Abbottabad is the principal city of the Abbottabad district in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is 4120 feet (1256 m) above sea level, and is located 63 miles (101 km) from Rawalpindi. In 1998 the population of Abbottabad District was 881,000. According to the 1998 census, over 94% of population speak Hindko as a first language, but Urdu and English are also spoken & understood by about 75% of the residents. The famous Karakoram Highway (KKH), which traces one of the paths of the ancient Silk Road, starts from Havelian in the Abbottabad district, and passes through the city. The KKH has become an attraction for adventure tourists. Abbottabad has a relatively mild climate that is a relief from the searing summer heat of the lowlands of Pakistan. By road, Abbottabad is less than half an hour from the Galyat mountain-resort region. Abbottabad was a city of British India, the headquarters of Hazara division (then a district), and named after its founder, Major James Abbott. Abbott settled this district in 1853 after the annexation of the Punjab, and became its first Deputy Commissioner. It was an important military cantonment and sanatorium, being the headquarters of a brigade in the second division of the northern army corps. In 1901 the population of the town and cantonment was 7764.