Historically, a city and district of British India, in the Bareilly division of the United Provinces, now itself is a divisional headquarter. The city is on the right bank of the river Ramganga, 655 ft. above sea-level, and has a station on the Oudh and Rohilkhand railway, 868 miles from Calcutta. Pop. (1901), 75,128. It was founded in 1625 by Rustam Khan, who built the fort which overhangs the river bank, and the fine Jama Masjid or great mosque (1631). The town forms a large centre of trade in country produce. It has a special industry in ornamental brassware, sometimes plated with lac or tin, which is then engraved. Cotton weaving and printing is also carried on.

The District Of Moradabad lies east of the Ganges and west of the native state of Rampur. Area, 2285 sq. m. It lies within the great Gangetic plain, and is demarcated into three subdivisions by the rivers Ramganga and Sot. The eastern tract consists of a submontane country, with an elevation slightly greater than the plain below, and is traversed by numerous streams descending from the Himalayas. The central portion consists of a level central plain descending at each end into the valleys of the Ramganga and Sot. The western section has a gentle slope towards the Ganges, with a rapid dip into the lowlands a few miles from the bank of the great river. In addition to Moradabad the principal towns are Amroha, Sambhal (39,715) and Chandausi (25,711).

Moradabad city is situated in western U.P. between 28°-21´ to 28°-16´ Latitude North and 78°- 4´ to 79 Longitude East. Presently it is an Administrative, Industrial and Commercial city. After the establishment of Divisional Commissioner Office,its importance and status has further been elevated. This city lies on National Highway 24 from traffic and transport point of view and is a main Railway Station, also Divisional Headquarters of Northern Railways, on HAWRA and AMRITSER main line. It is very well connected with main cities like DEHLI, LUCKNOW, BAREILLY, PATNA, HARIDWAR, etc. by both Rail and Road transport. Ramganga river flows in the north east and Gangan river is there in south west of the city. Being situated on the main railway line and National Highway, Moradabad city has bright prospects of development. Industrial and commercial development has taken place at a fast pace because the raw material becomes easily available to the city and manufactured goods are easily exported.

Economy Primarily the Economy of the Moradabad District is Agrarian based while the Economy base of Moradabad city is Small Scale Cottage industry, Commerce and Trade. Major crops are Paddy, Wheat, Sugar cane and Mustard. There is a network of Agro based industries namely Rice and Dal Processing Units and a large no. of Gur and Khandsari Units. Over 15000 Small Scale Industry Units are spread all over the District having more concentration on Urban cities - Moradabad and Sambhal. Moradabad city is famous for the Brass Metal Handicrafts and exports to the tune of Rs. 2200 Crores on yearly basis. A good no. of Artisans are also engaged in home manufacturing of Horn and Bone handicrafts articles in Sambhal.

The dominant species of tree is Sal Shorea robusta which is found over 75 % of the total area. In a few areas pure stands of sal are found. Trees like Haldu Adina cardifolia, pipal Ficus religiosa and Rohini Mallotus philipensis are also commonly found. Sheesham Dalbergia sissoo is found along the Ramganga river.A list of species reported from Corbett includes 575 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians and 50 species of mammals.