Karachi: Difference between revisions

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by ImportMaster
Last edited June 30, 2026
Newer edit →
VisualWikitext
robot: Import article using Special:Import
 
WikiDwarfBOT (talk | contribs)
Bots, trusted
8,493 edits
m robot: Trimming article to decrease server load
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Largest city in Pakistan}}
[[File:Mausoleum of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali jinnah shades.jpg|thumb|Mausoleum of the Quaid-e-Azam [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] shades]]<nowiki/>[[File:CDGKlogo.png|thumb|Coats of arms of the City District Government Karachi]]
{{About|the city}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Karachi
| native_name              = {{nobold|{{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|کراچی}}}}}}
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| image_skyline            = Karachi Pak collage.jpg
| image_size              =
| image_caption            = <div style="background:#fee8ab;">'''Clockwise from top:<br />''' ''[[Mazar-e-Quaid]]'', [[Hawke's Bay Beach]], [[Frere Hall]], [[Karachi Port Trust Building]], [[Mohatta Palace]], [[Port of Karachi]]</div>
| nickname                = City of the [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|Quaid]],{{sfn|Sarina Singh|2008|p=164}} [[Paris]] of the [[Eastern world|East]],<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ghosh|first1=Palash|title=Karachi, Pakistan: Troubled, Violent Metropolis Was Once Called 'Paris Of The East'|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/karachi-pakistan-troubled-violent-metropolis-was-once-called-paris-east-1396265|access-date=8 January 2017|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=22 August 2013|ref=However, decades ago, Karachi was a very different place{{snd}}so different, in fact, that in 1942 the city charmed American soldiers enough they dubbed it the "Paris of the East".}}</ref> City of Lights,<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> Bride of the Cities{{sfn|Hunt Janin|Scott A. Mandia|2012|p=98}}{{sfn|Sind Muslim College|1965}}
| pushpin_map              = Pakistan Karachi#Sindh#Pakistan#Asia
| pushpin_mapsize          = 250
| pushpin_map_caption      = Map of the city of Karachi##Location within Sindh province##Location within Pakistan##Location within Asia
| coordinates              = {{coord|24|51|36|N|67|0|36|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [[Pakistan]]
| subdivision_type1        = [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Province]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Sindh]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Karachi Division]]
| established_title        = Settled
| established_date        = 1729
| established_title1      = Metropolitan council
| established_date1        = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1880}}
| seat_type                = City council
| seat                    = City Complex, [[Gulshan Town|Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town]]
| parts_type              = Districts<ref name="govt">{{cite web |url=http://www.kmc.gos.pk/Contents.aspx?id=84 |title=District in Karachi |publisher=Karachi Metropolitan Corporation |access-date=6 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530194440/http://kmc.gos.pk/Contents.aspx?id=84 |archive-date=30 May 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| parts_style              = coll
| parts                    = 7
| p1                      = [[District of Central Karachi|Central Karachi]]
| p2                      = [[District of East Karachi|East Karachi]]
| p3                      = [[District of South Karachi|South Karachi]]
| p4                      = [[District of West Karachi|West Karachi]]
| p5                      = [[Korangi District|Korangi]]
| p6                      = [[Malir District|Malir]]
| p7                      = [[Kemari District|Kemari]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://www.kmc.gos.pk/ |title=Government |publisher=Karachi Metropolitan Corporation |access-date=6 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209040750/http://kmc.gos.pk/ |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| government_type          = [[Karachi Metropolitan Corporation|Metropolitan Corporation]]
| governing_body          = [[Government of Karachi]]
| leader_title            = [[Mayor of Karachi|Mayor]]
| leader_name              = None (vacant)
| leader_title1            = [[Mayor of Karachi|Deputy mayor]]
| leader_name1            = None (vacant)
| leader_title2            = [[Administrator Karachi]]
| leader_name2            = [[Murtaza Wahab]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1639256/karachis-new-administrator|title=Karachi's new administrator|date=7 August 2021|work=Dawn (newspaper)}}</ref>
| leader_title3            = [[Commissioner of Karachi|Commissioner]]
| leader_name3            = Iqbal Memon<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/915443-commissioner-vows-support-for-christmas-interfaith-peace-rally|title=Commissioner vows support for Christmas Interfaith Peace Rally|work=[[The News International]] (newspaper)|date=10 December 2021|access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref>
| area_footnotes          = <ref name=geography>{{cite web |url=http://221.132.118.186/cdgk/Home/AboutKarachi/GeographyDemography/tabid/270/Default.aspx |title=Geography & Demography |publisher=City District Government of Karachi |access-date=22 August 2010 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 3780
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/karachi_pakistan.451.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406234123/https://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/karachi_pakistan.451.html |archive-date=6 April 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| elevation_m              = 10
| population_as_of        = [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 census]]
| population_metro        = 16,051,521
| total_type              = City
| population_total        = 14,910,352
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="pbscensus1">{{cite news|url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_of_major_cities_census_2017%20_0.pdf|title=Population of Major Cities – Census 2017|last1=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829162305/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_of_major_cities_census_2017%20_0.pdf|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="DISTRICT WISE CENSUS RESULTS CENSUS 2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017.pdf|title=DISTRICT WISE CENSUS RESULTS CENSUS 2017|publisher=pbscensus.gov.pk|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829164748/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017.pdf|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_rank          = [[List of most populous cities in Pakistan|1st (Pakistan)]]; [[List of cities proper by population|7th (world)]]
| population_demonym      = Karachiite<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/922612-karachiites-to-endure-another-powertariff-hike|title=Karachiites to endure another powertariff hike|date=5 January 2022|access-date=5 January 2022|work=The News International (newspaper)}}</ref>
| population_note          =
| postal_code_type        = [[List of Postal Codes in Karachi|Postal codes]]
| postal_code              = 74XXX&nbsp;–&nbsp;75XXX
| area_code                = 021<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ptcl.com.pk/Info/National-Dialing-Codes |title=National Dialing Codes |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109145658/http://www.ptcl.com.pk/Info/National-Dialing-Codes |archive-date=9 November 2015 |url-status=dead|website=[[PTCL]] }}</ref>
| area_code_type          = [[List of dialling codes in Pakistan|Dialling code]]
| blank_name_sec1          = [[Gross domestic product|GDP/PPP]]
| blank_info_sec1          = $164&nbsp;billion (2019)<ref name="nation.com.pk">{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/01-Sep-2020/karachi-the-backbone-of-pakistan?version=amp|title=Karachi: The backbone of Pakistan|date=September 2020}}</ref><ref name="finance.gov.pk">{{cite web| url = http://finance.gov.pk| title = {{!}} Finance Division {{!}} Government of Pakistan {{!}}}}</ref>
| title                    =
| timezone                = [[Pakistan Standard Time|PKT]]
| utc_offset              = +05:00
| website                  = {{URL|https://www.karachicity.gov.pk/}}<br />{{URL|www.kmc.gos.pk/}}
| official_name            =
| imagesize                =
| image_shield            =
| image_flag              =
}}


'''Karachi''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|'|r|ɑː|tʃ|i}}; {{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|کراچی}}}}; {{Lang-sd|ڪراچي}}; [[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]]: {{transl|ur|ALA-LC|''Karācī''}}, {{IPA-hns|kəˈraːtʃi|IPA|Karachi pronunciation.ogg}}) is the [[List of cities in Pakistan by population|largest city]] in Pakistan and the [[List of largest cities|twelfth-largest city]] in the world.<ref name="pt28Aug2017">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/08/28/ten-major-cities-population-up-by-74pc/|title=Ten major cities' population up by 74pc|access-date=21 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/POPULATION%20SIZE%20AND%20GROWTH%20OF%20MAJOR%20CITIES.pdf |title=Population size and growth of major cities |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]] |year=1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Amer|first1=Khawaja|title=Population explosion: Put an embargo on industrialisation in Karachi|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/614409/population-explosion-put-an-embargo-on-industrialisation-in-karachi/|access-date=16 June 2017 |work=The Express Tribune|date=10 June 2013}}</ref> It is the capital of the Pakistani province of [[Sindh]]. Ranked as a [[Global city|beta-global city]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html |title=GaWC&nbsp;– The World According to GaWC 2008|publisher=Lboro.ac.uk|date=3 June 2009|access-date=14 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diserio.com/gawc-world-cities.html|title=GAWC World Cities Ranking List|publisher=Diserio.com|access-date=14 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222031432/http://www.diserio.com/gawc-world-cities.html|archive-date=22 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> it is Pakistan's premier industrial and [[financial centre]],<ref name="PIGJE">{{cite web|url=http://www.pigje.com.pk/about_karachi.html|title=PIGJE|website=pigje.com.pk|access-date=25 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930024229/http://www.pigje.com.pk/about_karachi.html|archive-date=30 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> with an estimated GDP of $164&nbsp;billion ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]) {{As of|2019|lc=y}}.<ref name="nation.com.pk" /><ref name="finance.gov.pk" /> Karachi is Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city, linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse,<ref name="Penguin Publishing Group">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbjaCwAAQBAJ&q=Instant%20City%3A%20Life%20and%20Death%20in%20Karachi|last1=Inskeep|first1=Steve|title=Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi|date=2012|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-14-312216-6|pages=284|access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref> as well as one of Pakistan's most secular and socially liberal cities.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1134284|title=Visual Karachi: From Paris of Asia, to City of Lights, to Hell on Earth|first=Nadeem F.|last=Paracha|website=Dawn|date=26 September 2014|access-date=8 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="India Today">{{cite news|last1=Abbas|first1=Qaswar|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/worlds-most-dangerous-country/1/149333.html|title=Karachi: World's most dangerous city|work=India Today|access-date=24 October 2016|quote=Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, with a population of approx. 3.0 [[crore]] (Mumbai has 2{{nbsp}}crore people) is the country's most educated, liberal and secular metropolis.}}</ref><ref name="dw.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.dw.com/en/pakistani-journalists-face-threats-from-islamists/a-16221061|title=Pakistani journalists face threats from Islamists|access-date=24 October 2016|publisher=Deutsche Welle|quote=This all happened in the heart of Karachi{{snd}}a relatively liberal city with a population of more than 15 million.}}</ref> With its location on the [[Arabian Sea]], Karachi serves as a transport hub, and is home to Pakistan's two largest seaports, the [[Port of Karachi]] and [[Port Qasim|Port Bin Qasim]], as well as Pakistan's busiest airport, [[Jinnah International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Details – The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/images/10|access-date=10 July 2021|website=www.cia.gov|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710205815/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/images/10|url-status=dead}}</ref>
'''Karachi''' ({{lang-ur|کاراچی}}) is the largest [[city]] in [[Pakistan]] and the capital of the province of [[Sindh]]. Until 1958, it was also the capital of Pakistan. It is also called the City of Lights. It is also one of the world's biggest [[megacities]].<ref>{{citation|author=Barbara A. Weightman|title=Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qeBfed17zxEC&pg=PA187|date=15 June 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-11-1813-998-1|ref={{sfnref|Barbara A. Weightman|2011}}}}</ref> In 2017, there are about 17.63 million people who live in Karachi.<ref name="kp">{{cite web|title=Karachi Population 2017|url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/karachi-population/|accessdate=13 June 2017|publisher=World Population Review}}</ref> It is the largest city in the [[Islam|Muslim]] world.


Though the region surrounding and in Karachi has been inhabited for millennia,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mahim|first1=Maher|title=Karachi's Stone Age proves history didn't start with the Muslims|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/626458/the-flintstones-karachis-stone-age-proves-history-didnt-start-with-the-muslims/|access-date=16 October 2016|work=The Express Tribune|date=3 November 2013}}</ref> the city was formally founded as the fortified village of ''Kolachi'' in 1729.<ref name="Studies on Karachi">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSbXCgAAQBAJ&q=Studies%20on%20Karachi%3A%20Papers%20Presented%20at%20the%20Karachi%20Conference%202013&pg=PR11 |last1=Askari |first1=Sabiah |title=Studies on Karachi: Papers Presented at the Karachi Conference 2013 |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-7744-2 |access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="HarperCollins Publishers">{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xIDBAAAQBAJ&q=Karachi%3A%20Ordered%20Disorder%20and%20the%20Struggle%20for%20City|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for City|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|isbn=9789351160861|pages=368|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223071518/https://books.google.com/books?id=9xIDBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Karachi%3A%20Ordered%20Disorder%20and%20the%20Struggle%20for%20City|archive-date=23 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The settlement drastically increased in importance with the arrival of the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] in the mid-19th century. The British administrations embarked on major projects to transform the city into a major seaport, and connected it with their [[History of rail transport in Pakistan|extensive railway network]] throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref name="HarperCollins Publishers" /> At the time of the [[Partition of India|Partition of British India]] in 1947, the city was the largest in Sindh with an estimated population of 400,000 people.<ref name="Penguin Publishing Group" /> Following the [[Independence Day (Pakistan)|independence of Pakistan]], the city experienced a dramatic shift in population and demography with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muslim refugees from India]],<ref name="Port Qasim &#124; About Karachi">{{cite web|url=http://www.pqa.gov.pk/about_karachi.php |title=Port Qasim &#124; About Karachi |publisher=Port Qasim Authority |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> coupled with a substantial exodus of its Hindu residents, declining from 51.1 per cent to 1.7 per cent of the total population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7435/1/40138_1941_TAB.pdf|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XII SIND|access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf|title=Population According to Religion|work=[[1951 Census of Pakistan|Census of Pakistan, 1951]]|page=8,22}}</ref> The city experienced rapid economic growth following Pakistan's independence, attracting migrants from throughout the country and other regions in South Asia by extension.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mQ4tc5QpQcC&q=Cities%20of%20the%20World%3A%20World%20Regional%20Urban%20Development |last1=Brunn |first1=Stanley |title=Cities of the World: World Regional Urban Development |date=2008 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-5597-6 |pages=647 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223064712/https://books.google.com/books?id=0mQ4tc5QpQcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Cities%20of%20the%20World%3A%20World%20Regional%20Urban%20Development |archive-date=23 December 2016 |access-date=30 October 2016 }}</ref> According to the [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 national census]], Karachi's total population was 16,051,521, with 14.9&nbsp;million of that figure residing in the urban areas of the city proper. Karachi is one of the world's fastest-growing cities,<ref name="Kotkin">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2013/04/08/the-worlds-fastest-growing-megacities/|title=The World's Fastest-Growing Megacities|first=Joel|last=Kotkin|website=Forbes}}</ref> and has significant communities representing almost every [[Ethnic groups in Pakistan|ethnic group in Pakistan]]. Karachi is home to more than two million [[Bengalis in Pakistan|Bangladeshi immigrants]], a million [[Afghans in Pakistan|Afghan refugees]], and up to [[Rohingya people in Pakistan|400,000 Rohingyas]] from [[Myanmar]].<ref name="Falling back">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\12\17\story_17-12-2006_pg12_3 |title=Falling back |website=Daily Times |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805231755/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C12%5C17%5Cstory_17-12-2006_pg12_3 |archive-date=5 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="cidcm.umd.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/chronology.asp?groupId=77103 |title=Chronology for Biharis in Bangladesh |publisher=Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland |date=10 January 2007 |access-date=6 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602055513/http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/chronology.asp?groupId=77103 |archive-date=2 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Craig|first1=Time|title=Pakistan cracks down on Afghan immigrants, fearing an influx as U.S. leaves Afghanistan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-cracks-down-on-afghan-immigrants-fearing-an-influx-as-us-leaves-afghanistan/2014/05/12/74057f62-cfa9-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html|access-date=24 October 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|quote=Qaim Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh province in southern Pakistan, said at a news conference in February that there were already more than 1{{nbsp}}million illegal Afghan immigrants living in Karachi, a rapidly growing city of 22&nbsp;million people.}}</ref>
Karachi has many names including "Mai Kolachi Jo Goth" and "Karatishi". A native of Karachi is called a '''Karachiite'''. [[Quaid-e-Azam]] (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), who was the founder of Pakistan, was born and buried in Karachi. Karachi has two important regional seaports. Karachi also makes the largest share of Pakistan's [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] and national revenue.  


Karachi is now Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre. The city has a formal economy estimated to be worth $114 billion {{As of|2014|lc=y}}, which is the largest in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://finance.gov.pk/|title=&#124; Ministry of Finance &#124; Government of Pakistan &#124;|website=finance.gov.pk}}</ref><ref name="Lloyd's">{{cite web|url=http://www.lloyds.com/cityriskindex/locations/fact_sheet/Karachi|title=Karachi factsheet: Lloyd's City Risk Index|website=Lloyd's City Risk Index 2015–2025|publisher=Lloyd's|author1=Centre for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School|access-date=23 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124092115/http://www.lloyds.com/cityriskindex/locations/fact_sheet/Karachi|archive-date=24 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Karachi collects more than a third of [[Taxation in Pakistan|Pakistan's tax revenue]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/971188/the-importance-of-karachi/|title=The importance of Karachi – The Express Tribune|date=12 October 2015|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=13 June 2016}}</ref> and generates approximately 20% of [[Economy of Pakistan|Pakistan's entire GDP]].<ref name="adb">{{cite web|url=http://www.adb.org/Documents/Produced-Under-TA/38405/38405-PAK-DPTA.pdf|title=Karachi Mega-Cities Preparation Project|author=Asian Development Bank|access-date=1 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806043153/http://www.adb.org/Documents/Produced-Under-TA/38405/38405-PAK-DPTA.pdf|archive-date=6 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="coastline">{{cite web|url=http://www1.american.edu/TED/karachi.htm|title=The Karachi Coastline Case|author=The Trade & Environment Database|access-date=1 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811023331/http://www1.american.edu/TED/karachi.htm|archive-date=11 August 2011}}</ref> Approximately 30% of Pakistani industrial output is from Karachi,<ref name="stepmother">{{cite web|url=http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/database2/cover/c99-15.asp|title=Karachi: Step-motherly treatment|author=Pakistan and Gulf Economist|access-date=15 October 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721021435/http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/database2/cover/c99-15.asp|archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> while Karachi's ports handle approximately 95% of [[Foreign trade of Pakistan|Pakistan's foreign trade]].<ref name="a">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSZRBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18|title=Drivers of Long-Term insecurity and Instability in Pakistan: Urbanization|date=2014|publisher=Rand Corporation |isbn=978-0-8330-8750-8|page=18<!--|pages=88-->}}</ref> Approximately 90% of the multinational corporations operating in Pakistan are headquartered in Karachi.<ref name="a" /> Karachi is considered to be Pakistan's fashion capital,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1026258|title=Fashion through the ages|last=Isani|first=Aamna Haider|date=5 May 2013|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/fashion/karachi-the-next-fashion-capital/article597194/|title=Karachi the next fashion capital?|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref> and has hosted the annual [[Karachi Fashion Week]] since 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/23/pakistan.lahore.fashion.weel/index.html|title=Pakistan's fashionistas: We aren't revolutionaries – CNN|first=Kiran |last=Khalid|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1937708,00.html|title=Fashion Week Comes to Pakistan Amid Mayhem|last=Waraich|first=Omar|date=11 November 2009|magazine=Time|access-date=23 November 2018|issn=0040-781X}}</ref>
Karachi has five districts: District South, District East, District West, District Central, and District Malir. The city is the financial and commercial center of Pakistan.


Known as the "City of Lights" in the 1960s and 1970s for its vibrant nightlife,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-023806-3|page=18<!--|pages=256-->}}</ref> Karachi was beset by sharp ethnic, sectarian, and political conflict in the 1980s with the large-scale arrival of weaponry during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]].<ref name="violentEnd">{{cite news|title=2011 brings a violent and bloody year of ethnic conflict to Karachi, Pakistan|url=http://www.pri.org/stories/2012-01-19/2011-brings-violent-and-bloody-year-ethnic-conflict-karachi-pakistan|access-date=16 October 2016|agency=Public Radio International|date=19 January 2012}}</ref> The city had become well known for its high rates of violent crime, but recorded crimes sharply decreased following a crackdown operation against criminals, the [[Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan|MQM political party]], and [[Islamism|Islamist]] militants, initiated in 2013 by the [[Pakistan Rangers]].<ref name="New York TImes">{{cite news|last1=ur-Rehman|first1=Zia|title=Crime Down in Karachi, Paramilitary in Pakistan Shifts Focus|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/asia/crime-down-in-karachi-paramilitary-in-pakistan-shifts-focus.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/asia/crime-down-in-karachi-paramilitary-in-pakistan-shifts-focus.html |archive-date=3 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=22 October 2016|work=The New York Times|date=7 November 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> As a result of the operation, Karachi dropped from being ranked the world's 6th-most dangerous city for crime in 2014, to 115th by mid-2021.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|title=Karachi's ranking improves on World Crime Index|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/347857-karachis-ranking-improves-on-world-crime-index|access-date=2 May 2021|website=www.geo.tv|language=en}}</ref>
Karachi has 26 universities including the [[University of Karachi]]. It is home to the [[National Stadium, Karachi|National Stadium]], which hosts many [[cricket]] games, and several other sports complexes. The city has several long sandy beaches including Clifton/Kemari beach and Sandspit beach. Clifton beach suffered from an oil spillage but the beach was cleaned. Karachi has Pakistan's first nuclear site, KANUP in 1952 from Canada. Karachi hosted the first ever night hockey match between India and Pakistan in 1986 at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium.


