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Kapurthala which was formerly a princely state is one of the smallest districts of Punjab both in terms of area and population. Further the district is divided into two noncontiguous parts viz. Phagwara block in one part and the remaining four blocks in the other part. Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi part lies between north latitude 31° - 07' and 31° - 22' and east longitude 75° - 36' while Phagwara lies between north latitude 31° - 22' and east longitude 75° - 40' and 75° - 55' The Phagwara block which lies on the National Highway No 1 is industrially much more developed than the remaining Kapurthala. The district has three sub-divisions/ Tehsils (1) Kapurthala, (2) Phagwara and (3) Sultanpur Lodhi. The total area of the district is 1633 sq. kms. .(630.338 sq. miles) of which 909.09 sq. km (350.908 sq. miles) is in tehsil Kapurthala, 304.05 sq. kms. (117.363 sq. miles) in tehsil Phagwara and 451.0 sq kms. (174.086 sq. miles) area in tehsil Sultanpur Lodhi. The economy of the district is still predominantly agricultural. The major crops grown are Wheat, Paddy, Sugarcane, Potato and maize. The major portion of Kapurthala district lies in the river interact between Beas and Kali-Bein and is called the ‘BET’ area. This area is prone to floods. Water logging and alkalinity in the soil is the major problem of the area. A flood protection ‘Bundh’ called ‘Dhussi Bundh’ has been constructed along the left bank of the river Beas and it has saved the area from the ravages of flood. The entire district is an alluvial plain. To the south of the river Black Bein lies the tract known as ‘Dona’ meaning the soil formed of two constituents i.e. the sand and clay.
The district lies between 31-08’ degree and 31-37’ degrees north latitude and 74-58’ and 75-54’ degrees east longitude. In the north it is bound by district Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar, in the west by River Beas and district Amritsar and in south by river Sutlej, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. It is situated at a distance of 19 kilometers (11.08 miles) Southwest of Jalandhar. The Phagwara tehsil is surrounded on all sides by Jalandhar district except in the north east where it has common boundaries with Hoshiarpur district.
The climate is typical of the Punjab plains i.e. hot in summers and cold in winters. It has sub-tropical continental monsoon type climate. Intensive cultivation in the district leaves no scope for forest cover and the wild life is practically nonexistent.
Kapurthala, the capital town of an erstwhile princely state is situated towards the west of Jallandhar
city at a distance of 19 kilometers.It has been named after its founder Nawab Kapur Singh. The place has an interesting history of maharajas, popular for their tastes in western fashion and trends. Among them, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was regarded as one of the most enlightened Hindu princes of pre-independence times.
Thanks to him, Kapurthala has a significant architectural legacy. A great enthusiast of French architecture, he had a palace built for himself by the famous French architect M. Manteaux. With many other buildings and monuments associated with its Maharajas, Kapurthala sure has a lot to offer to a tourist.