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Frere Hall in Karachi
Frere Hall

Karachi (کراچي) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the financial and commercial hub of Pakistan. The city is located on the Arabian Sea north west of the mouths of the Indus River. With a population of thirteen million it is considered as the 16th largest city of the world

Location

Karachi is located at latitude 24° 48´ N and longitude 66° 59´ E. The urban sprawl starts from the westernmost mouth of the River Indus and goes upto the mountains and hills that form the southernmost edges of the Kirthar Mountain Range. The Arabian Sea is the southern boundary of the city.

Geography

Karachi is mostly made up of flat or rolling plains with hills on the western and northern boundaries of the urban sprawl. Two rivers pass through the city the Malir River (north east to center) and the Liari River (north to south). Many other smaller rivers pass through the city as well with general drainage being from the western and northern areas towards the south. The Karachi harbour is a protected bay to the south west of the city. The southern limit of the city is the Indian Ocean and forms a chain of beautiful sandy beaches.

Climate

Karachi is on the coast, so it has a mild climate. The level of precipitation not high but due to the proximity to the sea the humidity level is usually quite high. The city enjoys mild winters and warm summers. The sea breeze does not let the tempratures climb as they do in the continental areas of South and Central Asia. The city also receives a tail end of the monsoon rains as well.

History

The area that now consists of Karachi was originally a group of small villages including Kalachi-jo-Kun and the fort of Manora. Any history of Karachi prior to the 19th century is sketchy. It is said that the city called Krokola from which one of Alexander the Great's admirals sailed at the end of his conquests was the same is Karachi. The second more important part of the city history is the the changeover of the city(then a village) from the Khan of Kalat to the Mirs of Sindh in the 18th century.

The recorded history of Karachi begins with the arrival of the British in the mid-19th century. In 1839 a vessel belonging to the Royal Navy fired upon the fort of Manora, and accepted it's immediate surrender. A few years later, Karachi was made the capital of Sindh replacing the historical city of Hyderabad, on account of Karachi's magnificent harbor. A famous quote about Karachi attributed to Charles Napier is "Would that I could come again to see you in your grandeur!".

Napier's quote would prove prophetic, as it was during British rule that Karachi would grow as it's harbor was developed. In 1876, the founder of Pakistan, Muhammed Ali Jinnah was born in the city, and he would later be buried there. As the turn of the century approached, Karachi would become perhaps the largest wheat exporting port in the east. Karachi by now was a city with railroads, churches, paved streets, courts and many commercial centers and a magnificent harbour that was built by the British. Many of these buildings were built in classical British style, and contrast with the "Mughal Gothic" of Lahore. Many of these old buildings continue to stand, and are interesting destinations for visitors.

With the 20th century, Karachi began to grow even more diverse with workers from all over South Asia and the British empire arriving. The trade going through the port of the city caused a major increase in commercial activity and Karachi started becoming one of the major commericial centres of British India.

In 1947, Karachi was made the capital of the new nation of Pakistan. At that time Karachi was a city of only 400,000 people, and it's growth accelerated due to the new status. Although the capital later moved to Rawalpindi and then Islamabad, Karachi remains the economic center of Pakistan, accounting for a large portion of the GNP of the nation.

In the last 20 years, Karachi has continued to grow, passing the ten million mark. It is a city of diverse neighborhoods, ranging from the upscale Clifton and Defense areas to numerous slums that are home to the large numbers of migrants who have flocked to Karachi in search of opportunities. Karachi is also plagued by crime, and is not immune from numerous ethnic conflicts that continue to rock Pakistan. Karachi was the epicenter of numerous ethnic conflicts during the 1980's, and continues to see a lot of religious violence between Sunnis and Shias even to this day. Currently Karachi is seeing a surge in terrorist attacks. The law and order situation of the city, although better than the 80s and 90s, is not perfect.

The current economic boom in Pakistan has created a sudden growth spurt in Karachi as jobs and infrastructure projects are increasing with time.

Government

Karachi as a city is governed by the City District Government of Karachi(CDGK). The CDGK has an elected city council that looks after the working of the CDGK. The current Nazim-e-Aala(mayor) of Karachi is Mr Niamatullah Khan.