==Etymology==
Karachi has many large and small shopping areas including the Saddar area in downtown Karachi. Karachi also has a number of large modern shopping malls.  
Before independence, the city was widely known as ''Karanchi'' in [[Urdu]], though the English spelling ''Karachi'' became more popular over time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistan Emergency Situational Analysis – District Karachi |url=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/PESA_DP_Karachi.pdf |publisher=Alhasan Systems |page=14 |date=2015}}</ref>


Modern Karachi was reputedly founded in 1729 as the settlement of ''Kolachi-jo-Goth'' during the rule of [[Kalhora dynasty]].<ref name="Studies on Karachi" /> The new settlement is said to have been named in honour of [[Mai Kolachi]], whose son is said to have slain a man-eating crocodile in the village after his elder brothers had already been killed by it.<ref name="Studies on Karachi" /> The name ''Karachee,'' a shortened and corrupted version of the original name ''Kolachi-jo-Goth'', was used for the first time in a [[Dutch language|Dutch]] report from 1742 about a shipwreck near the settlement.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
The city has a modern international airport ([[Jinnah International Airport]]) and two large shipping ports, [[Port of Karachi|the Port of Karachi]] and [[Port Qasim]]. Karachi is linked by railway to the rest of Pakistan.


==History==
Karachi has a hot [[desert climate]] (''BWh'' in the [[Koeppen climate classification]]).


{{Main|History of Karachi|Timeline of Karachi history}}
==Related pages==
 
* [[Islamabad]]
===Early history===
* [[Lahore]]
[[File:PK_Chaukhandi_Necropolis_near_Karachi_asv2020-02_img08.jpg|thumb|The 15th–18th century [[Chaukhandi tombs]] are located {{convert|29|km|0|abbr=on}} east of Karachi.]]
* [[Peshawar]]
 
* [[Quetta]]
The region around Karachi has been the site of human habitation for millennia. [[Upper Paleolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] sites have been excavated in the [[Mulri Hills]] along Karachi's northern outskirts. These earliest inhabitants are believed to have been [[hunter-gatherer]]s, with ancient [[flint tools]] discovered at several sites.
 
The expansive Karachi region is believed to have been known to the [[ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]], and may have been the site of [[Barbarikon]], an ancient seaport which was located at the nearby mouth of the [[Indus River]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Whitfield|first=Susan|author-link=Susan Whitfield|title=Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHBdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT118|year=2018|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-95766-4|page=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tan|first1=Chung|last2=Geng|first2=Yinzeng|title=India and China: twenty centuries of civilization interaction and vibrations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx1uAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture, Centre for Studies in Civilizations|isbn=978-81-87586-21-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QkAaAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA159|title=The Month|date=1912|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sun|first1=Zhixin Jason|author-link1=Zhixin Jason Sun|last2=Hsing|first2=I-tien|author-link2=I-tien Hsing|last3=Liu|first3=Cary Y.|author-link3=Cary Y. Liu|last4=Lu|first4=Pengliang|last5=Tseng|first5=Lillian Lan-ying|last6=Hong|first6=Yang|last7=Yates|first7=Robin D. S.|last8=Zhang|first8=Zhonglin Yukina|title=Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X6RODgAAQBAJ&pg=PR14|year=2017|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=978-1-58839-617-4|page=14}}</ref> Karachi may also have been referred to as ''Ramya'' in ancient Greek texts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/174828-from-rambagh-to-arambagh|title=From Rambagh to Arambagh|last1=Hasan|first1=Arif|date=7 May 2009|website=[[The News International]]|location=Karachi|access-date=17 April 2020|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802193927/https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/174828-from-rambagh-to-arambagh|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
The ancient site of [[Krokola]], a natural harbor west of the Indus where [[Alexander the Great]] sailed his fleet for [[Achaemenid Assyria]], may have been located near the mouth of Karachi's [[Malir River]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kapoor|first=Subodh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JggZAQAAIAAJ&q=krokola|title=Encyclopaedia of Ancient Indian Geography|date=2002|publisher=Cosmo Publications|isbn=978-81-7755-298-0|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pithawalla|first=Maneck B.|title=An Introduction to Karachi: Its Environs and Hinterland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlrlBTOs2jUC|year=1950|publisher=Times Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pithawalla|first=Maneck B.|title=A Physical and Economic Geography of Sind: The Lower Indus Basin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rKA9AAAAMAAJ|year=1959|publisher=Sindhi Adabi Board}}</ref> though some believe it was located near [[Gizri]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Samad|first=Rafi U.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAxuAAAAMAAJ&q=krokola|title=The Greeks in ancient Pakistan|date=2002|publisher=Indus Publications|isbn=978-969-529-001-9|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=McCrindle|first=John Watson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ioE2AAAAMAAJ&q=alexander+great+karachi&pg=PR22|title=The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as Described by Arrian, Q. Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin: Being Translations of Such Portions of the Works of These and Other Classical Authors as Describe Alexander's Campaigns in Afghanistan, the Punjâb, Sindh, Gedrosia and Karmania|date=1896|publisher=A. Constable and Company|language=en}}</ref> No other natural harbor exists near the mouth of the Indus that could accommodate a large fleet.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pithawalla|first=Maneck B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HFA1AQAAIAAJ&q=bibakta|title=Identification and description of some old sites in Sind and their relation with the physical geography of the region|date=1938|language=en}}</ref> [[Nearchus]], who commanded Alexander's naval fleet, also mentioned a hilly island by the name of [[Morontobara]] and an adjacent flat island named ''Bibakta'', which colonial historians identified as Karachi's [[Manora, Karachi|Manora Point]] and [[Keamari (locality)|Kiamari]] (or [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]]), respectively, based on Greek descriptions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vincent|first=William|author-link=William Vincent (priest)|title=The Voyage of Nearchus from the Indus to the Euphrates, Collected from the Original Journal Preserved by Arrian ...: Containing an Account of the First Navigation Attempted by Europeans in the Indian Ocean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S5deAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA180|year=1797|publisher=T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies|page=180}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Houtsma|first=M. Th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CP7fYghBFQC&pg=PA729|title=E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936|date=1993|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-09790-2|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Lambrick|first=H. T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lFFJAAAAIAAJ&q=bibakta|title=Sind: A General Introduction|date=1975|publisher=Sindhi Adabi Board|isbn=9780195772203|language=en}}</ref> Both areas were island until well into the colonial era, when silting in led to them being connected to the mainland.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pithawalla|first=Maneck B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlrlBTOs2jUC&q=manora+island+silting|title=An Introduction to Karachi: Its Environs and Hinterland|date=1950|publisher=Times Press|language=en}}</ref>
 
In 711 CE, [[Muhammad bin Qasim]] conquered the [[Sindh]] and Indus Valley and the port of [[Debal]], from where he launched his forces further into the Indus Valley in 712.<ref>http://www.houstonkarachi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44%3Akarachi-history&catid=3%3Aabout-hksca&Itemid=11 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924033016/http://www.houstonkarachi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44%3Akarachi-history&catid=3%3Aabout-hksca&Itemid=11|date=24 September 2013}}</ref> Some have identified the port with Karachi, though some argue the location was somewhere between Karachi and the nearby city of [[Thatta]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cunningham|first=Alexander|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kT5JvRZCixQC&q=karachi+debal&pg=PA297|title=The Ancient Geography of India: The Buddhist Period, Including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang|date=28 March 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-05645-8|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Elliot|first=Henry Miers|author-link=Henry Miers Elliot|title=Appendix to the Arabs in Sind, Vol.III, Part 1, of the Historians of India &#91;sic&#93;|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZ2SHSk3k6cC&pg=PA222|year=1853|publisher=S. Solomon & Company|page=222}}</ref>
 
Under [[Mirza Ghazi Beg]], the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] administrator of Sindh, the development of coastal Sindh and the [[Indus River Delta]] was encouraged. Under his rule, fortifications in the region acted as a bulwark against [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] incursions into [[Sindh]]. In 1553–54, [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[admiral]] [[Seydi Ali Reis]], mentioned a small port along the Sindh coast by the name of ''Kaurashi'' which may have been Karachi.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bloom|first1=Jonathan|author-link1=Jonathan Bloom|last2=Blair|first2=Sheila|author-link2=Sheila Blair|title=Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i4LrAAAAMAAJ|year=2009|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-530991-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Baillie|first=Alexander Francis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7tIwAQAAMAAJ&q=kaurashi+karachi&pg=PA20|title=Kurrachee: (Karachi) Past, Present and Future|date=1890|publisher=Thacker, Spink|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Balocu|first=Nabī Bak̲h̲shu K̲h̲ānu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PZtAAAAMAAJ&q=kaurashi+karachi|title=Sindh, Studies Historical|date=2002|publisher=Pakistan Study Centre, University of Sindh|isbn=978-969-8135-13-3|language=en}}</ref> The [[Chaukhandi tombs]] in Karachi's modern suburbs were built around this time between the 15th and 18th centuries.
 
===Kolachi settlement===
 
[[File:Manora Beach, Karachi Pakistan.jpg|thumb|The [[Manora Fort, Karachi|Manora Fort]], built-in 1797 to defend Karachi, was captured by the British on 3{{nbsp}}February 1839 and upgraded 1888–1889.]]
 
19th century Karachi historian [[Seth Naomal Hotchand]] recorded that a small settlement of 20–25 huts existed along the Karachi Harbour that was known as ''Dibro'', which was situated along a pool of water known as ''Kolachi-jo-Kun.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Haider|first=Azimusshan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xA0rAAAAMAAJ&q=karachi+1729|title=History of Karachi: With Special Reference to Educational, Demographical, and Commercial Developments, 1839–1900|date=1974|publisher=Haider|language=en}}</ref>'' In 1725, a band of [[Baloch people|Baloch]] settlers from [[Makran]] and [[Khanate of Kalat|Kalat]] had settled in the hamlet after fleeing droughts and tribal feuds.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|last=Gayer|first=Laurent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BklRBAAAQBAJ&q=manora+fort+karachi&pg=PA128|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-935444-3|language=en}}</ref>
 
A new settlement was built in 1729 at the site of ''Dibro'', which came to be known as ''Kolachi-jo-Goth'' ("The village of ''Kolachi").''<ref name="Studies on Karachi" /> The new settlement is said to have been named in honour of [[Mai Kolachi]], a resident of the old settlement whose son is said to have slain a man-eating crocodile.<ref name="Studies on Karachi" /> Kolachi was about 40 hectares in size, with some smaller fishing villages scattered in its vicinity.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Karachi (Pakistan)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IEErAAAAMAAJ&q=karachi+denso+hall|title=Brief Sketch of Karachi, the Nerve Center of Pakistan|date=1984|publisher=The Corporation|language=en}}</ref> The founders of the new fortified settlement were Sindhi [[Bania (caste)|Baniyas]],<ref name=":10" /> and are said to arrived from the nearby town of Kharak Bandar after the harbour there silted in 1728 after heavy rains.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ap8IAAAAQAAJ&q=karachi+kharak+bandar&pg=PA396|title=A Gazetteer of the Province of Sindh|date=1874|publisher=G. Bell and Sons|language=en}}</ref> Kolachi was fortified, and defended with cannons imported from Muscat, [[Oman]]. Under the Talpurs, the ''Rah-i-Bandar'' road was built to connect the city's port to the caravan terminals.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|title=Preserving cultural assets|url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/826915/preserving-cultural-assets|date=10 February 2008|website=DAWN.COM|language=en|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> This road would eventually be further developed by the British into Bandar Road, which was renamed [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tixuAAAAMAAJ&q=karachi+%22Rah-i-Bunder%22|title=Sampark: Journal of Global Understanding|date=2004|publisher=Sampark Literary Services|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URnrr_A5wZ8C&q=karachi+%22Rah-i-Bunder%22|title=The Herald|date=1993|publisher=Pakistan Herald Publications.|language=en}}</ref>
 
The name ''Karachee'' was used for the first time in a [[Dutch language|Dutch]] document from 1742, in which a merchant ship ''de Ridderkerk'' is shipwrecked near the settlement.<ref name=":1">''The Dutch East India Company (VOC) and Diewel-Sind (Pakistan) in the 17th and 18th centuries'', Floor, W. Institute of Central & West Asian Studies, University of Karachi, 1993–1994, p. 49.</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/das/detailVoyage/95544|title=The Dutch East India Company's shipping between the Netherlands and Asia 1595–1795|date=2 February 2015|access-date=14 June 2015}}</ref> In 1770s, Karachi came under the control of the [[Khan of Kalat]], which attracted a second wave of Balochi settlers.<ref name=":10" /> In 1795, Karachi was annexed by the [[Talpur dynasty|Talpurs]], triggering a third wave of Balochi settlers who arrived from interior Sindh and southern Punjab.<ref name=":10" /> The Talpurs built the [[Manora Fort, Karachi|Manora Fort]] in 1797,<ref name=":03">{{Cite book|last=Murray (publishers.)|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vg0IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA475|title=A handbook for India. Part ii. Bombay|date=1859|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HpKhAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA20|title=The Persian Gulf Pilot|date=1875|publisher=J. D. Potter.|language=en}}</ref> which was used to protect Karachi's Harbor from [[al-Qasimi]] pirates.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davies|first=Charles E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tGboFK2QPUwC&pg=PA162|title=The Blood-red Arab Flag: An Investigation Into Qasimi Piracy, 1797–1820|date=1997|publisher=University of Exeter Press|isbn=978-0-85989-509-5|language=en}}</ref>
 
In 1799 or 1800, the founder of the Talpur dynasty, Mir Fateh Ali Khan, allowed the [[East India Company]] under Nathan Crow to establish a trading post in Karachi.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Huttenback|first=Robert A.|url=https://archive.org/details/britishrelations0000hutt|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/britishrelations0000hutt/page/3 3]|title=British Relations with Sind, 1799–1843: An Anatomy of Imperialism|date=1962|publisher=University of California Press|language=en}}</ref> He was allowed to build a house for himself in Karachi at that time, but by 1802 was ordered to leave the city.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sunderlal|first=Pandit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XcpmDwAAQBAJ&q=nathan+crow+sindh&pg=PT138|title=British Rule in India|date=1 August 2018|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-803-8|language=en}}</ref> The city continued to be ruled by the Talpurs until it was occupied by forces under the command of [[John Keane, 1st Baron Keane|John Keane]] in February 1839.{{sfn|Laurent Gayer|2014|pp=42}}
 
===British control===
 
[[File:A street in Old Town, Karachi, India. Photograph, 1897. Wellcome V0029261.jpg|thumb|An 1897 image of Karachi's Rampart Row street in [[Mithadar]]]]
[[File:Frere-Hall-Karachi-Shamail.jpg|thumb|Some of Karachi's most recognized structures, such as [[Frere Hall]], date from the [[British Raj]].]]
[[File:Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Head Office at M.A Jinnah Road - Photo By Aliraza Khatri.jpg|alt=|thumb|Karachi features several examples of colonial-era [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture|Indo-Saracenic architecture]], such as the [[Karachi Municipal Corporation Building|KMC Building]].]]
 
The [[British East India Company]] captured Karachi on 3{{nbsp}}February 1839 after {{HMS|Wellesley|1815|6}} opened fire and quickly destroyed [[Manora Fort, Karachi|Manora Fort]], which guarded Karachi Harbour at [[Manora, Karachi|Manora Point]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Recollections of Four Years' Service in the East with H.M. Fortieth Regiment|last=Neill|first= John Martin Bladen|year=1846|url=https://archive.org/details/recollectionsoff00neilrich|access-date=27 November 2009}}</ref> Karachi's population at the time was an estimated 8,000 to 14,000,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Baillie|first=Alexander Francis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7tIwAQAAMAAJ&q=denso+hall+sandstone+1886+rupees|title=Kurrachee: (Karachi) Past, Present and Future|date=1890|publisher=Thacker, Spink|language=en}}</ref> and was confined to the walled city in [[Mithadar]], with suburbs in what is now the [[Serai Quarter]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/826915/preserving-cultural-assets|title=Preserving cultural assets|date=10 February 2008|website=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> British troops, known as the "Company Bahadur" established a camp to the east of the captured city, which became the precursor to the modern [[Karachi Cantonment]]. The British further developed the [[Karachi Cantonment]] as a military garrison to aid the British war effort in the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]].<ref name="Oxford University Press" />
 
[[Old Goa|Portuguese Goan]] community started migrating to Karachi in the 1820s as traders. The majority of the estimated 100,000 who came to [[Pakistan]] are primarily concentrated in Karachi.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-16 |title=Celebrating Karachi’s Goan connection {{!}} The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2352894/celebrating-karachis-goan-connection |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=tribune.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>
 
Sindh's capital was shifted from [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]] to Karachi in 1843 when Karachi was annexed to the [[British Empire]] after Major General [[Charles James Napier]] captured the rest of Sindh following his victory against the [[Talpur dynasty|Talpurs]] at the [[Battle of Miani]]. Following the 1843 annexation, the entire province was amalgamated into the [[Bombay Presidency]] for the next 93 years. A few years later in 1846, Karachi suffered a large cholera outbreak, which led to the establishment of the Karachi Cholera Board (predecessor to the city's civic government).<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|url=http://shehri.org/img/Local%20&%20City%20Govt%20FINAL%20File.pdf|title=LOCAL AND CITY GOVERNMENT HANDBOOK – PROVINCE OF SINDH AND KARACHI CITY|year=2018|editor-last=Anwar|editor-first=Farhan|website=Shehri|isbn=978-969-9491-14-6}}</ref>
 
The city grew under the administration of its new Commissioner, [[Henry Bartle Edward Frere]], who was appointed in the 1850s. Karachi was recognized for its strategic importance, prompting the British to establish the [[Port of Karachi]] in 1854. Karachi rapidly became a transportation hub for British India owing to newly built port and rail infrastructure, as well as the increase in agricultural exports from the opening of productive tracts of newly irrigated land in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] and interior Sindh.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Blood|first1=Peter R.|title=Pakistan: A Country Study|date=1996|publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-0-7881-3631-3|page=96}}</ref> By 1856, the value of goods traded through Karachi reached £855,103, leading to the establishment of merchant offices and warehouses.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bowden|first=Rob|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=prF_ZLZKtggC&q=%22Indus+steam+flotilla%22+%22orient+inland%22&pg=PA35|title=Settlements of the Indus River|date=2005|publisher=Capstone Classroom|isbn=978-1-4034-5723-3|language=en}}</ref> The population in 1856 is estimated to have been 57,000.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Heitzman|first=James|url=https://archive.org/details/cityinsouthasia0000heit|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/cityinsouthasia0000heit/page/129 129]|title=The City in South Asia|date=31 March 2008|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-28963-9|language=en}}</ref> During the [[Sepoy Mutiny]] of 1857, the 21st Native Infantry, then stationed in Karachi, mutinied and declared allegiance to rebel forces in September 1857, though the British were able to quickly defeat the rebels and reassert control over the city.
 
Following the Rebellion, British colonial administrators continued to develop the city's infrastructure, but continued to neglect localities like [[Lyari]], which was home to the city's original population of Sindhi fishermen and Balochi nomads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Narayanan|first=Yamini|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwUBCwAAQBAJ&q=post+partition+karachi&pg=PT242|title=Religion and Urbanism: Reconceptualising sustainable cities for South Asia|date=19 November 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-75541-8|language=en}}</ref> At the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], Karachi's port became an important cotton-exporting port,<ref name=":3" /> with ''Indus Steam Flotilla'' and ''Orient Inland Steam Navigation Company'' established to transport cotton from interior Sindh to Karachi's port, and onwards to textile mills in England.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Clarke|first=S. H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iew2AQAAMAAJ&q=Indus+steam+flotilla&pg=PA41|title=The Scinde Railway and Indus Flotilla Companies: Their Futility and Hollowness Demonstrated, Also an Exposure of the Delusion which Exists Respecting the Five Per Cent Guarantee, which Insures No Dividend Whatever to the Respective Shareholders|date=1858|publisher=Richardson Brothers|language=en}}</ref> With increased economic opportunities, economic migrants from several ethnicities and religions, including Anglo-British, [[Parsi]]s, [[Marathis]], and [[Goan Christian]]s, among others, established themselves in Karachi,<ref name=":3" /> with many setting-up businesses in the new commercial district of [[Saddar]]. [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the founder of Pakistan, was born in Karachi's [[Wazir Mansion (Karachi)|Wazir Mansion]] in 1876 to such migrants from [[Gujarat]]. Public building works were undertaken at this time in [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] and [[Indo-Saracenic architecture|Indo-Saracenic]] styles, including the construction of [[Frere Hall]] in 1865 and the later [[Empress Market]] in 1889.
 
