-
Where is Karachi located?
Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, is Pakistan's largest city, main seaport, and a major commercial and industrial center. It sits on the Arabian Sea coast, just northwest of the Indus River delta. Karachi Harbour, a safe natural harbor, is shielded from storms by Kiamari Island, Manora Island, and Oyster Rocks. The city is built on a plain that rises gently to the north and east. The Mālīr River flows through the eastern part of the city, while the Layāri River runs through the northern section.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is Karachi known for in Pakistan?
Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, is Pakistan's largest city and a major commercial and industrial center. It manages Pakistan and Afghanistan's seaborne trade. Principal manufactures include textiles, footwear, metal, food, and chemical products.
A small fishing village in the 18th century, Karachi grew into a significant settlement after British capture in 1839. Serving as a key port for the Indus River region, its port facilities improved, and railway lines connected it to other regions. By 1914, it was the British Empire's largest grain exporting port. Karachi became the provincial capital of Sindh in 1936 and, after 1947, Pakistan's capital and business hub.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How large is Karachi compared to other cities in Pakistan?
Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and a major commercial and industrial center. The Karachi metropolitan area covers 560 square miles. As of 2017, the city's population was approximately 14.9 million.
Other major cities in Pakistan include Lahore, with an urban population of 11.1 million, and Faisalabad, with an urban population of 3.8 million. Karachi is the principal seaport and center for commerce and industry.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Karachi important to the economy of Pakistan?
Karachi is vital to Pakistan's economy because it manages the country's entire seaborne trade, including that of landlocked Afghanistan. The city is a hub for industry, business, and administration. Karachi is a major manufacturing center, producing textiles, footwear, metal products, and more. It also supports handicrafts and cottage industries.
Karachi is home to over 25 banks, including the State Bank of Pakistan, and the Karachi Stock Exchange, which handles most transactions in government securities and shares of major industrial and financial institutions.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some of the main cultures or communities found in Karachi?
Karachi is a diverse city with a mix of cultures and communities. Originally home to Sindhis and Baloch people, it now includes Urdu-speaking Muhājirs (Muslims who migrated from India after the 1947 partition), as well as sizable Punjabi and Pashtun communities. There are also smaller populations of Christians, Hindus, Parsis, Buddhists, and Jains. People of Black African descent, known as Makranis and Sheedis, also live in Karachi. Because of this heterogeneous mix, no single language is common to the entire population.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What environmental or social challenges does Karachi face today?
Karachi faces significant environmental and social challenges today. The city grapples with water shortages in outer areas like Lāndhi and Malīr. Rapid, unplanned urban expansion has led to a deterioration in living conditions, particularly for lower-income groups residing in katchi abadis (shantytowns) lacking basic amenities. Inadequate water supply and sewerage systems, along with inadequate urban transport, add to the strain. Violence and crime continue to plague the city, exacerbated by ethnic tensions.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
News •
Karachi, city and capital of Sindh province, southern Pakistan. It is the country’s largest city and principal seaport and is a major commercial and industrial centre. Karachi is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea immediately northwest of the Indus River delta.
The city has been variously called Caranjee, Crochey, Krotchey, Currachee, and Kurrachee, all of which are believed to be variants of the same name. In the 18th century it was known as Kalachi-jo-Goth,meaning “the village of Kalachi” (Kalachi being the name of an erstwhile head of the settlement).
The impetus to Karachi’s development originally came from its role as the port serving the Indus River valley and the Punjab region of British India. The development of air travel subsequently increased Karachi’s importance. It is also the port serving the landlocked country of Afghanistan. Area city, 228 square miles (591 square km); Greater Karachi, 560 square miles (1,450 square km). Pop. (2017) city, 14,916,456; (2018 est.) urban agglom., 15,400,000.
Physical and human geography
Landscape
City site
Karachi Harbour, on the shores of which the city is situated, is a safe and beautiful natural harbour. It is protected from storms by Kiamāri Island, Manora Island, and Oyster Rocks, which together block the greater part of the harbour entrance in the west.
A low-lying coastal strip runs along the shore of the harbour. Away from the coast, the ground rises gently to the north and east to form a large plain, from 5 to 120 feet (1.5 to 37 metres) above sea level, on which the city of Karachi is built. The Malīr River, a seasonal stream, passes through the eastern part of the city, and the Layāri River, also seasonal, runs through the most densely populated northern section. Some ridges and isolated hills occur in the north and east; Mango Pīr, the highest elevation, is 585 feet high.
