Ambala

Ambala
City
Ambala Cantonment Railway Station, Haryana, India
Ambala
Location in Haryana, India
Ambala
Ambala (India)
Coordinates: 30°23′N 76°47′E / 30.38°N 76.78°E / 30.38; 76.78
Country India
StateHaryana
DistrictAmbala
Established14th century CE
Founded byAmba Rajput
Named afterAmba Rajput, Bhawani Amba (Goddess)
Government
  TypeMunicipal corporation
  BodyAmbala Municipal Corporation
  MayorShailja Sachdeva (BJP)
  Lok Sabha MPVarun Chaudhary (INC)
  MLANirmal Singh (INC)
  Municipal CommissionerSachin Gupta (IAS)
Elevation
264 m (866 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
207,934 (UA)
DemonymAmbalvi
Languages
  OfficialHindi
  Additional officialEnglish, Punjabi
  RegionalHaryanvi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
1330xx,1340xx
Telephone code0171
ISO 3166 codeIN-HR
Vehicle registrationHR 01 (city), HR 04 (Naraingarh), HR 54 (Barara), HR 85 (Ambala Cantonment), HR37 (commercial)
Websiteambala.gov.in

Ambala (/əmˈbɑːlə/) is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantonment (also known as Ambala Cantt) and Ambala City, eight kilometres apart, therefore, it is also known as "Twin City." It has a large Indian Army and Indian Air Force presence within its cantonment area. It is located 200 km (124 mi) to the north of New Delhi, India's capital, and has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to develop as an alternative center of growth to Delhi.

Ambala separates the Ganges river network from the Indus river network and is surrounded by two rivers Ghaggar and Tangri – to the north and to the south. Due to its geographical location, the Ambala district plays an important role in local tourism, being located 47 km (29 mi) south of Chandigarh, 50 km (31 mi) north of Kurukshetra, 148 km (92 mi) southwest of Shimla, 198 km (123 mi) north of New Delhi and 260 km (160 mi) southeast of Amritsar.