With the completion of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869, Karachi's position as a major port increased even further.<ref name=":3" /> In 1878, the British Raj connected Karachi with the network of [[British Raj#Railways|British India's vast railway system]]. In 1887, Karachi Port underwent radical improvements with connection to the railways, along with expansion and dredging of the port, and construction of a breakwater.<ref name=":3" /> [[Magain Shalome Synagogue|Karachi's first synagogue]] was established in 1893.<ref>{{cite book|title=Studies on Karachi: Papers Presented at the Karachi Conference 2013|date=2015|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-4438-8450-1|editor1-last=Askari|editor1-first=Sabiah|pages=325}}</ref> By 1899, Karachi had become the largest wheat-exporting port in the East.<ref>[Herbert Feldman [1970]: ''Karachi Through a Hundred Years: The Centenary History of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry 1860–1960''. 2. ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press (1960).]</ref> In 1901, Karachi's population was 117,000 with a further 109,000 included in the [[Karachi Municipal Committee|Municipal area.]]<ref name=":3" />
 
Under the British, the [[Karachi Municipal Committee|city's municipal government]] was established. Known as the ''Father of Modern Karachi'', mayor [[Seth Harchandrai Vishandas]] led the municipal government to improve sanitary conditions in the Old City, as well as major infrastructure works in the New Town after his election in 1911.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1134284|title=Visual Karachi: From Paris of Asia, to City of Lights, to Hell on Earth|first=Nadeem F.|last=Paracha|website=Dawn|date=26 September 2014|location=Pakistan|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> in 1914, Karachi had become the largest wheat-exporting port of the entire British Empire,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UgMeAQAAMAAJ&q=karachi+1914+largest+port|title=Ansari's Trade & Industrial Directory of Pakistan|publisher=Ansari Publishing House.|language=en}}</ref> after large irrigation works in interior Sindh were initiated to increase wheat and cotton yields.<ref name=":3" /> By 1924, the ''Drigh Road Aerodrome'' was established,<ref name=":3" /> now the [[PAF Base Faisal|Faisal Air Force Base]].
 
Karachi's increasing importance as a cosmopolitan transportation hub leads to the influence of non-Sindhis in Sindh's administration. Half the city was born outside of Karachi by as early as 1921.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Gayer|first=Laurent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L0BeBAAAQBAJ&q=post+partition+karachi&pg=PA23|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=1 July 2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-023806-3|language=en}}</ref> Native Sindhis were upset by this influence,<ref name=":3" /> and so 1936, Sindh was re-established as a province separate from the Bombay Presidency with Karachi was once again made capital of Sindh. In 1941, the population of the city had risen to 387,000.<ref name=":3" />
 
===Post-independence===
[[File:Lord Mountbatten and his wife Advena in Karachi 14 August 1947.jpg|thumb|[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]] and his wife [[Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Edwina]] in Karachi 14 August 1947]]
At the dawn of independence following the success of the [[Pakistan Movement]] in 1947, Karachi was Sindh's largest city with a population of over 400,000.<ref name="Penguin Publishing Group" /> The city had a slight Hindu majority, with around 51% of the population being Hindu. Partition resulted in the exodus of much of the city's Hindu population, though Karachi, like most of Sindh, remained relatively peaceful compared to cities in Punjab.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Markovits|first=Claude|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2vu7Odjz6kC&q=karachi+riots+1948+muslim+refugees&pg=PA278|title=The Global World of Indian Merchants, 1750–1947: Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama|date=22 June 2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-43127-9|language=en}}</ref> Riots erupted on 6{{nbsp}}January 1948, after which most of Sindh's Hindu population fled to India,<ref name=":7" /> with assistance of the Indian government.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zamindar|first=Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u_IU-aoNhwC&q=karachi+riots+1948+muslim+refugees&pg=PA53|title=The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories|date=14 November 2007|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-51101-8|language=en}}</ref>
 
Karachi became the focus for the resettlement of middle-class [[Muslim]] [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|''Muhajir'']] refugees who fled India, with 470,000 refugees in Karachi by May 1948,<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|last=Zamindar|first=Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5c9ta97GeoC&q=post+partition+karachi|title=The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories|date=2010|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-13847-5|language=en}}</ref> leading to a drastic alteration of the [[Demographics of Karachi|city's demography]]. In 1941, Muslims were 42% of Karachi's population, but by 1951 made up 96% of the city's population.<ref name=":6" /> The city's population had tripled between 1941 and 1951.<ref name=":6" /> [[Urdu]] replaced [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] as Karachi's most widely spoken language; Sindhi was the mother tongue of 51% of Karachi in 1941, but only 8.5% in 1951, while Urdu grew to become the mother tongue of 51% of Karachi's population.<ref name=":6" /> 100,000 Muhajir refugees arrived annually in Karachi until 1952.<ref name=":6" />
 
Karachi was selected as the first capital of Pakistan, and was administered as a federal district separate from Sindh beginning in 1948,<ref name=":8" /> until the capital was shifted to [[Rawalpindi]] in 1958.<ref>{{citation |first=Barbara A.|last=Weightman|title=Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qeBfed17zxEC&pg=PA187|date=15 June 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-13998-1|ref={{sfnref|Barbara A. Weightman|2011}}}}</ref> While foreign embassies shifted away from Karachi, [[diplomatic missions in Karachi|the city is host to]] numerous [[Consul (representative)|consulates]] and [[The Honorary Consul|honorary consulates]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Party, Government and Freedom in the Muslim World: Three Articles Reprinted from the Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2d Ed., V. 3, Parts 49–50|date=1968|publisher=Brill Archive|page=37}}</ref> Between 1958 and 1970, Karachi's role as capital of Sindh was ceased due to the [[One Unit]] programme enacted by President [[Iskander Mirza]].<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" />
 
Karachi of the 1960s was regarded as an economic role model around the world, with [[Seoul]], South Korea, borrowing from the city's second "Five-Year Plan".<ref>Planning Commission, The Second Five Year Plan: 1960–65, Karachi: Govt. Printing Press, 1960, p. 393</ref><ref>Planning Commission, Pakistan Economic Survey, 1964–65, Rawalpindi: Govt. Printing Press, 1965, p. 212.</ref> Several examples of [[Modernist architect]] were built in Karachi during this period, including the [[Mazar-e-Quaid]] mausoleum, the distinct [[Masjid e Tooba|Masjid-e-Tooba]], and the [[Habib Bank Plaza]] (the tallest building in all of South Asia at the time). The city's population by 1961 had grown 369% compared to 1941.<ref name=":6" /> By the mid 1960s, Karachi began to attract large numbers of [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] and [[Punjabi Muslims|Punjabis]] from northern Pakistan.<ref name=":6" />
 
The 1970s saw a construction boom funded by remittances and investments from the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf States]], and the appearance of apartment buildings in the city.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gayer|first=Laurent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BklRBAAAQBAJ&q=karachi+1970s&pg=PA40|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-935444-3|language=en}}</ref> Real-estate prices soared during this period, leading to a worsening housing crisis.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rurrAAAAMAAJ&q=karachi+1970s+boom|title=Population Growth and Policies in Mega-cities: Karachi|date=1988|publisher=UN|language=en}}</ref> The period also saw [[Karachi labour unrest of 1972|labour unrest in Karachi's]] industrial estates beginning in 1970 that were violently repressed by the government of President [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] from 1972 onwards.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Khan|first=Nichola|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C28sDwAAQBAJ&q=karachi+1970s&pg=PT205|title=Cityscapes of Violence in Karachi: Publics and Counterpublics|date=15 July 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-086978-6|language=en}}</ref> To appease conservative forces, Bhutto banned alcohol in Pakistan, and cracked-down of Karachi's discotheques and cabarets - leading to the closure of Karachi's once-lively nightlife.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last1=Udupa|first1=Sahana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_jwlDwAAQBAJ&q=karachi+1970s+zia&pg=PA41|title=Media as Politics in South Asia|last2=McDowell|first2=Stephen D.|date=14 July 2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-97221-5|language=en}}</ref> The city's art scene was further repressed during the rule of dictator [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|General Zia-ul-Haq]].<ref name=":9" /> Zia's Islamization policies lead the Westernized upper-middle classes of Karachi to largely withdraw from the public sphere, and instead form their own social venues that became inaccessible to the poor.<ref name=":9" />
 
The 1980s and 1990s saw an influx of almost one million [[Afghan people|Afghan]] refugees into Karachi fleeing the [[Soviet–Afghan War]];<ref name=":6" /> who were in turn followed in smaller numbers by refugees escaping from post-revolution [[Iran]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C8D0B7394F7D074D6832875766C3D91E.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=1636848|title=Afghan refugees population in Pakistan|journal= Journal of Biosocial Science|date=July 1990|volume=22|issue=3|pages=269–279|publisher=Journals.cambridge.org|doi=10.1017/S0021932000018654|access-date=6 May 2010|last1=Yusuf|first1=Farhat|pmid=2169475}}</ref> At this time, Karachi was also rocked by political conflict, while crime rates drastically increased with the arrival of weaponry from the [[War in Afghanistan (1978–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref name="violentEnd" /> Conflict between the [[Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan|MQM party]], and ethnic [[Sindhis]], [[Pashtuns]], and [[Punjabis]] was sharp.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSCMAgAAQBAJ&q=mqm+pashto+punjabi+sindhi+conflict|title=Mohajir Militancy in Pakistan: Violence and Transformation in the Karachi Conflict|last=Khan|first=Nichola|date=5 April 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135161927}}</ref> The party and its vast network of supporters were targeted by Pakistani security forces as part of the controversial [[Operation Clean-up]] in 1992{{snd}}an effort to restore peace in the city that lasted until 1994.<ref name="Minahan">{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around the World |volume=3 |year=2002 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=978-0-313-32111-5 |pages=1277–78}}</ref> Anti-Hindu riots also broke out in Karachi in 1992 in retaliation for the demolition of the [[Babri Mosque]] in India by a group of Hindu nationalists earlier that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=PAKISTANIS ATTACK 30 HINDU TEMPLES|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/08/world/pakistanis-attack-30-hindu-temples.html|access-date=1 December 2017|work=The New York Times|date=8 December 1992}}</ref>
 
The 2010s saw another influx of hundreds of thousands of Pashtun refugees fleeing [[War in North-West Pakistan|conflict in North-West Pakistan]] and the [[2010 Pakistan floods]].<ref name=":6" /> By this point Karachi had become widely known for its high rates of violent crime, usually in relation to criminal activity, gang-warfare, sectarian violence, and extrajudicial killings.<ref name=":5" /> Recorded crimes sharply decreased following a controversial crackdown operation against criminals, the MQM party, and Islamist militants initiated in 2013 by the [[Pakistan Rangers]].<ref name="New York TImes" /> As a result of the operation, Karachi went from being ranked the world's 6th most dangerous city for crime in 2014, to 93rd by early 2020.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Dawn.com|first=Imtiaz Ali {{!}}|date=7 February 2020|title=Karachi jumps 22 points since last year on global crime index|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1533023|access-date=4 March 2020|website=Dawn|location=Pakistan}}</ref>
 
==Geography==
 
{{Main|Geography of Karachi|Environment of Karachi}}
[[File:Karachi ali 2010008 lrg.jpg|thumb|upright|Satellite view of Karachi 2010]]
 
Karachi is located on the coastline of Sindh province in southern Pakistan, along the [[Karachi Harbour]], a natural harbour on the [[Arabian Sea]]. Karachi is built on a coastal plain with scattered rocky outcroppings, hills and marshlands. [[Mangrove]] forests grow in the brackish waters around the Karachi Harbour, and farther southeast towards the expansive [[Indus River Delta]]. West of Karachi city is the [[Cape Monze]], locally known as [[Ras Muari]], which is an area characterised by sea cliffs, rocky sandstone promontories and undeveloped beaches.
[[File:HawkesBay.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hawke's Bay Beach|Hawke's Bay]], west of Karachi]]
[[File:Clifton Karachi at Night.jpg|thumb|left|Clifton Skyline at night]]
 
Karachi lies very close to a major fault line, where the [[Indian Plate|Indian tectonic plate]] meets the [[Arabian Plate|Arabian tectonic plate]].<ref>{{cite web|title=KARACHI: Karachi's earthquake history|date=26 October 2005|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/162899/karachi-karachi-s-earthquake-history}}</ref> Within the city of Karachi are two small ranges: the [[Khasa Hills]] and [[Mulri Hills]], which lie in the northwest and act as a barrier between [[North Nazimabad]] and [[Orangi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=204319&Cat=4&dt=10/18/2009|title=A story behind every name|date=21 October 2009|website=The News International, Pakistan|access-date=14 June 2015|archive-date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007115813/http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=204319&Cat=4&dt=10%2F18%2F2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Karachi's hills are barren and are part of the larger [[Kirthar Range]], and have a maximum elevation of {{convert|528|m|abbr=off}}.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
 
Between the hills are wide coastal plains interspersed with dry river beds and water channels. Karachi has developed around the [[Malir River]] and [[Lyari River]]s, with the Lyari shore being the site of the settlement for ''Kolachi''. To the west of Karachi lies the [[Indus River]] flood plain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/pdfs/Karachi.pdf|title=The case of Karachi, Pakistan|publisher=University College London|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>
 
===Climate===
 
{{Main|Climate of Karachi}}
[[File:Karachi beach panorama.jpg|thumb|The [[Arabian Sea]] influences Karachi's climate, providing the city with more moderate temperatures compared to the interior [[Sindh]] province.]]
 
Karachi has a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BWh'') dominated by a long "Summer Season" while moderated by oceanic influence from the [[Arabian Sea]]. The city has low annual average precipitation levels (approx. {{convert|174|mm|0|abbr=on}} per annum), the bulk of which occurs during the July–August [[monsoon]] season. Summers are hot and humid, and Karachi is prone to deadly heatwaves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/22/where-world-hottest-city-kuwait-karachi-ahvaz|title=Where is the world's hottest city? |first=Hayley |last=Birch |date=22 July 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> On the other hand, cool sea breezes typically provide relief during hot summer months, and a text message-based early warning system is now in place which helped prevent any fatalities during an unusually strong heatwave in October 2017.<ref name="heatwave">{{cite news |title=With Early Warning, Karachi Cools a Heat Wave Threat |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/early-warning-pakistan-heat-wave-threat/4115662.html |access-date=1 December 2017 |work=Voice of America |date=14 November 2017}}</ref> The winter climate is dry and lasts between December and February. It is dry and pleasant in winter relative to the warm hot season that follows, which starts in March and lasts until monsoons arrive in June. Proximity to the sea maintains humidity levels at near-constant levels year-round. Thus, the climate is similar to a humid tropical climate except for low precipitation and occasional temperatures well over 100 F (38 C) due to dry continental influence.
 
The city's highest monthly rainfall, {{convert|19|in|abbr=on}}, occurred in July 1967.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/opinion/pakistan-climate-change.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage |title=Pakistan's Most Terrifying Adversary Is Climate Change |date=27 September 2020 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Fatima |last=Bhutto |access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref><ref name="pakmet">{{cite web|url=http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/extrems/KARACHI.htm |title=Climate data&nbsp;– Karachi |publisher=Pakistan Meteorological Department, Government of Pakistan |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422011000/http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/extrems/KARACHI.htm |archive-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> The city's highest rainfall in 24 hours occurred on 7{{nbsp}}August 1953, when about {{convert|278.1|mm|in}} of rain lashed the city, resulting in major flooding.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/206412/rain-havoc-in-karachi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026221139/http://www.dawn.com/2006/08/18/top2.htm|url-status=dead|title=Rain havoc in Karachi|first=Dawn|last=Report|date=18 August 2006|archive-date=26 October 2010|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref>
 
Karachi's highest recorded temperature is {{convert|47.8|C|abbr=on}} which was recorded on 9{{nbsp}}May 1938,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pmd.gov.pk/cdpc/extrems/karachi.htm|title=Karachi Extremes|publisher=Pakistan Meteorological Department|location=Pakistan|access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref> and the lowest is {{convert|0|C|F}} recorded on 21 January 1934.<ref name=pakmet />
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Karachi
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 32.8
|Feb record high C = 36.5
|Mar record high C = 42.5
|Apr record high C = 44.4
|May record high C = 47.8
|Jun record high C = 47.0
|Jul record high C = 42.2
|Aug record high C = 41.7
|Sep record high C = 42.8
|Oct record high C = 43.3
|Nov record high C = 38.5
|Dec record high C = 35.5
|Jan high C = 25.9
|Feb high C = 27.9
|Mar high C = 31.7
|Apr high C = 34.5
|May high C = 35.3
|Jun high C = 35.2
|Jul high C = 33.1
|Aug high C = 31.9
|Sep high C = 32.8
|Oct high C = 35.1
|Nov high C = 32.2
|Dec high C = 27.9
|Jan mean C = 20.4
|Feb mean C = 21.2
|Mar mean C = 25.4
|Apr mean C = 28.8
|May mean C = 31.0
|Jun mean C = 31.8
|Jul mean C = 30.4
|Aug mean C = 29.2
|Sep mean C = 28.7
|Oct mean C = 27.8
|Nov mean C = 24.6
|Dec mean C = 20.4
|Jan low C = 10.8
|Feb low C = 13.0
|Mar low C = 17.7
|Apr low C = 22.5
|May low C = 26.2
|Jun low C = 28.1
|Jul low C = 27.5
|Aug low C = 26.2
|Sep low C = 25.4
|Oct low C = 21.4
|Nov low C = 16.3
|Dec low C = 12.2
|Jan record low C = 0.0
|Feb record low C = 3.3
|Mar record low C = 7.0
|Apr record low C = 12.2
|May record low C = 17.7
|Jun record low C = 22.1
|Jul record low C = 22.2
|Aug record low C = 20.0
|Sep record low C = 18.0
|Oct record low C = 10.0
|Nov record low C = 6.1
|Dec record low C = 1.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 8.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 7.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 5.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 3.0
|May precipitation mm = 0.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 10.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 60.0
|Aug precipitation mm = 60.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 11.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 2.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 0.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 4.8
|Jan precipitation days = 0.7
|Feb precipitation days = 0.8
|Mar precipitation days = 0.7
|Apr precipitation days = 0.2
|May precipitation days = 0.1
|Jun precipitation days = 0.9
|Jul precipitation days = 8.0
|Aug precipitation days = 3.3
|Sep precipitation days = 0.7
|Oct precipitation days = 0.3
|Nov precipitation days = 0.1
|Dec precipitation days = 0.7
|Jan sun = 269.7
|Feb sun = 251.4
|Mar sun = 272.8
|Apr sun = 276
|May sun = 297.6
|Jun sun = 231
|Jul sun = 155
|Aug sun = 148.8
|Sep sun = 219
|Oct sun = 282.1
|Nov sun = 273
|Dec sun = 272.8
|Jand sun = 8.7
|Febd sun = 8.9
|Mard sun = 8.8
|Aprd sun = 9.2
|Mayd sun = 9.6
|Jund sun = 7.7
|Juld sun = 5
|Augd sun = 4.8
|Sepd sun = 7.3
|Octd sun = 9.1
|Novd sun = 9.1
|Decd sun = 8.8
|Jan percentsun = 81
|Feb percentsun = 79
|Mar percentsun = 73
|Apr percentsun = 72
|May percentsun = 72
|Jun percentsun = 56
|Jul percentsun = 37
|Aug percentsun = 37
|Sep percentsun = 59
|Oct percentsun = 78
|Nov percentsun = 83
|Dec percentsun = 83
|Jan uv=6
|Feb uv=8
|Mar uv=10
|Apr uv=12
|May uv=12
|Jun uv=12
|Jul uv=12
|Aug uv=12
|Sep uv=11
|Oct uv=9
|Nov uv=6
|Dec uv=5
|source =PMD (1991–2020),<ref name= PMD>{{cite web
|url = http://ffd.pmd.gov.pk/cp/ffd.php
|title = Flood Forecasting Division Lahore
|access-date = 25 February 2020}}</ref> Weather Atlas,<ref name=weather-atlas.com>{{cite web
|url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/pakistan/karachi-climate
|title=Weather Atlas
|publisher=Weather Atlas
|access-date=4 April 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228202014/https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/pakistan/karachi-climate
|archive-date=28 February 2020
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> and Karachi Extremes (1931–2018)<ref name= PMDE>{{cite web
  |url = http://www.pmd.gov.pk/cdpc/extrems/karachi.htm
  |title = Krachi Extremes
  |publisher = Pakistan Meteorological Department
  |access-date = 1 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=41780&ano=2022&mes=3&day=30&hora=12&min=0&ndays=30|title= 41780:  Karachi Airport (Pakistan)|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 29 March 2022|website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET |access-date= 30 March 2022|quote=}}</ref>
}}
 
===Cityscape===
 
[[File:Karachi Chamber of Commerce.jpg|thumb|The [[Karachi Chamber of Commerce Building]]. Central Karachi features several such buildings dating from the colonial era.]]
[[File:Karachi after rain-20160629.jpg|thumb|right|Much of Karachi's skyline is decentralized, with some growth in traditionally suburban areas.]]
 
