Kathua is a city and municipal council located in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir within the disputed Kashmir region. It serves as the headquarters for the Kathua district and is organized into 27 wards that make up the Kathua Municipal Council.
The city is situated along National Highway 44 (NH-44) and features a bustling industrial area alongside an adjoining army cantonment. As a significant transit hub for industrial activity in the state, it hosts a diverse economic base including a textile park, a biotechnology and pharma industrial and research park, a cement industry, and numerous medium-scale micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).