Kho people are the dominant ethnic group in the district, forming 99.84% of the total population.

Previously, it formed part of the Chitral princely state that encompassed the region until its incorporation into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in 14 August 1947.

A narrow strip of Wakhan Corridor separates Chitral from Tajikistan in the north.

Chitral has a warm steppe climate influenced by the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Winters are extremely cold; longer periods with subzero temperatures are not uncommon.