The city first developed around the Karachi Harbour, and owes much of its growth to its role as a seaport at the end of the 18th century,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=33}}</ref> contrasted with Pakistan's millennia-old cities such as [[Lahore]], [[Multan]], and [[Peshawar]]. Karachi's [[Mithadar]] neighbourhood represents the extent of ''Kolachi'' prior to British rule.
 
British Karachi was divided between the "New Town" and the "Old Town", with British investments focused primarily on the New Town.<ref name="Oxford University Press">{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-935444-3}}</ref> The Old Town was a largely unplanned neighbourhood which housed most of the city's indigenous residents and had no access to sewerage systems, electricity, and water.<ref name="Oxford University Press" /> The New Town was subdivided into residential, commercial, and military areas.<ref name="Oxford University Press" /> Given the strategic value of the city, the British developed the [[Karachi Cantonment]] as a military garrison in the New Town to aid the British war effort in the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]].<ref name="Oxford University Press" />
The city's development was largely confined to the area north of the Chinna Creek prior to independence, although the seaside area of [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]] was also developed as a posh locale under the British, and its large bungalows and estates remain some of the city's most desirable properties. The aforementioned historic areas form the oldest portions of Karachi, and contain its most important monuments and government buildings, with the [[I. I. Chundrigar Road]] being home to most of Pakistan's banks, including the Habib Bank Plaza which was Pakistan's tallest building from 1963 until the early 2000s.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" />
Situated on a coastal plain northwest of Karachi's historic core lies the sprawling district of [[Orangi]]. North of the historic core is the largely middle-class district of [[Nazimabad]], and upper-middle-class [[North Nazimabad]], which were developed in the 1950s. To the east of the historic core is the area known as [[Defence Housing Authority, Karachi|Defence]], an expansive upscale suburb developed and administered by the [[Pakistan Army]]. Karachi's coastal plains along the [[Arabian Sea]] south of Clifton were also developed much later as part of the greater Defence Housing Authority project.
Karachi's city limits also include several islands, including [[Baba and Bhit Islands]], Oyster Rocks, and [[Manora, Karachi|Manora]], a former island which is now connected to the mainland by a thin 12-kilometre long [[shoal]] known as [[Sandspit Beach|Sandspit]]. The city has been described as one divided into sections for those able to afford to live in planned localities with access to urban amenities, and those who live in unplanned communities with inadequate access to such services.<ref name="e">{{cite book|editor1-last=Askari|editor1-first=Sabiah|title=Studies on Karachi: Papers Presented at the Karachi Conference 2013|date=2015|publisher=Cambridge University Scholars|isbn=978-1-4438-8450-1}}</ref> Up to 60% of Karachi's residents live in such unplanned communities.<ref name="e" />
 
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Karachi}}
<gallery mode="packed" widths="200">
Bahria_Icon_Karachi_1.jpg|At a height of {{convert|300|m|ft}}, [[Bahria Icon Tower]] is the [[List of tallest buildings in Pakistan|tallest skyscraper in Pakistan]].
Lucky One Mall.jpg|[[Lucky One Mall]] is the largest shopping mall in [[Pakistan]] as well as in South Asia with an area of about 3.4&nbsp;million square feet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lmkt.com/south-asias-largest-mall-lucky-one-selects-lmkt-to-deploy-gpon-solution/|title=South Asia's largest mall, Lucky One selects LMKT to deploy GPON Solution|date=18 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pakiholic.com/photos-facts-lucky-one-mall/|title=21 Amazing Photos and Facts About Lucky One Mall Karachi – The Biggest Shopping Mall in Pakistan|last=Khan|first=Haris|date=2017-06-04|website=Paki Holic|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613125623/https://pakiholic.com/photos-facts-lucky-one-mall/|archive-date=13 June 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Millenium Mall.jpg|Millenium Mall
PK Karachi asv2020-02 img22 Chundrigar Road.jpg|Karachi's downtown is centred on [[I. I. Chundrigar Road]].
EFU Life By Asif Akbar.jpg|Many corporations are located in [[Defence Housing Authority, Karachi|Defence]] and [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]].
</gallery>
 
Karachi is Pakistan's financial and commercial capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://14.192.147.139/CDGK/Portals/0/Department/Master%20Plan/App%20KSDP-2020%20VERSION%20ANNEXURE1.pdf |title=Annexures |publisher=City District Government Karachi |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916070947/http://14.192.147.139/CDGK/Portals/0/Department/Master%20Plan/App%20KSDP-2020%20VERSION%20ANNEXURE1.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2013 }}</ref> Since Pakistan's independence, Karachi has been the centre of the nation's economy, and remain's Pakistan's largest urban economy despite the economic stagnation caused by sociopolitical unrest during the late 1980s and 1990s. The city forms the centre of an economic corridor stretching from Karachi to nearby [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], and [[Thatta]].<ref name="wb">{{cite journal|date=November 2016|title=Karachi City Diagnostic: livability, sustainability and growth in the city of Karachi|url=http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/935241478612633044/pdf/109961-WP-PUBLIC-disclosed-11-9-16-5-pm-Pakistan-Development-Update-Fall-2016-with-compressed-pics.pdf|journal=Pakistan Development Update|pages=45–49|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref>
 
{{As of|2014}}, Karachi had an estimated GDP (PPP) of $114&nbsp;billion.<ref name="pwc1">{{cite web|url=https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3421&NewsAreaID=2 |title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025 |publisher=PricewaterhouseCoopers |access-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513194342/https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3421&NewsAreaID=2 |archive-date=13 May 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Lloyd's"/> {{As of|2008}}, the city's gross domestic product (GDP) by [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) was estimated at $78&nbsp;billion with a projected average growth rate of 5.5 percent.<ref name="pwc1"/><ref name="Lloyd's" /> Karachi contributes the bulk of Sindh's gross domestic product.<ref name="gdp4">{{cite web |url=http://www.spdc-pak.com/pubs/pubdisp.asp?id=nps5 |title=Provincial Accounts of Pakistan: Methodology and Estimates |author=Social Policy and Development Center |access-date=1 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410155311/http://spdc-pak.com/pubs/pubdisp.asp?id=nps5 |archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="dawngdp2">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/21/ebr3.htm |title=Sindh, Balochistan's share in GDP drops |author=Dawn Group of Newspapers |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604174526/http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/21/ebr3.htm |archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="dawngdp1">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/16/ebr3.htm |title=Sindh's GDP estimated at Rs 240&nbsp;billion |website=Dawn |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614200105/http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/16/ebr3.htm |archive-date=14 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="dawngdp3">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2004/12/02/ebr1.htm|title=Sindh share in GDP falls by 1pc|author=Dawn Group of Newspapers|date=2 December 2004|access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref> and accounts for approximately 20% of the total GDP of Pakistan.<ref name="adb" /><ref name="coastline" /> The city has a large [[informal economy]] which is not typically reflected in GDP estimates.<ref name="cipe.org">{{cite journal|date=22 August 2013|title=When Karachi Bleeds, Pakistan's Economy Bleeds|url=http://www.cipe.org/blog/2013/08/22/when-karachi-bleeds-pakistans-economy-bleeds/|journal=Center for International Private Enterprise|access-date=2 November 2016}}</ref> The informal economy may constitute up to 36% of Pakistan's total economy, versus 22% of India's economy, and 13% of the Chinese economy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-04-05/the-secret-strength-of-pakistans-economy|title=The Secret Strength of Pakistan's Economy|date=12 April 2012|access-date=2 November 2016|agency=Bloomberg}}</ref> The informal sector employs up to 70% of the city's workforce.<ref name="SAGE">{{cite journal|last1=Hasan|first1=Arif|date=April 2015|title=Land contestation in Karachi and the impact on housing and urban development|journal=Environment and Urbanization|volume=27|issue=1|pages=217–230|doi=10.1177/0956247814567263|pmc=4540218|pmid=26321797}}</ref> In 2018 The Global Metro Monitor Report ranked Karachi's economy as the best performing metropolitan economy in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Brookings-Metro_Global-Metro-Monitor-2018.pdf|title=Global Metro Monitor 2018|author=Bouchet, Max; Liu, Sifan; and Parilla, Joseph; with Kabbani, Nader|date=June 2018|access-date=23 November 2018|publisher=[[Brookings Institution]]}}</ref>
 
Today along with Pakistan's continued economic expansion Karachi is now ranked third in the world for consumer expenditure growth with its market anticipated to increase by 6.6% in real terms in 2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.euromonitor.com/2018/03/cities-consumer-expenditure-asia.html|title=Euromonitor 2018 research|website=Euromonitor research|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=25 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625104231/https://blog.euromonitor.com/2018/03/cities-consumer-expenditure-asia.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also ranked among the top cities in the world by an anticipated increase of a number of households (1.3&nbsp;million households) with annual income above $20,000 dollars measured at PPP exchange rates by 2025.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Mckinsey Urban Mapping (cities)|url=https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Global%20Themes/Urbanization/Urban%20world/MGI_urban_world_mapping_economic_power_of_cities_full_report.ashx|journal=Mckinsey (Urban Maping)}}</ref> The Global FDI Intelligence Report 2017/2018 published by [[Financial Times]] ranks Karachi amongst the top 10 Asia pacific cities of the future for FDI strategy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fdiintelligence.com/Rankings/fDi-s-Asia-Pacific-Cities-of-the-Future-2017-18-the-winners|title=fDi's Asia-Pacific Cities of the Future 2017/18 – the winners|last=Intelligence|first=fDi|website=fdiintelligence.com|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref>
 
===Finance and banking===
 
Most of Pakistan's public and private banks are headquartered on Karachi's [[I. I. Chundrigar Road]], which is known as "Pakistan's Wall Street",<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> with a large percentage of the cash flow in the Pakistani economy taking place on I. I. Chundrigar Road. Most major foreign [[multinational corporation]]s operating in Pakistan have their headquarters in Karachi. Karachi is also home to the [[Pakistan Stock Exchange]], which was rated as Asia's best-performing stock market in 2015 on the heels of Pakistan's upgrade to emerging-market status by [[MSCI]].<ref>{{cite news|title=What's Next For Asia's Best-Performing Stock Market?|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-20/what-s-next-for-asia-s-best-performing-stock-market|access-date=1 November 2016|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=20 October 2016}}</ref>
 
===Media and technology===
 
{{Main|Media in Karachi|Cinema in Karachi|List of television stations in Karachi|List of magazines in Karachi|List of newspapers in Karachi}}
 
Karachi has been the pioneer in cable networking in Pakistan with the most sophisticated of the cable networks of any city of Pakistan,{{sfn|Amos Owen Thomas|2005|pp=121}}
and has seen an expansion of [[information technology|information and communications technology]] and [[electronic media]]. The city has become a software outsourcing hub for Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Several independent [[television in Pakistan|television]] and radio stations are based in Karachi, including [[Business Plus (TV Channel)|Business Plus]], [[AAJ TV|AAJ News]], [[Geo TV]], [[Kawish Television Network|KTN]],<ref name="ktn">{{cite web|url=http://www.ktn.com.pk|title=Welcome to KTN TV|publisher=KTN|access-date=20 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117020638/http://www.ktn.com.pk/|archive-date=17 January 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sindh TV]],<ref name="sindhtv">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesindh.tv/contact.htm|title=Sindh TV|publisher=Sindh TV|access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102071108/http://www.thesindh.tv/contact.htm |archive-date = 2 January 2008}}</ref> [[CNBC Pakistan]], [[TV ONE (Pakistan)|TV ONE]], [[Express News (Pakistan)|Express TV]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.com.pk/|title=Daily Express Urdu Newspaper – Latest Pakistan News – Breaking News|website=express.com.pk|access-date=5 August 2017}}</ref> [[ARY Digital]], Indus Television Network, [[Samaa TV]], [[Abb Takk News]], [[BOL Network|Bol TV]], and [[Dawn News]], as well as several local stations.
 
===Industry===
 
Industry contributes a large portion of Karachi's economy, with the city home to several of Pakistan's largest companies dealing in textiles, cement, steel, heavy machinery, chemicals, and food products.<ref name="dawn4">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/14/ebr1.htm |title=World Bank report: Karachi termed most business-friendly |author=Dawn Group of Newspapers |access-date=15 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011155147/http://dawn.com/2007/02/14/ebr1.htm |archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref> The city is home to approximately 30 percent of Pakistan's manufacturing sector,<ref name="stepmother" /> and produces approximately 42 percent of Pakistan's [[value added]] in large scale manufacturing.<ref>{{cite news|title=How important is Karachi to Pakistan?|url=http://www.brecorder.com/weekend-magazine/0:/1186182:how-important-is-karachi-to-pakistan/?date=2012-05-05|access-date=2 November 2016|work=Business Recorder|date=5 May 2012|archive-date=21 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921083953/http://www.brecorder.com/weekend-magazine/0:/1186182:how-important-is-karachi-to-pakistan/?date=2012-05-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> At least 4500 industrial units form Karachi's formal industrial economy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hasan|first1=Arif|title=The case of Karachi, Pakistan|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/pdfs/Karachi.pdf|access-date=2 November 2016}}</ref> Karachi's informal manufacturing sector employs far more people than the formal sector, though proxy data suggest that the capital employed and value-added from such informal enterprises is far smaller than that of formal sector enterprises.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sayeed|first1=Asad|last2=Husain|first2=Khurram|last3=Raza|first3=Syed Salim|title=INFORMALITY IN KARACHI'S LAND, MANUFACTURING, AND TRANSPORT SECTORS|url=https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/PW114-Informality-in-Karachis-Land-Manufacturing-and-Transport-Sectors.pdf|publisher=United States Institute for Peace|access-date=2 November 2016|quote=Informal manufacturing is more prevalent than formal manufacturing in terms of the number of people employed, land area covered by informal enterprises, and a number of enterprises. Output data are unavailable, but proxy data suggest that informal manufacturing is far smaller in terms of capital employed and value-added.}}</ref> An estimated 63% of the Karachi's workforce is employed in trade and manufacturing.<ref name="wb" />
 
Karachi Export Processing Zone, SITE, [[Korangi]], Northern Bypass Industrial Zone, Bin Qasim and North Karachi serve as large industrial estates in Karachi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fpcci.com.pk/industrialzone.asp |title=The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry |publisher=Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907204417/http://www.fpcci.com.pk/industrialzone.asp |archive-date=7 September 2011}}</ref> The [[Karachi Expo Centre]] also complements Karachi's industrial economy by hosting regional and international exhibitions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epb.gov.pk/v1/expocenter/ |title=Full Service Interactive Agency&nbsp;– MAGSNET LIMITED |publisher=Epb.gov.pk |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112132910/http://www.epb.gov.pk/v1/expocenter/ |archive-date=12 January 2014}}</ref>
 
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name of estate !! Location !! Established !! Area in acres
|-
|[[S.I.T.E Industrial Area|SITE Karachi]] ||[[SITE Town]] ||1947 ||4700<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.site-association.org/Background_and_Profile.html |title=Welcome To S.I.T.E Association of Industry of Karachi |publisher=Site-association.org |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001154743/http://site-association.org/Background_and_Profile.html/ |archive-date=1 October 2015 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Korangi Industrial Area]] ||[[Korangi Town]] ||1960 ||8500<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kati.pk/ |title=Welcome |publisher=Korangi Association of Trade & Industry |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Landhi Industrial Area]] ||[[Landhi Town]] ||1949 ||11000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://landhi.org/aboutus/landhifacts.php |title=Landhi.Org |publisher=Landhi Association of Trade and Industry |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[North Karachi Industrial Area]] ||[[New Karachi Town]] ||1974 ||725<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nkati.org/ |title=North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry |publisher=North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Federal B Industrial Area]] ||[[Gulberg Town, Karachi|Gulberg Town]] ||1987 ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fbati.com/ |title=Federal B Area Association of Trade & Industry |publisher=Federal B Area Association of Trade & Industry |date=17 December 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Korangi Creek Industrial Park]] ||[[Korangi Creek Cantonment]] ||2012||250<ref>{{cite web|author=APP |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/634069/construction-approved-korangi-creek-industrial-park-land-up-for-grabs/ |title=Construction approved: Korangi Creek Industrial Park land up for grabs |website=The Express Tribune |date=20 November 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bin Qasim Industrial Zone]] ||[[Bin Qasim Town]] ||1970 ||25000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bqati.com.pk/ |title=BQATI {Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry} |publisher=Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Karachi Export Processing Zone]] ||[[Landhi Town]] ||1980<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/issue2000/issue13/etc6.htm |title=Export Processing Zone Authority |publisher=Pakistaneconomist.com |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-date=1 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001011256/http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/issue2000/issue13/etc6.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> ||315<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epza.gov.pk/karachi.html |title=Welcome To EPZA |publisher=Epza.gov.pk |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140217185414/http://www.epza.gov.pk/karachi.html |archive-date=17 February 2014 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Pakistan Textile City]] ||[[Bin Qasim Town]] ||2004 ||1250<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.textilecity.com.pk/ |title=Textile City |publisher=Textile City |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212111901/http://www.textilecity.com.pk/ |archive-date=12 February 2014 }}</ref>
|-
|[[West Wharf Industrial Area]] ||[[Keamari Town]] ||||430
|-
|[[SITE Super Highway Phase-I]] ||[[Super Highway]] ||1983 ||300<ref name=site />
|-
|[[SITE Super Highway Phase-II]] ||[[Super Highway]] ||1992 ||1000<ref name=site>{{cite web|url=http://www.site.com.pk/ |title=site.com.pk |publisher=Sindh Industrial Trading Estates |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
|}
 
===Revenue collection===
 
[[File:Old building of State Bank of Pakistan, Now its known as State Bank Museum.jpg|thumb|The former State Bank of Pakistan building was built during the colonial era.]]
 
As home to Pakistan's largest ports and a large portion of its manufacturing base, Karachi contributes a large share of Pakistan's collected tax revenue. As most of Pakistan's large multinational corporations are based in Karachi, income taxes are paid in the city even though income may be generated from other parts of the country.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Janjua|title=Karachi contributing 70% of federal tax revenue – a myth|url=http://www.brecorder.com/articles-a-letters/187:articles/1185461:karachi-contributing-70-of-federal-tax-revenue-a-myth/|access-date=2 November 2016|work=Business Recorder|date=13 October 2015|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104033351/http://www.brecorder.com/articles-a-letters/187:articles/1185461:karachi-contributing-70-of-federal-tax-revenue-a-myth/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As home to the country's two largest ports, Pakistani customs officials collect the bulk of federal duty and tariffs at Karachi's ports, even if those imports are destined for one of Pakistan's other provinces.<ref>{{cite news|title=The importance of Karachi|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/971188/the-importance-of-karachi/|access-date=2 November 2016|work=The Express Tribune|date=12 October 2015}}</ref> Approximately 25% of Pakistan's national revenue is ''generated'' in Karachi.<ref name="adb" />
 
According to the [[Federal Board of Revenue]]'s 2006–2007 year book, tax and customs units in Karachi were responsible for 46.75% of direct taxes, 33.65% of federal excise tax, and 23.38% of domestic sales tax.<ref name="fbr0607">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbr.gov.pk/YearBook/2006-2007/FBRyearbook2006-2007.pdf|title=Federal Board of Revenue Year Book 2006–2007|access-date=12 April 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925013600/http://www.cbr.gov.pk/YearBook/2006-2007/FBRyearbook2006-2007.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2010}}</ref> Karachi accounts for 75.14% of customs duty and 79% of sales tax on imports,<ref name="fbr0607" /> and collects 53.38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue, of which 53.33% are customs duty and sales tax on imports.<ref name="fbr0607" /><ref>note: Revenue collected from Karachi includes revenue from some other areas since the Large Tax Unit (LTU) Karachi and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur & Quetta cover the entire province of Sindh and Balochistan {{Dead link|date=January 2022}}</ref>
 
==Demographics==
 
{{Main|Demographics of Karachi|Ethnic groups in Karachi|Religion in Karachi}}
 
Karachi is the most linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse city in Pakistan.<ref name="Penguin Publishing Group" /> The city is a [[melting pot]] of ethnolinguistic groups from throughout Pakistan, as well as migrants from other parts of Asia. The [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 census]] numerated Karachi's population to be 14,910,352, having grown 2.49% per year since the 1998 census, which had listed Karachi's population at approximately 9.3&nbsp;million.<ref name="ETT"/> The city's inhabitants are referred to by the [[demonym]] ''Karachiite'' in English, and ''Karāchīwālā'' in Urdu.
 
