Overlooking the Tawi River (left bank tributary of the River Chenab), Jammu is located at an elevation of 1073 ft above sea level on the uneven furrows of the Shivalik hills, surrounded by the Tirukuta ranges. The main spoken language here is Hindi (Dogri), written in the Nagari script. The population of the city exceeds 5,00,000 people and that of the district as recorded in the 2011 census is 1.53 million, out of which 33.24 percent constitute the working age population. In Jammu region, wheat is the predominant crop followed by maize, paddy, pulses, oilseeds, fodder, and vegetables. Situated in the district are important religious and tourist sights such as Vaishno Devi and Ladakh. As a result, tourism employs a major section of the population and is a crucial part of the economy like the rest of the state. This city was once a part of the Harappan civilization and has yielded remains from the Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta periods, highlighting the antiquity of this place. Today, Jammu officiates as the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