The city district of Karachi is divided into eighteen towns each with its own council and Nazim. These towns are Baldia, Bin Qasim, Gadap, Gulberg, Gulshan, Jamshed, Kemari, Korangi, Landhi, Liaquatabad, Lyari, Malir, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Orangi, Saddar, Shah Faisal, SITE.

The currenly city government is on the new format that was introduced in the year 2000. This has caused some friction between the city government and the established authorities and boards in the city due to slight confusion regarding the division of powers.

Demographics

The population of Karachi according to the official census results

1901 : 136,297

1911 : 186,771

1921 : 244,162

1931 : 300,799

1941 : 435,887

1951 : 1,068,459

1961 : 1,912,598

1972 : 3,426,310

1981 : 5,208,132

1998 : 9,269,265 (Metro. 10.2 million)

Karachi's current population is estimated to be about 13 million. A much larger figure than it was in 1947 (400,000). The city's population has grown at a very enormous rate. So much so that now it is one of the largest cities in the world.

The breakup of Karachi's population is as under. Men form 53.7% of Karachiites. 37.6% of us are under the age of 15. 4.4% of us are older than 50. 70.1% of us are literate. 22.1% of us are migrants from other places.

According the census the linguistic breakup of the city is as follows. Urdu 48.52%; Punjabi 13.94%; Sindhi 7.22%; Pushto 11.42%; Balochi 4.34%; Seraiki 2.11%; Others 12.4%. The others include Gujarati, Brahui and Bengali.

According to the census the religious breakup of the city is as follows. Muslim 96.45%; Christian 2.42%; Hindu 0.83%; Qadiani 0.17%; Others 0.13%. The others include Parsis and Buddhists.

Mausoleum of Muhammed Ali Jinnah
Mausoleum of Muhammed Ali Jinnah

Economy

Karachi is the financial capital of Pakistan. It is also home to the largest stock exchange of Pakistan: the Karachi Stock Exchange. Most Pakistani banks have their headquarters in Karachi. Most of these are located on the I.I.Chundrigarh Road. The headquarters of nearly all the MNCs based in Pakistan are in Karachi. Most Pakistani corporations are headquartered in Karachi as well.

Karachi also has a huge industrial base. There are large industrial estates on most of the fringes of the main city. The main industries being Textiles, Phamaceuticals, Steel and Automobiles. Apart from this there are many cottage industries in the city as well.

Currently, the Karachi Port is the only large port in Pakistan, and is central to all shipping in Pakistan. Plans are underway to build a motorway linking Karachi to the rest of the nation but it will be some time before it gets to Karachi. The airport of Karachi, Karachi International Airport is also the largest airport in Pakistan and the hub of most local airlines.

Karachi accounts for the lions share of Pakistan's GDP. The city is said to contribute about 48% of the national revenues.

Transportation

The city has one international airport called the Jinnah Terminal. An extension of this airport is the old airport which is now used for Haj flights and ceremonial visits from heads of state. Apart from this the city also has two other air strips. Karachi port is not used for passenger traffic as a regular service.

Karachi is linked vis railway to the rest of the country. Karachi City and Karachi Cantt are the two major junctions / railway stations of the city. Karachi also has a circular railway system which is goign to be extended and made functional shortly. This will form the backbone of the city's mass transit system.

Currently the basic mode of mass transit in the city is via bus. The city is said to have nearly 10,000 busses. But Karachi being a large city even so many busses are jam packed during rush hour. The number of private vehicles plying the city are said to be more than one million. Causing too much traffic on the roads and loss of time due to clogging and traffic jams.

Educational Institutions

Karachi district has the highest literacy rate in any of Pakistan's districts. The city is home to many universities and colleges. Here is a list of some of the more important ones.

• Karachi University (KU)
• Aga Khan University (AKU)
• Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw Univeristy of Engineering and Technology (NED)
• Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA)
• National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences Karachi (NUCES)
• Institute of Business Administration (IBA)

Culture

Karachi is a melting pot of peoples and cultures. Before 1947 The city was inhabited mainly by people from the areas near the city, the people basically being Sindhis, Baluchis, Mekranis and Gujaratis. In 1947 most of the cities Hindu population left and a large number of immigrants(Mohajirs) came from India. Most of these are from the Urdu Speaking parts of India. But Memons from Gujarat and small quantities of communities from other areas also arrived. Giving Karachi a flavour of all the provinces and parts of British India. After independence a steady stream of immigrants has been coming to the city from different parts of Pakistan and made large Punjabi, Pathan, Bengali and Hazara communities to grow in Karachi. In 1971 there was a large influx of mainly Urdu Speaking people from the former East Pakistan. In the 1980s a large number of Afghan refugees streamed into the city.