===Population===
 
At the end of the 19th century, Karachi had an estimated population of 105,000.<ref name="c">{{cite web|url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/karachi-population/|title=Karachi Population 2016|website=World Population Review|access-date=25 February 2016}}</ref> By the dawn of [[Independence Day (Pakistan)|Pakistan's independence]] in 1947, the city had an estimated population of 400,000.<ref name="Penguin Publishing Group" /> The city's population grew dramatically with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muslim refugees]] from the newly independent [[Republic of India]].<ref name="Port Qasim &#124; About Karachi" /> Rapid economic growth following independence attracted further migrants from throughout Pakistan and South Asia.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield" /> The [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 census]] numerated Karachi's population to be 14,910,352, having grown 2.49% per year since the 1998 census, which had listed Karachi's population at approximately 9.3&nbsp;million.<ref name="ETT"/>
 
Lower than expected population figures from the census suggest that Karachi's poor infrastructure, law and order situation, and weakened economy relative to other parts of Pakistan made the city less attractive to in-migration than previously thought.<ref name="ETT"/> The figure is disputed by all the major political parties in [[Sindh]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.samaa.tv/social-buzz/2017/08/karachiites-lash-census-results-social-media/|title=Karachiites lash out against census results on social media – Samaa TV|website=samaa.tv|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/03-Nov-2017/assembly-rejects-initial-census-results|title=Assembly rejects initial census results|work=The Nation|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsone.tv/pakistan-news/ppp-psp-mqm-pakistan-rejects-census-2017-results-2|title=After PPP and PSP, MQM-Pakistan rejects census 2017 results|date=29 August 2017|work=NewsOne|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref> Karachi's population grew by 59.8% since the 1998 census to 14.9&nbsp;million, while [[Lahore]] city grew 75.3%<ref name=stats/>{{snd}}though Karachi's census district had not been altered by the provincial government since 1998, while Lahore's had been expanded by Punjab's government,<ref name=stats/> leading to some of Karachi's growth to have occurred outside the city's census boundaries.<ref name="ETT"/> Karachi's population had grown at a rate of 3.49% between the 1981 and 1998 census, leading many analysts to estimate Karachi's 2017 population to be approximately 18&nbsp;million by extrapolating a continued annual growth rate of 3.49%. Some had expected that the city's population to be between 22 and 30&nbsp;million,<ref name="ETT">{{cite news|title=Karachi's population – fiction and reality|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1505657/karachis-population-fiction-reality/|access-date=1 December 2017|work=The Express Tribune|date=14 September 2017}}</ref> which would require an annual growth rate accelerating to between 4.6% and 6.33%.<ref name="ETT"/>
{{Karachi Historical Population
|title=Historical Population
|1729=250
|1838=14000
|1842=15000
|1850=16773
|1856=22227
|1861=56859
|1881=73560
|1891=105199
|1901=136297
|1911=186771
|1921=244162
|1931=300779
|1941=435887
|1951=1137667
|1961=2044044
|1972=3606744
|1981=5437984
|1986=7443663
|1998=9802134
|2017=14910352
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source:<ref name="pt28Aug2017" />{{sfn|Laurent Gayer|2014|pp=26}}<ref name="statpak">{{cite web|url=http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/pop_major_cities/pop_major_cities.html |title=Population size and growth of major cities |publisher=Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222175007/http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/pop_major_cities/pop_major_cities.html |archive-date=22 December 2010 }}<br />Note: The 1998 census showed a population of about nine million but this did not include workers living in Karachi but registered as living elsewhere in Pakistan by the [[National Database and Registration Authority]] as well as large numbers of [[Afghan refugees]], Bangladeshis, Indians, Nepalis and others (incl. Filipinos, Iranians, Iraqis, Burmese).</ref><ref name=npr>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91009748|title=The Urban Frontier – Karachi|publisher=NPR|date=2 June 2008|access-date=17 January 2010}}</ref><br />† Large population rise between 1941 and 1951 due to<br />large-scale migration after independence in 1947.
}}
 
Political parties in the province have suggested the city's population has been underestimated in a deliberate attempt to undermine the political power of the city and province.<ref name=taj/> Senator [[Taj Haider]] from the [[Pakistan People's Party|PPP]] claimed he had official documents revealing the city's population to be 25.6&nbsp;million in 2013,<ref name=taj>{{cite news|title=Census commissioner rejects political parties' concerns|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1369642|access-date=1 December 2017|work=Dawn|date=10 November 2017}}</ref> while the Sindh Bureau of Statistics, part of by the PPP-led provincial administration, estimated Karachi's 2016 population to be 19.1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sindh at a Glance – 2016|url=http://sindhbos.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Sindh-at-Glance-2016.pdf|website=Sindh Bureau of Statistics|publisher=Government of Sindh|access-date=1 December 2017|page=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201131518/http://sindhbos.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Sindh-at-Glance-2016.pdf|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
=== Districts Population Density per Sq.km.===
 
According to 2017 Census, [[Karachi Central District|Karachi Central]] is the most densely populated district not only among six districts of Karachi, but also allover Pakistan with 43,063.51 persons living per square kilometres.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
!|Rank
!|District
!|Population (2017 census)<ref name="pbscensus-District wise - Sindh">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/District%20wise%20Sindh%20TABLE%201%202017%20FINAL.pdf|title=TABLE – 4 AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN PROPORTION,HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF SINDH|author=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref>
!|Area (Sq.Km.)
!|Density
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 1
! [[Karachi Central District|Central]]
|2,971,382
|69
|43,063.51
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 2
! [[Korangi District|Korangi]]
|2,577,556
|108
|23,866.26
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 3
! [[Karachi East District|East]]
|2,875,315
|139
|20,685.72
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 4
! [[Karachi South District|South]]
|1,769,230
|122
|14,501.89
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 5
! [[Karachi West District|West]]
|3,907,065
|929
|4,205.67
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 6
! [[Malir District|Malir]]
|1,924,364
|2,160
|890.90
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
! All
|'''16,024,894'''
|'''3,527'''
|'''4,543.49'''
|-
|}
 
===Ethnicity===
 
The oldest portions of modern Karachi reflect the ethnic composition of the first settlement, with Balochis and Sindhis continuing to make up a large portion of the Lyari neighbourhood,<ref name="autogenerated3" /> though many of the residents are relatively recent migrants. Following Partition, large numbers of Hindus left Pakistan for the newly independent [[Dominion of India]] (later the Republic of India), while a larger percentage of Muslim migrant and refugees from India settled in Karachi. The city grew 150% during the ten period between 1941 and 1951 with the new arrivals from India,<ref name="Pakistan: A Country Study">{{cite book|last1=Blood|first1=Peter R.|title=Pakistan: A Country Study|date=1986|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-0-7881-3631-3|page=96}}</ref> who made up 57% of Karachi's population in 1951.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hinnells|first1=John|title=The Zoroastrian Diaspora: Religion and Migration|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-151350-3|page=193}}</ref> The city is now considered a melting pot of Pakistan, and is the country's most diverse city.<ref name="autogenerated3" />
 
In 2011, an estimated 2.5&nbsp;million foreign migrants lived in the city, mostly from [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Myanmar]], and [[Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for City|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers India|isbn=9789351160861}}</ref>
[[File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img88 Charminar Chowrangi.jpg|thumb|Karachi is home to large numbers of descendants of refugees and migrants from [[Hyderabad]], in southern India, who built a small replica of Hyderabad's famous [[Charminar]] monument in Karachi's [[Bahadurabad]] area.]]
 
Much of Karachi's citizenry descend from Urdu-speaking migrants and refugees from North India who became known by the Arabic term for "Migrant": [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajir]]. The first Muhajirs of Karachi arrived in 1946 in the aftermath of the [[Great Calcutta Killings]] and subsequent [[1946 Bihar riots]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=BHAVNANI |first1=NANDITA|title=THE MAKING OF EXILE: SINDHI HINDUS AND THE PARTITION OF INDIA|date=2014|publisher=Westland|isbn=9789384030339|pages=434 |chapter=3}}</ref> The city's wealthy Hindus opposed the resettlement of refugees near their homes, and so many refugees were accommodated in the older and more congested parts of Karachi.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bhavnani |first1=Nandita |year=2014|title=The Making of Exile: Sindhi Hindus and the Partition of India |publisher=Westland |pages=39–40 |isbn=9789384030339 |quote=In June 1947, it was initially proposed to settle the muhajirs on a large plot of land in Bunder Road Extension, a well-heeled suburb of Karachi. This was, however, a residential area dominated by affluent Sindhi Hindus, who became nervous about such a large number of discontented lower-class Muslim refugees living in such close proximity to them. Given their influence, the Hindus were able to sway the government into transferring the proposed resettlement site to Lyari, a more congested and lower middle-class area.}}</ref> The city witnessed a large influx of Muhajirs following Partition, who were drawn to the port city and newly designated federal capital for its white-collar job opportunities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tan |first1=Tai Yong |author-link1=Tan Tai Yong |last2=Kudaisya |first2=Gyanesh |author-link2=Gyanesh Kudaisya |year=2000 |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |url=https://archive.org/details/aftermathpartiti00kuda |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge |pages=[https://archive.org/details/aftermathpartiti00kuda/page/n248 234]–235 |isbn=978-0-415-17297-4 |quote=In 1947, as the new Federal Government of Pakistan struggled to establish itself in Karachi, a large number of Muslim refugees from northern India came and settled down in the city{{nbsp}}... Karachi became the preferred destination of northern Indian Urdu-speaking Muslims who hoped to find white-collar employment opportunities in the cosmopolitan commercial and port city.}}</ref> Muhajirs continued to migrate to Pakistan throughout the 1950s and early 1960s,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Khalidi |first=Omar |date=Autumn 1998 |title=From Torrent to Trickle: Indian Muslim Migration to Pakistan, 1947–97 |journal=Islamic Studies |volume=37 |number=3 |pages=339–352 |jstor=20837002}}</ref> with Karachi remaining the primary destination of Indian Muslim migrants throughout those decades.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=KHALIDI|first=OMAR|title=From Torrent to Trickle: Indian Muslim Migration to Pakistan, 1947—97|date=1 January 1998|jstor=20837002 |journal=Islamic Studies|volume=37|issue=3|pages=339–352}}</ref> The Muhajir Urdu-speaking community in the 2017 census forms slightly less than 45% of the city's population.<ref name=stats>{{cite news|title=STATISTICS: THE KARACHI-LAHORE CENSUS CONUNDRUM|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1356681|access-date=1 December 2017|work=Dawn|date=10 September 2017}}</ref> Muhajirs form the bulk of Karachi's middle class.<ref name="autogenerated3" /> Muhajirs are regarded as the city's most secular community, while other minorities such as Christians and Hindus increasingly regard themselves as part of the Muhajir community.<ref name="autogenerated3" />
 
Karachi is home to a wide array of non-Urdu speaking Muslim peoples from what is now the [[Republic of India]]. The city has a sizable community of [[Gujarati Muslims|Gujarati]], [[Marathi Muslims|Marathi]], [[Konkani Muslims|Konkani]]-speaking refugees.<ref name="autogenerated3" /> Karachi is also home to a several-thousand member strong community of [[Mappila|Malabari Muslims]] from [[Kerala]] in [[South India]].<ref>{{cite web|author=M R Narayan Swamy |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_where-malayalees-once-held-sway_4610 |title=Where Malayalees once held sway & Updates at |website=Daily News and Analysis |date=5 October 2005 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> These ethno-linguistic groups are being [[Cultural assimilation|assimilated]] in the Urdu-speaking community.<ref name="http">{{cite web|url=http://www.merinews.com/article/political-and-ethnic-battles-turn-karachi-into-beirut-of-south-asia/15875445.shtml|title=Political and ethnic battles turn Karachi into Beirut of South Asia " Crescent|publisher=Merinews.com|access-date=24 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130080304/http://www.merinews.com/article/political-and-ethnic-battles-turn-karachi-into-beirut-of-south-asia/15875445.shtml|archive-date=30 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
During the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s, large numbers [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]] from the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|NWFP]] migrated to Karachi with Afghan Pashtun refugees settling in Karachi during the 80's.<ref name=pbs>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2009/07/karachis_invisi.html |title=Karachi's Invisible Enemy|first=Sharmeen|last=Obaid-Chinoy|publisher=PBS|date=17 July 2009|access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="The National">{{cite web |url=http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090825/FOREIGN/708249931 |title=In a city of ethnic friction, more tinder |website=The National |date=24 August 2009 |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116211443/http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20090825%2FFOREIGN%2F708249931 |archive-date=16 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="tribune.com.pk">{{cite magazine|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/43827/the-pakhtun-in-karachi/ |title=Columnists &#124; The Pakhtun in Karachi |magazine=Time |date=28 August 2010 |access-date=8 September 2011}}</ref><ref name="thefridaytimes.com">http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20110715&page=5 {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121209085408/http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20110715&page=5 |date=9 December 2012 }}, thefridaytimes</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2009/02/10/local9.htm|title=UN body, police baffled by minister's threat against Afghan refugees|date=10 February 2009|access-date=24 January 2012}}</ref> By some estimates, Karachi is home to the world's largest urban Pashtun population,<ref name="Crossroads">{{cite book|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe |title=Pakistan at the Crossroads: Domestic Dynamics and External Pressures|date=2016|publisher=Columbia University|isbn=978-0-231-54025-4|page=128<!--|pages=384--> |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A791CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA128}}</ref> with more Pashtun citizens than the [[FATA]].<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /><ref name="Crossroads" /> While generally considered to be one of Karachi's most conservative communities, Pashtuns in Karachi generally vote for the secular [[Awami National Party]] rather than religious parties.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> Pashtuns from Afghanistan are regarded as the most conservative community.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> Pashtuns from Pakistan's [[Swat Valley]], in contrast, are generally seen as more liberal in social outlook.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> The Pashtun community forms the bulk of manual labourers and transporters.{{sfn|Laurent Gayer|2014|pp=44}} Anatol Lieven of [[Georgetown University in Qatar]] wrote in 2021 that due to Pashtuns settling the city, "Karachi (not Kabul, Kandahar or Peshawar) may be the largest Pashtun city in the world."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lieven|first=Anatol|title=An Afghan Tragedy: The Pashtuns, the Taliban and the State|journal=[[Survival (journal)|Survival: Global Politics and Strategy]]|volume=63|year=2021|issue=3 |pages=7–36|doi=10.1080/00396338.2021.1930403|doi-access=free}}</ref>
 
Migrants from Punjab began settling in Karachi in large numbers in the 1960s, and now make up an estimated 14% of Karachi's population.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> The community forms the bulk of the city's police force,<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> and also form a large portion of Karachi's entrepreneurial classes and direct a larger portion of Karachi's service-sector economy.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> The bulk of Karachi's Christian community, which makes up 2.5% of the city's population, is Punjabi.<ref name="pakistanchristianpost.com">[http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewarticles.php?editorialid=272 Pakistan Christian Post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194247/http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewarticles.php?editorialid=272 |date=3 March 2016 }} accessed 5 August 2017</ref>
 
Despite being the capital of Sindh province, only 6–8% of the city is Sindhi.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> Sindhis form much of the municipal and provincial bureaucracy.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> 4% of Karachi's population speaks Balochi as its mother tongue, though most Baloch speakers are of [[Sheedi]] heritage{{snd}}a community that traces its roots to Africa.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" />
 
Following the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] and independence of [[Bangladesh]], thousands of Urdu-speaking [[Bihari people|Biharis]] arrived in the city, preferring to remain Pakistani rather than live in the newly independent country. Large numbers of [[Bengali people|Bengalis]] also migrated from Bangladesh to Karachi during periods of economic growth in the 1980s and 1990s. Karachi is now home to an estimated 2.5 to 3{{nbsp}}million ethnic [[Bangladeshis in Pakistan|Bengalis living in Pakistan]].<ref name="Falling back" /><ref name="cidcm.umd.edu" /> [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]] refugees from [[Myanmar]], who speak a dialect of Bengali and are sometimes regarded as Bengalis, also live in the city. Karachi is home to an estimated [[Burmese people in Pakistan|400,000 Rohingya residents]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/from-south-to-south-refug_b_100387.html|title=From South to South: Refugees as Migrants: The Rohingya in Pakistan|website=HuffPost|date=12 May 2008|access-date=24 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606233229/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/from-south-to-south-refug_b_100387.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-333213-Bengali-and-Rohingya-leaders-gearing-up-for-LG-polls|title=Bengali and Rohingya leaders gearing up for LG polls|website=The News|access-date=18 December 2015|archive-date=14 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814203153/http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-333213-Bengali-and-Rohingya-leaders-gearing-up-for-LG-polls|url-status=dead}}</ref> Large scale [[Rohingya people|Rohingya]] migration to Karachi made Karachi one of the largest population centres of [[Rohingya people|Rohingyas]] in the world outside of Myanmar.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1165299|title=Identity issue haunts Karachi's Rohingya population|last=Rehman|first=Zia Ur|date=23 February 2015|work=Dawn|quote=Their large-scale migration had made Karachi one of the largest Rohingya population centres outside Myanmar but afterwards the situation started turning against them. |access-date=26 December 2016}}</ref>
 
Central Asian migrants from [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Kyrghyzstan]] have also settled in the city.<ref name="conflictedkarachi">{{cite web|url=http://blog.dawn.com/2010/08/26/conflicting-karachi/ |title=Conflicted Karachi|website=Dawn |date=26 August 2010 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> Domestic workers from the [[Philippines]] are employed in Karachi's posh locales, while many of the city's teachers hail from [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="conflictedkarachi" /> Expatriates from China began migrating to Karachi in the 1940s, to work as dentists, chefs and shoemakers, while many of their decedents continue to live in Pakistan.<ref name="conflictedkarachi" /><ref name="DawnKarachi">{{citation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040715054506/http://dawn.com/report/lifestyles/mino1.htm|archive-date=15 July 2004|url=http://dawn.com/report/lifestyles/mino1.htm|date=9 July 2001|access-date=26 July 2009|periodical=Dawn|title=The melting pot by the sea|last=Ramzi|first=Shanaz}}</ref> The city is also home to a small number of British and American expatriates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1997/nov/14/news/mn-53634 |title=After Slayings, Americans in Karachi Weigh Choices |website=Los Angeles Times |date=12 June 2009 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
 
During [[World War II]], about 3,000 Polish refugees from the [[Soviet Union]], with some Polish families who chose to remain in the city after Partition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wbj.pl/article-54930-polish-pakistan-relations-a-need-for-understanding.html |title=Warsaw Business Journal&nbsp;– Online Portal |publisher=wbj.pl |date=13 June 2011 |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304210743/http://www.wbj.pl/article-54930-polish-pakistan-relations-a-need-for-understanding.html |archive-date=4 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tNENuKhDGfwC&pg=PA27|title=The Exile Mission|access-date=14 June 2015|isbn=9780821415269|last1=Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann|first1=Anna D|year=2004}}</ref> Post-Partition Karachi also once had a sizable refugee community from post-revolutionary [[Iran]].<ref name="conflictedkarachi" />
 
===Religion===
 
{{bar box
|title=Religions in Karachi<ref name="cia-rel">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html#pk|title=Religions in Pakistan|website=[[The World Factbook]]|access-date=9 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Curtis, Lisa 2009">Curtis, Lisa; Mullick, Haider (4 May 2009). "Reviving Pakistan's Pluralist Traditions to Fight Extremism". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2011</ref><ref name="Religions 2010">a b c "Religions: Islam 95%, other (includes Christian and Hindu, 2% Ahmadiyyah ) 5%". CIA. The World Factbook on Pakistan. 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010.</ref><ref># ^ International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: "Have Pakistanis Forgotten Their Sufi Traditions?" by Rohan Bedi April 2006</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1='''Religions'''
|right1='''Percent'''
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|Green|96.5}}
{{bar percent|Christianity|blue|2.49}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|orange|0.86}}
{{bar percent|Others|purple|0.4}}
}}
[[File:Abdullah Shah Ghazi Shrine Clifton Karachi.jpg|thumb|[[Abdullah Shah Ghazi]], an 8th Century [[Sufi]] mystic, is the patron saint of Karachi.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hasan|first1=Arif|title=Karachi's Densification|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1102536|website=Dawn|access-date=6 December 2016|date=27 April 2014|quote=The other site is the over 1,200-year-old tomb of Ghazi Abdullah Shah, a descendant of Imam Hasan. He has become the patron saint of Karachi and his urs is an important event for the city and its inhabitants.}}</ref> ]]
[[File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img40 StPatrick Cathedral.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi|St. Patrick's Cathedral]], built-in 1881, serves as the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi|Archdiocese of Karachi]].]]
[[File:SWAMI NARAYAN TEMPLE HADDID UDDIN - panoramio - Haddid Uddin.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright|The [[Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi|Swaminarayan Temple]] is the largest [[Hindu temple]] in Karachi.]]
 