The 560 square miles that constituted the Federal Capital Area of Pakistan in 1948 are considered, for all practical purposes, to form the Karachi metropolitan area. Almost half of the area is occupied by the city and its suburbs, and the surrounding 332 square miles consist of agricultural land and wasteland.
Climate
Karachi has pleasant weather for the greater part of the year. May and June are the hottest months, when the mean maximum temperature is about 93 °F (34 °C). Spells of enervating weather occasionally prevail in May and October, during which the temperature shoots up to 105 °F (41 °C). The coolest months are January and February, during which the mean minimum temperature remains about 56 °F (13 °C). A biting north wind occasionally blows in these months, during which the temperature may drop to 40 °F (4 °C). The relative humidity varies from 58 percent in October, the driest month, to 82 percent in August, the wettest month. The average rainfall is 8 inches (203 mm); most of the rain falls during a total of 9 or 10 days in the months of June, July, and August.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
The city faces pollution problems. High humidity in the region does not permit evaporation of stagnant water in some places, while fumes from factories and automobiles contribute to air pollution, in spite of land and sea breezes.
Plant and animal life
The natural vegetation is scanty. Seaweed rises in tangles, and mangroves grow along some of the shores. Coarse grass, cactus, and castor plants occur on the plains and hills, and date and coconut palms grow in the river valleys.
The common wild animals are wolves, chinkaras (a type of gazelle), hog deer, jackals, wild cats, and hares. Domestic animals include sheep, goats, horses, and cows. Local birds include geese, ducks, snipe, cranes, flamingos, and ibis. Various types of snakes are found in the region, particularly cobras, kraits, vipers, and pythons.
City layout
The most striking aspect of Karachi’s layout is the west-to-east parallel alignment of the four arterial roads—Nishter Road (formerly called Lawrence Road), Mohammed Ali Jinnah Road (formerly Bandar Road), Shahrah-e-Liaquat (Frere Road), and I.I. Chundrigar Road (McCleod Road). Beginning at Mereweather Tower in the vicinity of the port, these roads run through the centre of the city. Several roads, such as Napier Road, Dr. Zia-ud-din Ahmed Road (Kutchery Road), and Garden Road, cut perpendicularly across these arteries from north to south.
The old town lies near the port, to the north of M.A. Jinnah Road, and with extensions stretching along the material roads for over a mile; unplanned, it is reminiscent of medieval towns of the Middle East or Europe. East of the old town are such districts as the Drigh Cantonment, the Civil Lines (residential areas for senior civil service officers), and the Saddar Bazar. This area is planned on a checkerboard pattern and shows European characteristics. Beyond this stretch several radial roads, along which growth has taken the form of neighbourhood units; each unit is laid out with straight, broad roads connected by smaller streets.
The land-use pattern of the city is complex. In the central area, the preponderance of residential property tends to form a matrix within which all other functions are distributed. There is, however, a marked concentration of commercial buildings at the western ends of M.A. Jinnah Road and I.I. Chundrigar Road. Wholesale businesses are located in the old town, retail businesses along M.A. Jinnah Road and in Saddar Bazar, and the government offices on Shahrah-e-Liaquat, near Saddar. The outer areas are dominated by dormitory suburbs interspersed with a scattering of cantonments (military quarters), agricultural tracts, saltworks, airports, railway stations, and marshaling yards.
The city proper has old and decayed buildings, occupied by members of the middle and lower income groups. Farther from the city centre are modern bungalows occupied by richer persons; the outer zone is occupied by workers.
Karachi has a variety of types of buildings. The central area contains apartment bungalows, barracks, and multistoried buildings; the outer areas are characterized by bungalows, blocks of flats, and quarters (streets of small houses). Buildings of the British period were constructed with stone in Western styles of architecture; other stone buildings in the central city show a blending of Eastern and Western styles and have towers, domes, pillars, arches, hanging balconies, and rectangular courtyards. Buildings in the outer areas are built of cement blocks, and with few exceptions they show no uniformity in design. Some follow contemporary North American design, while others incorporate features of traditional Muslim architecture.