Now Karachi has a sizeable community of people from all teh differnt parts of Pakistan. Karachi also has large numbers of people from all the different cultural segments of South Asia and Afghanistan. Karachi also has small immigrant communities from as far off as Africa and Burma. This mixture of peoples and cultures gives Karachi a very cosmopolitan touch.

Karachi can be called a melting pot of many different flavours. It is a very cosmopolitan city with different languages and cultures intermingling all the time. The city is a beautiful mixture of the old and the new. Burqa clad women will walk on the same roads that women drivers are seen on. Karachi's culture can only be described as Karachi's culture, it is different from the rest of the country but it is not defined, it is changeable with the people.

The city has slowly become a cultural hub and is home to many aritsts, poets, writers and thinkers. Apart from this the number of art galleries and museums is also on the increase.

The city is also host to the annual Karavan Karachi cultural fastival. This festival includes the Kara Film Festival.

Museums

The city has the National Museum, one of the few well kept museums in Pakistan. It contains many artifacts from the Indus Valley Civilization and later eras in present day Paksitan. Apart from this there is the Air Force and Navy museum that catalog Pakistan's aerial and maritime history. The Museum going trend is on teh rise in the city.

Music

Karachi is home to many musicians from the South Asian Classical and Semi Classical musical traditions. Unfortunately their number is dwindling with time.

Karachi is also home to a large number of music bands belonging to modern popular music and solo singers. Making the city quite productive in terms of music.

Art

The city is home to many artists who display thier works in art galleries aroudn the sity. The number of these artists in increasing and so is the understanding of their art. Mohatta Palace is another important museum of Karachi.

Film

Karachi is host to the annual Kara Film festival. Although this festival is very new it has gained an eminent position in international circles.

Poetry

Karachi is home to a large number of poets. The language of poetry and literature is maily Urdu. Some of the most prominent names in Urdu poetry are from Karachi. It is no wonder that the first international Urdu mushaira was conducted in Karachi. Unfortuantely this tradition died out slowly.

Cuisine

Karachi has as varied a cuisine as its people. Burns Road (Loving pronounced Buns Road) is the hot spot for local mughlai style delicacies. Dhoraji is known for its excellent Gola Ganda. Defence and Clifton have a large number of upscale restaurants that generally have fusion or international cuisine. Apart from this there are a multitude of places in the city, each one famous for one thing or the other.

Good food is never too far in Karachi. As long as you keep an open mind you can stumble across the most excellent of meals in the city.

Tourist Attractions

The most important of all tourist attractions in the city is the mausoleum of Quaid e Azam. The Masjid e Tooba is a very beautiful mosque of the city. The Natioanl Museum, Mohatta Palace Museum, Paksitan Air Force Museum and Pakistan Naval Museum catalogue the history of present day Paksitan and South Asia. Old building such as Wazir Mansion, Hindu Gymkhana and Frere Hall are also major tourist attractions.

The Clifton beach in Karachi is one of the most beautiful and longest beaches in the world. Unfortunately it is very polluted and has not become a major money minter.

Problems

Being one of the most rapidly growing cities in the world, Karachi faces problems that are central to many developing metropolises including overpopulation, overcrowding, traffic, terrorism and crime. Karachi is especially notorious for it's ethnic strife due to the multi ethnic fabric of the city. Another major problem facing Karachi is the enormous disparity between rich and poor. While many of Karachi's well-off live lives similar to their western-counterparts, the poor of Karachi are often relegated to conditions similar to those faced by the poorest people in the world. The large size of Karachi has also led many terrorists to make their home here, and it has seen attacks by militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda against foreigners.

Karachi faces a very severe problem of excessive traffic. The number of cars far outstrips the roads that they need to ply on. This makes driving considerably dangerous and causes loss of time due to traffic congestion.

Karachi is a windy city and that is the only reason why pollution levels in the city are not very high. But even so the city has a very high level of atmospheric pollution due to automobile and industrail exhausts.

External Links

• Karachi (government site)
• Karachi Profile
• Karachi Stock Exchange
• Karachi International Airport

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