Karachi is a religiously homogeneous city with more than 96 per cent of its population adhering to Islam.<ref>Peter van der Veer: ''Handbook of Religion and the Asian City – Aspiration and Urbanization in the Twenty-First Century'', California University Press, 2015, ISBN 9780520961081, p. 388</ref> ''Karachiites'' adhere to numerous sects and sub-sects of [[Islam]], as well as [[Protestant Christianity]], and community of [[Goan Catholics]]. The city also is home to large numbers of [[Hindu]]s, and a small community of [[Zoroastrian]]s. According to Nichola Khan Karachi is also the world's largest Muslim city.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cityscapes of Violence in Karachi: Publics and Counterpublics|first=Nichola|last= Khan|year= 2016| isbn= 9780190869786|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote= ... With a population of over 23 million Karachi is also the world's largest Muslim city, the world's seventh-largest conurbation ... }}</ref>
 
Prior to Pakistan's independence in 1947, the religious demographics of the city was estimated to be 51.1% Hindu, 42.3% Muslim, with the remaining 7% primarily Christians (both British and native), Sikhs, Jains, with a small number of Jews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7435/1/40138_1941_TAB.pdf|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XII SIND|access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> Following the independence of Pakistan, the vast majority of Karachi's [[Sindhi Hindus|Sindhi Hindu]] population left for India while Muslim refugees from India, in turn, settled in the city. The city continued to attract migrants from throughout Pakistan, who were overwhelmingly Muslim, and the city's population nearly doubled again in the 1950s.<ref name="Pakistan: A Country Study" /> As a result of continued migration, over 96.5% of the city currently is estimated to be Muslim.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" />
 
Karachi is overwhelmingly Muslim,<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> though the city is one of Pakistan's most secular cities.<ref name="autogenerated3" /><ref name="India Today" /><ref name="dw.com" /> Approximately 85% of Karachi's Muslims are [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]], while 15% are [[Shia Islam|Shi'ites]].<!--empty references<ref name="LoC" /><ref name="Oxford" /><ref name="CIA" />--><ref name="PRC">{{cite web |url=http://pewforum.org/Muslim/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population%286%29.aspx |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |access-date=28 August 2010 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=7 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="PRCPDF">{{cite book|url=http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |editor-last=Miller |editor-first=Tracy |date=October 2009 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |access-date=28 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108194815/http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="State">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108505.htm |title=Pakistan – International Religious Freedom Report 2008 |date=19 September 2008 |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |access-date=28 August 2010}}</ref> [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] primarily follow the [[Hanafi]] school of [[jurisprudence]], with [[Sufism]] influencing religious practices by encouraging reverence for Sufi saints such as [[Abdullah Shah Ghazi]] and [[Mewa Shah]]. [[Shia Islam|Shi'ites]] are predominantly [[Twelver]], with a significant [[Ismailism|Ismaili]] minority which is further subdivided into [[Nizari]]s, [[Mustaali]]s, [[Dawoodi Bohra]]s, and [[Sulaymani]]s.
 
Approximately 2.5% of Karachi's population is Christian.<ref name="cia-rel" /><ref name="Curtis, Lisa 2009" /><ref name="Religions 2010" /> The city's Christian community is primarily composed of Punjabi Christians,<ref name="pakistanchristianpost.com" /> who converted from Sikhism to Christianity during the [[British Raj]].<ref>Alter, J.P and J. Alter (1986) ''In the Doab and Rohilkhand: North Indian Christianity, 1815–1915''. I.S.P.C.K publishing p196</ref> Karachi has a community of [[Goan Catholics]] who are typically better-educated and more affluent than their Punjabi co-religionists.<ref>{{cite news|title=Who are Pakistan's Christians?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35910331|access-date=17 November 2016|publisher=BBC|date=28 March 2016}}</ref> They established the posh [[Cincinnatus Town]] in [[Garden East]] as a Goan enclave. The Goan community dates from 1820 and has a population estimated to be 12,000–15,000 strong.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barbosa|first1=Alexandre Moniz|title=A Dash of Goa in Pakistan |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/A-dash-of-Goa-in-Pakistan/articleshow/9866412.cms|access-date=17 November 2016|work=The Times of India|date=5 September 2001|quote=The city, however, has roughly between 12,000 and 15,000 'Goans', a number that has remained fairly constant for the past 190 years, since the first wave of migrating Goans in dhows washed up on its shores in 1820 and made it their home.}}</ref> Karachi is served by its own archdiocese, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi]].
 
While most of the city's Hindu population left ''en masse'' for India following Pakistan's independence, Karachi still has a large Hindu community with an estimated population of 250,000 based on 2013 data,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pakistanhinducouncil.org/hindupopulation.asp |title=Population of Hindus in the World |publisher=pakistanhinducouncil.org |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518031747/http://www.pakistanhinducouncil.org/hindupopulation.asp |archive-date=18 May 2013}}</ref> with several active temples in central Karachi. The Hindu community is split into a more affluent [[Sindhi Hindu]] and small [[Punjabi Hindus|Punjabi Hindu]] group that forms part of Karachi's educated middle class, while poorer Hindus of [[Rajasthani people|Rajasthani]] and [[Marwari people|Marwari]] descent form the other part and typically serve as menial and day laborers. Wealthier Hindus live primarily in [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]] and [[Saddar Town|Saddar]], while poorer ones live and have temples in [[Narayan Pura|Narayanpura]] and [[Lyari]]. Many streets in central Karachi still retain Hindu names, especially in [[Mithadar]], [[Aram Bagh, Karachi|Aram Bagh]] (formerly Ram Bagh), and [[Saddar Town|Saddar]].
 
Karachi's affluent and influential [[Zoroastrian|Parsis]] have lived in the region in the 12th century, though the modern community dates from the mid 19th century when they served as military contractors and commissariat agents to the British.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hinnells |first1=John|title=The Zoroastrian Diaspora: Religion and Migration|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-151350-3|page=199|date=28 April 2005}}</ref> Further waves of Parsi immigrants from [[Persia]] settled in the city in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hinnells|first1=John|title=The Zoroastrian Diaspora: Religion and Migration|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-151350-3|page=202|date=28 April 2005}}</ref> The population of Parsis in Karachi and throughout South Asia is in continuous decline due to low birth-rates and migration to Western countries.<ref>{{cite news|title=Why is India's wealthy Parsi community vanishing?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35219331|access-date=17 November 2016|publisher=BBC|date=9 January 2016}}</ref> According to Framji Minwalla approximately 1,092 [[Parsis]] are left in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/464419-two-decades-from-now-pakistan-will-have-no-parsis |title = Two decades from now, Pakistan will have no Parsis}}</ref>
 
===Language===
{{Pie chart
|label1=[[Urdu]]
|label2=[[Pashto]]
|label3=[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|label4=[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
|label5=[[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]
|label6=[[Balochi language|Balochi]]
|label7=Others
|color1=green
|color2=orange
|color3=skyblue
|color4=red
|color5=blue
|color6=gold
|color7=Grey
|value1=42.30
|value2=15.01
|value3=10.73
|value4=10.67
|value5=4.98
|value6=4.04
|value7=12.25
|caption=
}}
 
Karachi has the largest number of Urdu speakers in Pakistan.{{sfn|Amos Owen Thomas|2005|pp=121}} As per the 2017 census, the linguistic breakdown of [[Karachi Division]] is:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
!|Rank
!|Language
!|2017 census<ref name="pbscensus2">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/sindh/Table11p.pdf|title=TABLE 11 – POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE, SEX AND RURAL/ URBAN|author=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=28 July 2021}}</ref>
!|Speakers
!|1998 census{{sfn|Jonah Blank|Christopher Clary|Brian Nichiporuk|2014}}
!|Speakers
!|1981 census{{sfn|Stephen P. Cohen|2004}}
!|Speakers
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 1
! [[Urdu language|Urdu]]
|42.30%
|6,779,142
|48.52%
|4,497,747
|54.34%
|2,830,098
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 2
! [[Pashto language|Pashto]]
|15.01%
|2,406,011
|11.42%
|1,058,650
|8.71%
|453,628
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 3
! [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|10.73%
|1,719,636
|13.94%
|1,292,335
|13.64%
|710,389
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 4
! [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
|10.67%
|1,709,877
|7.22%
|669,340
|6.29%
|327,591
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 5
! [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]
|4.98%
|798,031
|2.11%
|195,681
|0.35%
|18,228
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 6
! [[Balochi language|Balochi]]
|4.04%
|648,964
|4.34%
|402,386
|4.39%
|228,636
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 7
! Others
|12.25%
|1,963,233
|12.44%
|1,153,126
|12.27%
|639,560
|-
|
! All
|100%
|16,024,894
|100%
|9,269,265
|100%
|5,208,132
|}
The category of "others" includes Hindko, Brahvi, Kashmiri, [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Dawoodi Bohra]], [[Memon language|Memon]], [[Marwari language|Marwari]], [[Dari (Eastern Persian)|Dari]], [[Brahui language|Brahui]], [[Siddi|Makrani]], [[Hazara people|Hazara]], [[Khowar language|Khowar]], [[Gilgiti Language|Gilgiti]], [[Burushaski language|Burushaski]], [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Arabic]], [[Persian language|Farsi]], [[Hindi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]].<ref name="demographics">{{cite web|url=http://www.findpk.com/cities/html/karachi.html |title=Karachi |publisher=Findpk.com |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014142856/http://www.findpk.com/cities/html/karachi.html |archive-date=14 October 2013}}</ref> The number of Sindhi speakers in Karachi is growing as many are moving from rural areas to the city.<ref name="Karachi in the Twenty-First Century: Political, Social, Economic and Security Dimensions">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSj5DAAAQBAJ |title=Karachi in the Twenty-First Century: Political, Social, Economic and Security Dimensions|date=22 February 2016|isbn=9781443889346}}</ref>
 
==Transportation==
 
{{Main|Transport in Karachi}}
 
===Road===
 
{{Main|List of streets in Karachi}}
[[File:Nagan Ch Karachi.jpg|thumb|Nagan Chowrangi interchange is a major intersection in northern Karachi.]]
[[File:Lyari Expressway SSS Man Interchange.jpg|thumb|Lyari Expressway Interchange]]
 
Karachi is served by a road network estimated to be approximately {{convert|9500|km|abbr=off}} in length,<ref>{{cite news|title=In Karachi, 16,562 more vehicles hit the roads each month|url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/12/24/city/karachi/in-karachi-16562-more-vehicles-hit-the-roads-each-month/|access-date=25 November 2016 |work=Pakistan Today|date=24 December 2011}}</ref> serving approximately 3.1&nbsp;million vehicles per day.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
 
Karachi is served by three "Signal-Free Corridors" which are designed as urban express roads to permit traffic to transverse large distances without the need to stop at intersections and stoplights.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} The first opened in 2007 and connects [[Shah Faisal Town]] in eastern Karachi to the industrial-estates in [[SITE Town]] {{convert|10.5|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} away. The second corridor connects [[Surjani Town]] with Shahrah-e-Faisal over a 19-kilometre span, while the third stretch {{convert|28|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} and connects Karachi's urban centre to the [[Gulistan-e-Johar]] suburb. A fourth corridor that will link Karachi's centre to Karachi's [[Malir Town]] is currently under construction.
 
Karachi is the terminus of the [[M9 motorway (Pakistan)|M-9 motorway]], which connects Karachi to [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]]. The road is a part of a much larger motorway network under construction as part of the expansive [[China Pakistan Economic Corridor]]. From Hyderabad, motorways have been built, or are being constructed, to provide high-speed road access to the northern Pakistani cities of [[Peshawar]] and [[Mansehra]] {{convert|1100|km|mi|-2|abbr=on}} to the north of Karachi.
 
Karachi is also the terminus of the [[N-5 National Highway]] which connects the city to the historic medieval capital of Sindh, [[Thatta]]. It offers further connections to northern Pakistan and the Afghan border near [[Torkham]], as well as the N-25 National Highway which connects the port city to the Afghan border near [[Quetta]].
 
Within the city of Karachi, the [[Lyari Expressway]] is a [[controlled-access highway]] along the [[Lyari River]] in Karachi, [[Sindh]], Pakistan. {{as of|2018|February|8}} [[Lyari Expressway]]'s north-bound and south-bound sections are both complete and open for traffic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1385821 |title=After 15 years, Lyari Expressway finally becomes fully operational|website=Dawn|date=28 January 2018|location=Pakistan |access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref> This toll highway is designed to relieve congestion in the city of Karachi. To the north of Karachi lies the [[Karachi Northern Bypass]] (M10), which starts near the junction of the [[Super Highway|M9]]. It then continues north for a few kilometres before turning west, where it intersects the [[National Highways of Pakistan|N25]].
 
===Rail===
 
{{Main|Karachi Circular Railway|List of railway stations in Pakistan}}
[[File:Karachi cantt. station full facade.JPG|thumb|Karachi's [[Karachi Cantonment railway station|Cantonment railway station]] is one of the city's primary transport hubs.]]
 
Karachi is linked by rail to the rest of the country by [[Pakistan Railways]]. The [[Karachi City Station]] and [[Karachi Cantonment Railway Station]] are the city's two major railway stations.<ref name="nadeemf.paracha" /> The city has an international rail link, the [[Thar Express]] which links Karachi Cantonment Station with [[Bhagat Ki Kothi railway station|Bhagat Ki Kothi station]] in [[Jodhpur]], India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geo.tv/12-4-2010/75294.htm |title=Thar Express escapes blast near Karachi |publisher=GEO.tv |date=4 December 2010 |access-date=21 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105192658/http://www.geo.tv/12-4-2010/75294.htm |archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref>
 
The railway system also handles freight linking Karachi port to destinations up-country in northern Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/31-Dec-2015/railways-to-upgrade-waiting-halls-at-16-major-stations|title=Railways to upgrade waiting halls at 16 major stations|website=Daily Times|access-date=25 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302181953/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/31-Dec-2015/railways-to-upgrade-waiting-halls-at-16-major-stations|archive-date=2 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city is the terminus for the [[Karachi–Peshawar main railway line|Main Line-1 Railway]] which connects Karachi to Peshawar. Pakistan's rail network, including the Main Line-1 Railway is being upgraded as part of the [[China Pakistan Economic Corridor]], allowing trains to depart Karachi and travel on Pakistani railways at an average speed of {{convert|160|km/h|abbr=on|-1}} versus the average {{convert|60|to|105|km/h|abbr=on|round=5}} speed currently possible on existing track.<ref>{{cite news|title=Karachi-Peshawar railway line being upgraded under CPEC|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/22-Jan-2016/karachi-peshawar-railway-line-being-upgraded-under-cpec|access-date=10 February 2016|work=Daily Times|date=22 January 2016}}</ref>
 
===Public transport===
 
Karachi's public transport infrastructure is inadequate and constrained by low levels of investment.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hashim|first1=Asad|title=Karachi's public transport on the verge of collapse: report|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1158772|website=Dawn|access-date=1 December 2016|date=23 January 2015}}</ref>
 
====Metrobus====
{{Main|Karachi Metrobus}}
[[File:Greenline Metrobus Station 2.jpg|thumb|Greeline Metrobus Station]]
The Pakistani Government is developing the [[Karachi Metrobus]] project, which is a multi-line {{convert|112.9|km|mi|frac=4|abbr=off|adj=on}} [[bus rapid transit]] system currently under construction.{{sfn|United Nations|2007|pp=165}} The Metrobus project was inaugurated by then-Prime Minister [[Nawaz Sharif]] on 25 February 2016. Sharif said the "project will be more beautiful than Lahore Metro Bus".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1241849|title=Karachi's Green Line bus will be more beautiful than Lahore metro: PM Nawaz|date=26 February 2016|newspaper=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=25 February 2017}}</ref> The projects initial launch date was February 2017, but due to the slow pace of work, it is not yet operational.
The Metrobus project has also been criticized for not being accessible for wheelchair users.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1356380|title=How I'm socially excluded for the mere fact that I'm a wheelchair user|date=8 September 2017|newspaper=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref>
 
====Karachi Circular Railway====
[[File:Karachi Circular Railway.jpg|thumb|[[Karachi Circular Railway]]]]
[[Karachi Circular Railway]] is a partially active regional [[public transport|public transit system]] in Karachi, which serves the [[Karachi District|Karachi metropolitan area]]. KCR was fully operational between 1969 and 1999. Since 2001, restoration of the railway and restarting the system had been sought.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/10-Aug-2020/chairman-railways-visits-kcr-track|title = Chairman Railways visits KCR track|date = 10 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2260409/supreme-court-gives-four-more-months-to-overhaul-railways|title = Supreme Court gives four more months to overhaul railways|date = 20 August 2020}}</ref> In November 2020, the KCR partially revived operations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1591237/karachi-circular-railway-begins-partial-operations-today|title=Karachi Circular Railway begins partial operations|date=19 November 2020}}</ref>
 
With its hub at [[Karachi City railway station|Karachi City station]] on [[I. I. Chundrigar Road]], KCR's revived operations would extend north to [[Gadap]], east to [[Dhabeji]], south to [[Keamari (locality)|Kiamari]] and west to [[Hub, Balochistan|Hub]]. The revived KCR operation is intended to become an inter-regional [[public transit]] system in Karachi, with an aim to connect the city centre with several industrial and commercial districts within the city and the outlying suburbs.<ref name="Railway Technology">{{cite web |url= http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/karachicircularrailw/|title=Karachi Circular Railway Revival, Pakistan|publisher=railway-technology.com|access-date=4 October 2012}}</ref>
 
====Tramway service====
An iconic [[wikt:Special:Search/tramway|tramway]] service was started in 1884 in Karachi but was closed in 1975 because of some reason.<ref>{{cite news|title=OLMT project to face further delay|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1941286/1-olmt-project-face-delay/|access-date=2 April 2019|agency=[[The Express Tribune]]|author=Adnan, Imran|date=1 April 2019|quote=As per the direction of the apex court, he said, the civil works of the project will be completed by end of July 2019. But the project will not enter into commercial operations by August or November 2019.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Manufacturing of orange trains starts, says Kh Hassan|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/122738-Manufacturing-of-orange-trains-starts-says-Kh-Hassan|access-date=24 January 2017|agency=The News|date=26 May 2016|quote=Latest technology will be employed for fabricating these trains and the rolling-stock will be fully computerised, automatic and driverless.}}</ref> However, the revival of tramway service is proposed by Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Ali. Turkey has offered assistance in the revival and launching modern tramway service in Karachi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2264436/turkey-offers-help-in-bringing-iconic-tram-service-back-to-karachi?amp=1|title = Turkey offers help in bringing iconic tram service back to Karachi|date = 17 September 2020}}</ref>
 
===Air===
 
[[File:PK Karachi Airport asv2020-01.jpg|thumb|Karachi's [[Jinnah International Airport]] is the busiest and second largest airport in Pakistan.]]
 
Karachi's [[Jinnah International Airport]] is the busiest airport of Pakistan with a total of 7.2&nbsp;million passengers in 2018. The current terminal structure was built in 1992, and is divided into international and domestic sections. Karachi's airport serves as a [[airline hub|hub]] for the [[flag carrier]], [[Pakistan International Airlines]] (PIA), as well as for [[Air Indus]], [[SereneAir|Serene Air]] and [[airblue]]. The airport offers non-stop flights to destinations throughout East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Persian [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf States]], Europe and North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.piac.com.pk/schedule/display_abc.asp?date=3:16:07+AM|title=Pakistan International Airlines – Pakistan International Airlines – PIA|website=piac.com.pk}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="PKint">{{Cite web|url=https://www.piac.com.pk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726225316/http://www.piac.com.pk/PIA_About/intnetwork.asp|url-status=dead|title=Pakistan International Airlines – Pakistan International Airlines – PIA|archive-date=26 July 2014|website=www.piac.com.pk}}</ref>
 
===Sea===
 
[[File:Kharachi Port.JPG|thumb|The [[Port of Karachi]] is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water [[Port|seaports]].]]
 
The largest shipping ports in Pakistan are the [[Port of Karachi]] and the nearby [[Port Qasim]], the former being the oldest port of Pakistan. Port Qasim is located {{convert|35|km|abbr=off}} east of the Port of Karachi on the [[Indus River]] estuary. These ports handle 95% of Pakistan's trade cargo to and from foreign ports. These seaports have modern facilities which include bulk handling, containers and oil terminals.{{sfn|Robert Stimson|Kingsley E. Haynes|2012|p=43}} The ports are part of the Maritime [[Silk Road]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The new Silk Road and the Sea|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/107317-The-new-Silk-Road-and-the-Sea|access-date=3 October 2021|website=www.thenews.com.pk|language=en}}</ref>
 
==Civic administration==
 
{{Main|Politics of Karachi|List of mayors of Karachi|List of Union Councils of Karachi|Commissioner of Karachi}}
 
===City government===
 
{{Main|Government of Karachi}}
 
Karachi has a fragmented system of civic government. The urban area is divided into six District Municipal Corporations: [[Karachi East District|Karachi East]], [[Karachi West District|Karachi West]], [[Karachi Central District|Karachi Central]], [[Karachi South District|Karachi South]], [[Malir District|Malir]], [[Korangi District|Korangi.]] Each district is further divided into between 22 and 42 Union Committees. Each Union Committee is represented by seven elected representatives, four of whom can be general candidates of any background; the other three seats are reserved for women, religious minorities, and a union representative or peasant farmer.
 
Karachi's urban area also includes six [[Cantonment (Pakistan)|cantonments]], which are administered directly by the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani military]], and include some of Karachi's most desirable real-estate.
 
