District possesses all the typical characteristics of the climate of Kashmir Valley as a whole. "In his introduction to the Rajtarangini Kulan or Kalhána, Pandit says about the climate of Valley: 'It is a country where the sun shines mildly, being the place created by Kashayapa as if for his glory. High school-houses, the saffron, iced water and grapes, which are rare even in heaven, are common here. Kailasa is the best place in the three worlds, Himalaya the best part of Kailásá, and Kashmir the best place in Himalaya.'" "Sir Walter Lawrence writes in his book The Valley of Kashmir that in latitude Kashmir corresponds with Peshawar, Baghdad and Damascus in Asia: with Fez in Morocco: and South Carolina in America, but it presents none of the characteristics of those countries. People have linked the climate of Kashmir to that of Switzerland until the end of May, and of Southern France in July and August. But it is impossible to speak of Kashmir as possessing any one climate or group of characteristics. Every hundred feet of elevation brings some new phase of climate and of vegetation." Politics Anantnag district has 6 assembly constituencies: Anantnag, Dooru, Kokernag, Shangus, Bijbehara and Pahalgam. Anantnag district has one Lok Sabha constituency. The present MP of Anantnag is Hasnain Masoodi of the JKNC. The DDC chairperson of the district is Yousuf Gorsi of JKNC which is part of the PAGD. Demographics According to the 2011 census Anantnag district had a population of 1,078,692, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 425th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 37.48%. Anantnag had a sex ratio of 927 females for every 1,000 males (this varies with religion) and a literacy rate of 64.32% in 2011. Anantnag city with population of 108,505 was the largest city in the district. Anantnag Urban Agglomeration had a population of 158,785. The predominant language of the district is Kashmiri which is spoken by 85.10% of the population. The second largest language is Gujari which is 11.46%, while Pahari is third with 1.21% of the population. Transportation Air The nearest airport is Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport in Srinagar located 60 kilometres from district headquarters Anantnag. There is a nearby airbase in