which is lowest as compared to other Districts of Jammu Division. Due to low average annual precipitation, the whole of District Doda has been declared as Drought prone. The Climate of Bhadarwah and Kishtwar is totally different to that of Doda. In these areas there is lot of snow fall during the winter season and the summer is as pleasant as Kashmir.