Key civic bodies, such as the [[Karachi Water and Sewerage Board]] and KBCA (Karachi Building Control Authority), among others, are under the direct control of the [[Government of Sindh]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1225311|title=Sindh govt takes away key municipal function from local bodies|last=Azfar-ul-Ashfaque|date=10 December 2015|website=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref> Additionally, Karachi's city-planning authority for undeveloped land, the [[Karachi Development Authority]], is under control of the government, while two new city-planning authorities, the [[Lyari Development Authority]] and [[Malir Development Authority]] were revived by the [[Pakistan Peoples Party]] government in 2011{{snd}}allegedly to patronize their electoral allies and voting banks.<ref name=":02" />
 
====Historical background====
 
In response to a cholera epidemic in 1846, the [[Karachi Conservancy Board]] was organized by British administrators to control its spread.<ref name=cdgkhistory>{{cite web|url=http://221.132.118.186/cdgk/Home/Government/CDGKHistory/tabid/276/Default.aspx|title=CDGK History|publisher=City-District Government of Karachi|access-date=24 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417020709/http://221.132.118.186/cdgk/Home/Government/CDGKHistory/tabid/276/Default.aspx|archive-date=17 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Culture, Religion and Lifestyle in Karachi | website=Karachi History | date=14 August 2001 | url=http://www.karachi.com/v/history/ | access-date=5 August 2017}}</ref> The board became the Karachi Municipal Commission in 1852, and the [[Karachi Municipal Committee]] the following year.<ref name=cdgkhistory /> The City of Karachi Municipal Act of 1933 transformed the city administration into the [[Karachi Municipal Corporation]] with a mayor, a deputy mayor and 57 councillors.<ref name=cdgkhistory /> In 1976, the body became the [[Karachi Metropolitan Corporation]].<ref name=cdgkhistory />
 
During the 1900s, Karachi saw its major beautification project under the mayoralty of [[Harchandrai Vishandas]]. New roads, parks, residential, and recreational areas were developed as part of this project. In 1948, the [[Federal Capital Territory (Pakistan)|Federal Capital Territory]] of Pakistan was created, comprising approximately {{convert|2103|km2|abbr=on}} of Karachi and surrounding areas, but this was merged into the province of [[West Pakistan]] in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statoids.com/upk.html|title=Pakistan Provinces|publisher=Statoids.com|access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref> In 1996, the metropolitan area was divided into five districts, each with its own municipal corporation.<ref name=cdgkhistory />
 
====Union councils (2001–11)====
 
In 2001, during the rule of [[Pervez Musharraf|General Pervez Musharraf]], five districts of Karachi were merged to form the city district of Karachi, with a three-tier structure. The two most local tiers are composed of 18 [[Tehsil|towns]], and 178 [[Union councils of Pakistan|union councils]].<ref name=tiers>{{cite web|url=http://221.132.118.186/cdgk/Home/Towns/tabid/72/Default.aspx|title=CDGK Towns|publisher=City District Government of Karachi|access-date=24 August 2010}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Each tier focused on elected councils with some common members to provide "vertical linkage" within the federation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/default.asp |title=Local Government |publisher=National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125014524/http://nrb.gov.pk/local_government/default.asp |archive-date=25 January 2009}}</ref>
 
[[Naimatullah Khan]] was the first Nazim of Karachi during the Union Council period, while [[Shafiq-Ur-Rehman Paracha]] was the first district coordination officer of Karachi. [[Syed Mustafa Kamal]] was elected City Nazim of Karachi to succeed Naimatullah Khan in 2005 elections, and [[Nasreen Jalil]] was elected as the City Naib Nazim.
 
Each Union Council had thirteen members elected from specified electorates: four men and two women elected directly by the general population; two men and two women elected by peasants and workers; one member for minority communities; two members are elected jointly as the Union Mayor (''Nazim'') and Deputy Union Mayor (''Naib Nazim'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/union_admin_07.htm |title=Composition of the Union Council |publisher=National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803101846/http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/union_admin_07.htm |archive-date=3 August 2011 }}</ref> Each council included up to three council secretaries and a number of other civil servants. The Union Council system was dismantled in 2011.
 
====District Municipal Corporations (2011–present)====
 
In July 2011, city district government of Karachi was reverted its original constituent units known as District Municipal Corporations (DMC). The five original DMCs are: [[Karachi East District|Karachi East]], [[Karachi West District|Karachi West]], [[Karachi Central District|Karachi Central]], [[Karachi South District|Karachi South]] and [[Malir District|Malir]]. In November 2013, a sixth DMC, [[Korangi District]] was carved out from District East.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1054395|title=Korangi notified as sixth district of Karachi|first=Hasan|last=Mansoor|date=6 November 2013|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/378585-former-un-staffer-being-tipped-as-pm-s-focal-person-for-polio|title=Former UN staffer being tipped as PM's focal person for polio|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/07/11/sindh-back-to-5-divisions-after-11-years/|title=Sindh back to 5 divisions after 11 years – Pakistan Today|website=www.pakistantoday.com.pk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Aligi |first=Irfan |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/208342/changing-hands-karachi-split-into-5-districts/ |title=Changing hands: Karachi split into 5 districts |website=The Express Tribune |date=12 July 2011 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kmc.gov.pk.sv2.premiumwebserver.com/ |title=Welcome to official website of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation |publisher=Kmc.gov.pk.sv2.premiumwebserver.com |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> In August 2020, Sindh cabinet approves formation of the seventh district in Karachi (Keamari District), Keamari District was formed by splitting District West.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dawn.com/news/1575785/new-district-in-karachi,| title = New district in Karachi| date = 22 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.samaa.tv/news/2020/08/karachi-fits-seventh-district-into-its-mix-keamari/,| title = Karachi fits seventh district into its mix – Keamari}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/703699-kemari-becomes-karachi-s-seventh-district,| title = Kemari becomes Karachi's seventh district}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.pressreader.com/bahrain/gulf-today/20200822/281779926499237,| title = Keamari is now 7th district of Karachi city}}</ref>
 
The committees for each district devise and enforce land-use and zoning regulations within their district. Each committee also manages water supply, sewage, and roads (except for 28 main arteries, which are managed by the [[Karachi Metropolitan Corporation]]).<ref name=":11" /> Street lighting, traffic planning, markets regulations, and signage are also under the control of the DMCs. Each DMC also maintains its own municipal record archive, and devises its own local budget.<ref name=":11" />
 
Municipal Administration of Karachi is also run by the [[Karachi Metropolitan Corporation]] (KMC), which is responsible for the development and maintenance of main arteries, bridges, drains, several hospitals, beaches, solid waste management, as well as some parks, and the city's firefighting services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KMC Function|url=http://www.kmc.gos.pk/Contents.aspx?id=133|website=www.kmc.gos.pk|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> The Karachi mayor since 2016 is [[Waseem Akhtar]], with Arshad Hassan serving as Deputy Mayor; both serve as part of the KMC. The Metropolitan Commissioner of the KMC is Dr. Syed Saif-ur-Rehman.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Metropolitan Commissioner|url=http://www.kmc.gos.pk/Contents.aspx?id=54|website=www.kmc.gos.pk|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref>
 
The position of [[Commissioner of Karachi]] was created, with Iftikhar Ali Shallwani serving this role.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet-Commissioner Karachi Division|url=https://commissionerkarachi.gos.pk/meetcommissioner.html|website=commissionerkarachi.gos.pk|access-date=5 May 2020|archive-date=5 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505003051/http://www.commissionerkarachi.gos.pk/meetcommissioner.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are six [[Cantonments (Pakistan)|military cantonments]], which are administered by the [[Pakistani Army]], and are some of Karachi's most upscale neighbourhoods.{{Town and cantonment wise map of Karachi}}
 
===City planning===
 
The [[Karachi Development Authority]] (KDA), along with the [[Lyari Development Authority]] (LDA) and [[Malir Development Authority]] (MDA), is responsible for the development of most undeveloped land around Karachi. KDA came into existence in 1957 with the task of managing land around Karachi, while the LDA and MDA were formed in 1993 and 1994, respectively. KDA under the control of Karachi's local government and mayor in 2001, while the LDA and MDA were abolished. KDA was later placed under the direct control of the [[Government of Sindh]] in 2011. The LDA and MDA were also revived by the [[Pakistan Peoples Party]] government at the time, allegedly to patronize their electoral allies and voting banks.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Hasan|first=Arif|title=Land ownership, control and contestation in Karachi and implications for low-income housing|url=https://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10625IIED.pdf|journal=International Institute for Environment and Development United Nations Population Fund}}</ref> City-planning in Karachi, therefore, is not locally directed but is instead controlled at the provincial level.
 
Each District Municipal Corporation regulate land-use in developed areas, while the Sindh Building Control Authority ensures that building construction is in accordance with building & town planning regulations. Cantonment areas, and the [[Defence Housing Authority, Karachi|Defence Housing Authority]] are administered and planned by the military.
 
==Municipal services==
===Water===
 
Municipal water supplies are managed by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), which supplies 640&nbsp;million gallons daily (MGD) to the city (excluding the city's steel mills and [[Port Qasim]]), of which 440 MGD are filtered/treated.<ref name=":11" /> Most of the supply comes from the [[Indus River]], and 90 MGD from the [[Hub Dam]].<ref name=":11" /> Karachi's water supply is transported to the city through a complex network of canals, conduits, and siphons, with the aid of pumping and filtration stations.<ref name=":11" /> 76% of Karachi households have access to piped water {{as of|2015|lc=y}},<ref name="SPDC"/> with private water tankers supplying much of the water required in informal settlements.<ref name=wb/> 18% of residents in a 2015 survey rated their water supply as "bad" or "very bad", while 44% expressed concern at the stability of water supply.<ref name="SPDC"/> By 2015, an estimated 30,000 people were dying due to water-borne diseases annually.{{sfn|Yamini Narayanan|2015|p=165}}
 
The '''[[K-IV water project]]''' is under development at a cost of $876&nbsp;million. It is expected to supply 650&nbsp;million gallons daily of potable water to the city, the first phase 260&nbsp;million gallons upon completion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistan to award Karachi water supply project to Frontier Works Organisation|url=http://www.water-technology.net/news/newspakistan-to-award-karachi-water-supply-project-to-frontier-works-organisation-4810766/|access-date=29 November 2017|agency=Water Technology|date=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ist phase of K-IV project to be completed in June: Gov|url=http://nation.com.pk/22-Nov-2017/ist-phase-of-k-iv-project-to-be-completed-in-june-gov|access-date=29 November 2017|work=The Nation|date=22 November 2017}}</ref>
 
===Sanitation===
 
98% of Karachi's households are connected to the city's underground public sewerage system,<ref name="SPDC"/> largely operated by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB). The KW&SB operates 150 pumping stations, 25 bulk reservoirs, over 10,000 kilometres of pipes, and 250,000 manholes.<ref name=":11" /> The city generates approximately 472&nbsp;million gallons daily (MGD) of sewage, of which 417 MGD are discharged without treatment.<ref name=":11" /> KW&SB has the optimum capacity to treat up to 150 MGD of sewage, but uses only about 50 MGD of this capacity.<ref name=":11" /> Three treatment plants are available, in [[SITE Town]], [[Mahmudabad, Karachi|Mehmoodabad]], and Mauripur.<ref name=":11" /> 72% reported in 2015 that Karachi's drainage system overflows or backs up,<ref name="SPDC" /> the highest percentage of all major Pakistani cities.<ref name="SPDC" /> Parts of the city's drainage system overflow on average 2–7 times per month, flooding some city streets.<ref name="SPDC" />
 
Households in [[Orangi]] self-organized to set-up their own sewerage system under the '''[[Orangi Pilot Project]]''',<ref name="sewer" /> a community service organization founded in 1980. 90% of Orangi streets are now connected to a sewer system built by local residents under the Orangi Pilot Project.<ref name="sewer" /> Residents of individual streets bear the cost of sewerage pipes, and provide volunteer labour to lay the pipe.<ref name="sewer" /> Residents also maintain the sewer pipes,<ref name="sewer" /> while the city municipal administration has built several primary and secondary pipes for the network.<ref name="sewer" /> As a result of OPP, 96% of Orangi residents have access to a latrine.<ref name="sewer" />
 
The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) is responsible for the collection and disposal of solid waste, not only in Karachi but throughout the whole province. Karachi has the highest percentage of residents in Pakistan who report that their streets are never cleaned{{snd}}42% of residents in Karachi report their streets are never cleaned, compared to 10% of residents in [[Lahore]].<ref name="SPDC"/> Only 17% of Karachi residents reporting daily street cleaning, compared to 45%
in Lahore.<ref name="SPDC">{{cite web|url=http://www.spdc.org.pk/Data/Publication/PDF/AR2014-15.pdf|title=SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN ANNUAL REVIEW 2014–15|year=2016|publisher=SOCIAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE|access-date=28 November 2017|archive-date=5 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405051228/https://www.spdc.org.pk/Data/Publication/PDF/AR2014-15.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> 69% of Karachi residents rely on private garbage collection services,<ref name="SPDC"/> with only 15% relying on municipal garbage collection services.<ref name="SPDC"/> 57% of Karachi residents in a 2015 survey reported that the state of their neighbourhood's cleanliness was either "bad" or "very bad".<ref name="SPDC"/> compared to 35% in [[Lahore]],<ref name="SPDC"/> and 16% in [[Multan]].<ref name="SPDC"/>
 
==Education==
 
{{Main|Education in Karachi}}
[[File:Bvs 608.jpg|right|thumb|[[B. V. S. Parsi High School|Bai Virbaijee Soparivala (B.V.S.) Parsi High School]]]]
 
===Primary and secondary===
 
{{See also|List of schools in Karachi}}
 
Karachi's primary education system is divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five); [[middle school|middle]] (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the [[Secondary School Certificate]]); [[Secondary education|intermediate]] (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate); and university programs leading to [[undergraduate education|graduate]] and [[Graduate school|advanced]] degrees. Karachi has both public and private educational institutions. Most educational institutions are gender-based, from primary to university level alongside the co education institutions.
 
Several of Karachi's schools, such as [[St Patrick's High School, Karachi|St Patrick's High School]], [[St Joseph's Convent School, Karachi|St Joseph's Convent School]] and [[St Paul's English High School]], are operated by Christian churches, and among Pakistan's most prestigious schools.
 
===Higher===
 
{{See also|List of colleges in Karachi|List of universities in Karachi|List of medical schools in Karachi}}
[[File:DJCollegeKarachi.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[D. J. Sindh Government Science College]] is one of Karachi's oldest universities and dates from 1887.]]
 
Karachi is home to several major public universities. Karachi's first public university's date from the [[British Raj|British colonial]] era. The [[Sindh Madressatul Islam University|Sindh Madressatul Islam]] founded in 1885, was granted university status in 2012. Establishment of the Sindh Madressatul Islam was followed by the establishment of the [[D. J. Sindh Government Science College]] in 1887, and the institution was granted university status in 2014. The [[NED University of Engineering and Technology|Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw University of Engineering and Technology]] (NED), was founded in 1921, and is Pakistan's oldest institution of higher learning. The [[Dow University of Health Sciences]] was established in 1945, and is now one of Pakistan's top medical research institutions.
 
The [[University of Karachi]], founded in 1951, is Pakistan's largest university with a student population of 24,000. The [[Institute of Business Administration, Karachi|Institute of Business Administration]] (IBA), founded in 1955, is the oldest business school outside of North America and Europe, and was set up with technical support from the [[Wharton School]] and the [[University of Southern California]]. The [[Dawood University of Engineering and Technology]], which opened in 1962, offers degree programmes in petroleum, gas, chemical, and industrial engineering. The [[Pakistan Navy Engineering College]] (PNEC), operated by the [[Pakistan Navy]], is associated with the [[National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan|National University of Sciences and Technology]] (NUST) in Islamabad.
 
Karachi is also home to numerous private universities. The [[Aga Khan University]], founded in 1983, is Karachi's oldest private educational institution, and is one of Pakistan's most prestigious medical schools. The [[Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture]] was founded in 1989, and offers degree programmes in arts and architectural fields. [[Hamdard University]] is the largest private university in Pakistan with faculties including Eastern Medicine, Medical, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Law. The [[National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences]] (NUCES-FAST), one of Pakistan's top universities in computer education, operates two campuses in Karachi. [[Bahria University]] (BU) founded in 2000, is one of the major general institutions of Pakistan with their campuses in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore offers degree programs in Management Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology. [[Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology]] (SSUET) offers degree programmes in biomedical, electronics, telecom and computer engineering. [[Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology]] (KIET) has two campuses in Karachi. The [[Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology]] (SZABIST), founded in 1995 by former Prime Minister [[Benazir Bhutto]], operates a campus in Karachi.
* [[Iqra University]]
* [[Habib University]] [[File:Habib University 3.jpg|thumb|[[Habib University]] is a [[liberal arts college]] in Karachi.]]
* [[Dow University of Health Sciences|Dow University]]
* [[Jinnah Medical and Dental College]]
* [[Jinnah Sindh Medical University]]
* [[Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology]]
* [[United Medical and Dental College]]
* [[Liaquat National Medical College]]
* [[Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of Pakistan]] (ICMAP)
* [[Institute of Business Management]] (CBM)
 
==Healthcare==
 
{{Main|List of hospitals in Karachi|Environment of Karachi}}
[[File:Aga Khan University .jpg|link=[[:File:Aga Khan University]]. jpg|thumb|[[Aga Khan University]]'s hospital.]]
 
Karachi is a centre of research in biomedicine with at least 30 public hospitals, 80 registered private hospitals and 12 recognized medical colleges,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Establishment of a Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in Pakistan: Initial Experiences, Results, and Reflections|first1=M. Zubair|last1=Tahir|first2=Zain A.|last2=Sobani|first3=S. A.|last3=Quadri|first4=S. Nizam|last4=Ahmed|first5=Mughis|last5=Sheerani|first6=Fowzia|last6=Siddiqui|first7=Warren W.|last7=Boling|first8=Syed Ather|last8=Enam|date=1 January 2012|journal=Epilepsy Res Treat|volume=2012|doi=10.1155/2012/547382|pmid=22957232|pmc=3420664|pages=547382|doi-access=free}}</ref> including the Indus Hospital, [[Lady Dufferin Hospital]], [[Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kihd.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506025000/http://www.kihd.org/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 May 2011|title=Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD)|website=kihd.org|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref> [[National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nicvd.org/|title=National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases|website=nicvd.org|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref> [[Civil Hospital]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chk.gov.pk/|title=Civil Hospital Karachi|website=chk.gov.pk|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref> [[Combined Military Hospital]],{{sfn|Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine|2013}} [[PNS Rahat]],{{sfn|Endocrine System Diseases: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional|2013}} [[PNS Shifa]],{{sfn|Zohra Zaidi|S.W Lanigan|2010}} [[Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi|Aga Khan University Hospital]], [[Liaquat National Hospital]], [[Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre]],{{sfn|Mohammad Aslam Uqaili|Khanji Harijan|2011}} [[Holy Family Hospital, Karachi|Holy Family Hospital]]{{sfn|HELEN RENAUX|2011}} and [[Ziauddin Hospital]]. In 1995, Ziauddin Hospital was the site of Pakistan's first bone marrow transplant.{{sfn|Kenneth D. Miller M.D.|Miklos Simon MD|2015}}
 
Karachi municipal authorities in October 2017 launched a new early warning system that alerted city residents to a forecasted heatwave. Previous heatwaves had routinely claimed lives in the city, but implementation of the warning system was credited for no reported heat-related fatalities.<ref name="heatwave"/>
 
==Entertainment, arts and culture==
 
{{Main|Culture of Karachi}}
{{See also|Culture of Pakistan|Muhajir culture|Sindhi culture}}
 
===Entertainment and shopping malls===
{{Main|Cinema in Karachi}}
Karachi is home to Pakistan and South Asia's largest shopping mall, [[Lucky One Mall]] which hosts more than two hundred stores.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lmkt.com/south-asias-largest-mall-lucky-one-selects-lmkt-to-deploy-gpon-solution/|title=South Asia's largest mall, Lucky One selects LMKT to deploy GPON Solution – LMKT|date=18 January 2016|work=LMKT|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012831/https://www.lmkt.com/south-asias-largest-mall-lucky-one-selects-lmkt-to-deploy-gpon-solution/|archive-date=8 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to TripAdvisor the city is also home to Pakistan's favorite shopping mall, [[Dolmen Malls|Dolmen Mall]], [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]] which was also featured on [[CNN International|CNN]]<ref>{{Citation|last=Pak Property Mela|title=Dolmen Mall Karachi by CNN|date=16 December 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MyQjqj--Xo| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/6MyQjqj--Xo| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=15 November 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the country's favorite entertainment complex, [[Port Grand Food and Entertainment Complex|Port Grand]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293959-Activities-c26-Pakistan.html|title=THE BEST Shopping in Pakistan – TripAdvisor|website=tripadvisor.com|access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref> In 2019 the city is expected to add another mega mall/entertainment complex at [[Bahria Icon Tower]] Clifton, Pakistan's tallest skyscraper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/10/16/62-storey-bahria-town-icon-reaches-structural-completion/|title=62-storey Bahria Town Icon reaches structural completion|website=Pakistan Today|access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bahriatown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405|title=Bahria Town ICON – Bahria Town – Your Lifestyle Destination|last=toot|website=bahriatown.com|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116043315/http://www.bahriatown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===Museums and galleries===
 
[[File:Mohenjo-daro Priesterkönig.jpeg|thumb|upright|The famous "Priest-King" statue of the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] is displayed at Karachi's [[National Museum of Pakistan]].]]
[[File:Another beautiful View of "Mohatta Palace".jpg|thumb|Built as a home for a wealthy Hindu businessman, the [[Mohatta Palace]] is now a museum open to the public.]]
 
Karachi is home to several of Pakistan's most important museums. The [[National Museum of Pakistan]] and [[Mohatta Palace]] display artwork, while the city also has several private art galleries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theculturetrip.com/asia/pakistan/articles/10-stunning-contemporary-art-galleries-in-karachi-pakistan/|title=10 Stunning Contemporary Art Galleries in Karachi, Pakistan|website=The Culture Trip|date=26 March 2014|access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref> There are also the [[PAF Museum, Karachi|Pakistan Airforce Museum]], the [[Pakistan Maritime Museum]] and the country's first interactive science centre, the [[MagnifiScience Centre]] located in the city.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Azam |first1=Oonib |title=A praiseworthy endeavour to foster children’s interest in science |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/900358-a-praiseworthy-endeavour-to-foster-children-s-interest-in-science |website=Dawn (newspaper) |access-date=15 April 2022 |date=15 October 2021}}</ref> [[Wazir Mansion]], the birthplace of Pakistan's founder [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] has also been preserved as a museum open to the public.
 
===Theatre and Cinema===
 
Karachi is home to some of Pakistan's important cultural institutions. The [[National Academy of Performing Arts]],<ref name="napa">{{cite web|url=http://www.napa.org.pk|title=Welcome to National Academy of Performing Arts|author=National Academy of Performing Arts|access-date=17 April 2006}}</ref> located in the former [[Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi|Hindu Gymkhana]], offers diploma courses in performing arts including classical music and contemporary theatre. Karachi is home to groups such as Thespianz Theater, a professional youth-based, non-profit performing arts group, which works on theatre and arts activities in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pakistanbusinessjournal.com/b2b-directory/thespianz-theater_95750.html|title=Thespianz Theater |website=Pakistan Business Journal|access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1134478|title=Thespianz Theater brings string puppetry to PACC|author=Entertainment Desk|website=Dawn|date=26 September 2014|access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref>
 
Though [[Lahore]] was considered to be home of Pakistan's film industry, Karachi is home to Urdu cinema and [[Kara Film Festival]] annually showcases independent Pakistani and international films and documentaries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/951275/karawood-film-festival-to-kick-start-september-7/ |title=Karawood film festival to kick start September 7|work=[[The Express Tribune]]|access-date=18 December 2015 |date=5 September 2015}}</ref>
 
'''Cinema'''
Bambino Cinema,
Capri Cinema,
Cinepax Cinema,
Mega Multiplex Cinema – Millennium Mall,
Nueplex Cinemas,
Atrium Mall.
 
===Music===
 
The [[All Pakistan Music Conference]], linked to the 45-year-old similar institution in [[Lahore]], has been holding its annual music festival since its inception in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apmc.info/ |title=All Pakistan Music Conference &#124; Established in 1959 |publisher=All Pakistan Music Conference |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040205022516/http://apmc.info/ |archive-date=5 February 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The National Arts Council (''Koocha-e-Saqafat'') has musical performances and [[mushaira]].
 
===Tourist attractions===
{{Main|List of beaches in Karachi|List of tourist attractions in Karachi}}
Karachi is a tourist destination for domestic and international tourists. Tourist attractions near Karachi city include:
 
'''Museums:''' Museums located in Karachi include the [[National Museum of Pakistan]], [[PAF Museum, Karachi|Pakistan Air Force Museum]], and [[Pakistan Maritime Museum]].
 
'''Parks:''' Parks located in Karachi include [[Bagh Ibne Qasim]], [[Boat Basin Park]], [[Mazar-e-Quaid]], [[Karachi Zoo]], [[Hill Park, Karachi|Hill Park]], [[Safari Park, Karachi|Safari Park]], [[Bagh-e-Jinnah, Karachi|Bagh-e-Jinnah]], [[PAF Museum, Karachi|PAF Museum Park]] and [[Pakistan Maritime Museum|Maritime Museum Park]].
 
==Social issues==
===Crime===
 
Sometimes stated to be amongst the world's most dangerous cities,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Khan|first1=Taimur|title=Cooking in Karachi|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/09/03/cooking-in-karachi/|access-date=6 December 2016|date=9 September 2013}}</ref> the extent of violent crime in Karachi is not as significant in magnitude as compared to other cities.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|title=The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience|date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-061330-3|pages=672}}</ref> According to the Numbeo Crime Index 2014, Karachi was the 6th most dangerous city in the world. By the middle of 2016, Karachi's rank had dropped to 31 following the launch of anti-crime operations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistan is winning its war on terror|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/pakistan-is-winning-its-war-on-terror/|access-date=3 January 2017|work=[[The Spectator]]|date=31 December 2016|ref=Just three years ago, according to the Numbeo international crime index, Karachi was the sixth most dangerous city in the world. Today it stands at number 31 – and falling.}}</ref> By 2018, Karachi's ranking has dropped to 50.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/karachi-improves-ranking-on-international-crime-and-safety-index-2018/|title=Karachi, the 6th most dangerous city in the world previously, has jumped to 50th place|work=Daily Pakistan Global|access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref> In mid 2021, Karachi's ranking fell to 115,<ref name=":14" /> ranking it safer than regional cities such as [[Dhaka]] (43rd place), Delhi (82nd place), and [[Bangalore]] (108th place).<ref>{{Cite web|last=desk|first=News|date=27 April 2021|title=Karachi ranks 115 in global crime ranking after improved security situation|url=https://pakobserver.net/karachi-ranks-115-in-global-crime-ranking-after-improved-security-situation/|access-date=2 May 2021|website=Pakistan Observer|language=en-US}}</ref>
 
The city's large population results in high numbers of homicides with a moderate homicide rate.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Karachi's homicide rates are lower than many Latin American cities,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> and in 2015 was 12.5 per 100,000<ref>{{cite news|title=Karachi world's 'most dangerous megacity': Report |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Karachi-worlds-most-dangerous-megacity-Report/articleshow/22437484.cms|access-date=6 December 2016|work=The Times of India|date=9 September 2013}}</ref>{{snd}}lower than the homicide rate of several American cities such as [[New Orleans]] and [[St. Louis]].<ref name="businessinsider.com">{{cite news|title=The 50 most violent cities in the world|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2016-1/#10-cali-colombia-had-6427-homicides-per-100000-residents-41|access-date=6 December 2016|work=Business Insider|date=26 January 2016}}</ref> The homicide rates in some Latin American cities such as [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]] and [[Acapulco]], Mexico are in excess of 100 per 100,000 residents,<ref name="businessinsider.com" /> many times greater than Karachi's homicide rate. In 2016, the number of murders in Karachi had dropped to 471, which had dropped further to 381 in 2017.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://thefrontierpost.com/karachi-killing-extortion-decreased-2017/|title=Karachi: Killing, extortion decreased in 2017 – The Frontier Post|date=2 January 2018|work=The Frontier Post|access-date=8 March 2018}}</ref>
 
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Karachi was rocked by political conflict while crime rates drastically increased with the arrival of weaponry from the [[War in Afghanistan (1978–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref name="violentEnd" /> Several of Karachi's criminal mafias became powerful during a period in the 1990s described as "the rule of the mafias."{{sfn|Marcello Balbo|2005|p=181}} Major mafias active in the city included land mafia, water tanker mafia, transport mafia and a sand and gravel mafia.{{sfn|Newsline|2006}}{{sfn|Marcello Balbo|2005|p=181}}{{sfn|Mohammad Shahid Alam|1996|p=49}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1035362/fair-warning-kwsb-installations-at-risk-due-to-heavy-excavation-in-malir-river/|title=Fair warning: KWSB installations at risk due to heavy excavation in Malir River|date=28 January 2016|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref> Karachi's highest death rates occurred in the mid 1990s when Karachi was much smaller. In 1995, 1,742 killings were recorded,<ref>{{cite news|title=Karachi target killings, highest in 15 years|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/69491/karachi-target-killings-highest-in-15-years/|access-date=6 December 2016|agency=The Express Tirbune|date=29 October 2010}}</ref> when the city had over five million fewer residents.<ref>See Demographics section above.</ref>
 
====Karachi Operation====
 
Karachi had become widely known for its high rates of violent crime, but rates sharply decreased following a controversial crackdown operation against criminals, the MQM party, and Islamist militants initiated in 2013 by the [[Pakistan Rangers]].<ref name="New York TImes" /> In 2015, 1,040 Karachiites were killed in either acts of [[terrorism in Pakistan|terror]] or other crime{{snd}}an almost 50% decrease from the 2,023 killed in 2014,<ref>{{cite news|title=In 2015, Karachi the most violent region of Pakistan |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/85793-In-2015-Karachi-the-most-violent-region-of-Pakistan|access-date=6 December 2016|work=The News (Pakistan)|date=2 January 2016|quote=With 1,040 deaths{{snd}}down from 2,023 in 2014{{snd}}recorded in Karachi this past year, the metropolis saw{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> and an almost 70% decrease from the 3,251 recorded killed in 2013{{snd}}the highest ever recorded number in Karachi history.<ref>{{cite news|title=Death toll rises: Over 3,200 killings in Karachi make 2013 deadliest year so far|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/660098/death-toll-rises-over-3200-killings-in-karachi-make-2013-deadliest-year-so-far/|access-date=6 December 2016|work=The Tribune|date=18 January 2014}}</ref> Despite a sharp decrease in violent crime, street crime remains high.<ref>{{cite news|title=52,552 Karachiites fell victim to street crime in 2016|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1244433/frightening-situation-52552-karachiites-fell-victim-street-crime-2016/|access-date=6 December 2016|work=The Express Tribune}}</ref>
 
With 650 [[homicide]]s in 2015, Karachi's homicide rate decreased by 75% compared to 2013.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-realestate-idUSL8N15Q2GU|title=Karachi property prices soar after Pakistan crime crackdown|date=29 February 2016|access-date=22 October 2016|work=Reuters|quote=Recorded murders in Karachi fell to 650 last year, a 75 percent drop from 2013, while registered extortion was down 80 percent and kidnapping by nearly 90 percent, according to the CPLC, which collates official police data.}}</ref> In 2017, the number of homicides had dropped further to 381.<ref name="auto"/> Extortion crimes decreased by 80% between 2013 and 2015, while kidnappings decreased by 90% during the same period.<ref name="Reuters" /> By 2016, the city registered a total of 21 cases of kidnap for ransom.<ref>{{cite news|title=Karachi witnesses significant decrease in target killing, extortion cases in 2016|url=http://dunyanews.tv/en/Crime/368050-Karachi-witnesses-significant-decrease-in-target-k|access-date=30 November 2017|publisher=Dunya TV|date=31 December 2016}}</ref> Terrorist incidents dropped by 98% between 2012 and 2017, according to Pakistan's Interior Ministry.<ref>{{cite news|title=98pc drop in terrorism in Karachi, NAP implementation report shows|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/135955398pc|access-date=1 December 2017|work=Dawn|date=23 September 2017}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> As a result of the Karachi's improved security environment, real-estate prices in Karachi rose sharply in 2015,<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-realestate-idUSL8N15Q2GU|title=Karachi property prices soar after Pakistan crime crackdown|date=29 February 2016|access-date=22 October 2016|work=Reuters|quote=Karachi property prices jumped 23 percent last year to a record high, outpacing other large cities and the national average of 10 percent, data from property website Zameen.com showed.}}</ref> with a rise in business for upmarket restaurants and cafés.<ref>{{cite news|title=Despite rising economy, Pakistan still hampered by image problem leftright 4/4leftright|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-economy-idUSKCN0Z50XQ|access-date=5 December 2016|work=Reuters|date=19 June 2016|quote=A crime crackdown in Karachi, Pakistan's financial hub of 20 million people, has helped spur a real estate boom and new, upmarket seaside restaurants and cafés are overflowing.}}</ref>
 
===Ethnic conflict===
 
Insufficient affordable housing infrastructure to absorb growth has resulted in the city's diverse migrant populations being largely confined to ethnically homogenous neighbourhoods.<ref name=wb/> The 1970s saw major [[Karachi labour unrest of 1972|labour struggles in Karachi's]] industrial estates. Violence originated in the city's university campuses, and spread into the city.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gayer|first1=Laurent|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-023806-3|page=74<!--|pages=256-->}}</ref> Conflict was especially sharp between [[Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan|MQM party]] and ethnic [[Sindhis]], [[Pashtuns]], and [[Punjabis]]. The party and its vast network of supporters were targeted by Pakistani security forces as part of the controversial [[Operation Clean-up]] in 1992, as part of an effort to restore peace in the city that lasted until 1994.<ref name="Minahan" />
 
===Poor infrastructure===
 
Urban planning and service delivery have not kept pace with Karachi's growth, resulting in the city's low ranking on livability rankings.<ref name=wb/> The city has no cohesive transportation policy, and no official public transit system, though up to 1,000 new cars are added daily to the city's congested streets.<ref name=wb/>
 
Unable to provide housing to large numbers of refugees shortly after independence, Karachi's authorities first issued "slips" to refugees beginning in 1950 –
which allowed refugees to settle on any vacant land.<ref name=sewer>{{cite news|title=Fed up with no sewers, Pakistan's slum residents go DIY|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slums-pakistan-sewage/fed-up-with-no-sewers-pakistans-slum-residents-go-diy-idUSKCN12D1PK|access-date=29 November 2017|work=Reuters|date=October 2016}}</ref> Such [[informal settlements]] are known as [[katchi abadi]]s, and now approximately half the city's residents live in these unplanned communities.<ref name=wb/>
 
==Architecture==
 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
Mazar Quaid-e-Azam.jpg|[[Mazar-e-Quaid]]
Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Head Office Building Karachi.jpg|[[Karachi Port Trust Building]]
KhaliqDeenaHall1.jpg|[[Khaliq Dina Hall]]
Empress Market as of 2021.jpg|[[Empress Market]]
Ocean Tower Clifton Karachi.jpg|Ocean Tower
PK Karachi asv2020-02 img62 Frere Hall.jpg|[[Frere Hall]]
Merewether Clock Tower 01.jpg|[[Merewether Clock Tower]]
Katrak Bandstand.jpg|Katrak Bandstand at the [[Jehangir Kothari Parade]]
Dolmen Towers.jpg|Dolmen Twin Towers
Bahria Town Karachi Grand Mosque 2.jpg|[[Grand Jamia Mosque, Karachi|Grand Jamia Mosque]]
Habib Bank Sadar.jpg|[[Habib Bank Plaza]]
Teen Talwar Clifton Karachi 2.jpg|Teen Talwar Monument Clifton
</gallery>
{{See also|Pakistani architecture|List of tallest buildings in Karachi}}
[[File:Hindu Gymkhana Karachi.jpeg|thumb|Built by Hindus under British rule, the [[Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi|Gymkhana Building]] was repurposed to house the [[National Academy of Performing Arts]].]]
[[File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img57 Tooba Mosque.jpg|thumb|The [[Tooba Mosque]]. Karachi saw construction of several such [[Modern architecture|modernist style]] buildings in the 1950s and 1960s.]]
[[File:OldUSConsulateKarachi.jpg|thumb|The former US Embassy, designed by [[modern architecture|modernist]] architect [[Richard Neutra]]]]
Karachi has a collection of buildings and structures of varied [[architectural style]]s. The downtown districts of [[Saddar]] and [[Clifton, Karachi|Clifton]] contain early 20th-century architecture, ranging in style from the [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-classical]] [[Karachi Port Trust|KPT]] building to the [[Sindh High Court]] Building. Karachi acquired its first neo-Gothic or Indo-Gothic buildings when [[Frere Hall]], [[Empress Market]] and [[Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] were completed. The [[Mock Tudor]] architectural style was introduced in the [[Karachi Gymkhana]] and the Boat Club. [[Neo-Renaissance architecture]] was popular in the 19th century and was the architectural style for St. Joseph's Convent (1870) and the [[Sind Club]] (1883).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historickarachi.com/heritage_revisited.htm |title=Heritage Revisited|publisher=Historickarachi.com|access-date=26 August 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080822124715/http://www.historickarachi.com/heritage_revisited.htm |archive-date = 22 August 2008}}</ref> The classical style made a comeback in the late 19th century, as seen in [[Lady Dufferin Hospital]] (1898)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historickarachi.com/public_arch_5.htm |title=Public Arch 5|publisher=Historickarachi.com|access-date=26 August 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071024103906/http://www.historickarachi.com/public_arch_5.htm |archive-date = 24 October 2007}}</ref> and the [[Karachi Cantonment Railway Station|Cantt. Railway Station]]. While [[Italianate]] buildings remained popular, an eclectic blend termed [[Indo-Saracenic]] or Anglo-Mughal began to emerge in some locations.{{sfn|Laurent Gayer|2014|pp=34}}
The local mercantile community began acquiring impressive structures. Zaibunnisa Street in the [[Saddar]] area (known as Elphinstone Street in British days) is an example where the mercantile groups adopted the [[Italianate]] and [[Indo-Saracenic]] style to demonstrate their familiarity with Western culture and their own. The [[Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi|Hindu Gymkhana]] (1925) and [[Mohatta Palace]] are examples of Mughal revival buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historickarachi.com/public_arch_1.htm |title=Public Architecture|publisher=Historickarachi.com|access-date=26 August 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080415174246/http://www.historickarachi.com/public_arch_1.htm |archive-date = 15 April 2008}}</ref> The Sindh Wildlife Conservation Building, located in Saddar, served as a Freemasonic Lodge until it was taken over by the government. There are talks of it being taken away from this custody and being renovated and the Lodge being preserved with its original woodwork and ornate wooden staircase.<ref name="Daily Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\09\30\story_30-9-2008_pg12_9 |title=Culture department takes notice of Freemason Lodge Building |website=Daily Times |access-date=16 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805231747/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C09%5C30%5Cstory_30-9-2008_pg12_9 |archive-date=5 August 2011}}</ref>
 
[[Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture]] is one of the prime examples of Architectural conservation and restoration where an entire Nusserwanjee building from [[Kharadar]] area of Karachi has been relocated to Clifton for adaptive reuse in an art school. The procedure involved the careful removal of each piece of timber and stone, stacked temporarily, loaded on the trucks for transportation to the Clifton site, unloaded and re-arranged according to a given layout, stone by stone, piece by piece, and completed within three months.<ref name="Indus Valley Website">{{cite web|url=http://www.indusvalley.edu.pk/nusserwanjeehistory.html|title=Nusserwanjee Building (Relocation) Project|website=Daily Times|access-date=26 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126022502/http://www.indusvalley.edu.pk/nusserwanjeehistory.html|archive-date=26 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Architecturally distinctive, even eccentric, buildings have sprung up throughout Karachi. Notable example of contemporary architecture include the [[Pakistan State Oil]] Headquarters building. The city has examples of modern [[Islamic architecture]], including the [[Aga Khan University]] hospital, [[Masjid e Tooba]], Faran Mosque, Bait-ul Mukarram Mosque, Quaid's Mausoleum, and the [[Textile Institute of Pakistan]]. One of the unique cultural elements of Karachi is that the residences, which are two- or three-story [[townhouse]]s, are built with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. [[I. I. Chundrigar Road]] features a range of extremely tall buildings. The most prominent examples include the [[Habib Bank Plaza]], PRC Towers and the [[MCB Tower]] which is the tallest skyscraper in [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcb.com.pk/mcb/mcb_tower.asp|title=MCB Tower, the tallest skyscraper of Karachi|publisher=Mcb.com.pk|access-date=6 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504064133/http://www.mcb.com.pk/mcb/mcb_tower.asp|archive-date=4 May 2009}}</ref>
 
==Sports==
 
{{Main|List of sports venues in Karachi}}
[[File:Sindh Cricket team match with Australia in 1935.jpg|thumb|left]]
[[File:Inside the National Stadium, Karachi 01.jpg|thumb|The [[National Stadium, Karachi|National Stadium]] in Karachi]]
 
When it comes to sports Karachi has a distinction, because some sources cite that it was in 1877 at Karachi in (British) India, where the first attempt was made to form a set of rules of badminton<ref>{{cite book |title= Better Badminton for All |url= https://archive.org/details/betterbadmintonf0000unse |url-access= registration |last=Downey |first=Jake |page=[https://archive.org/details/betterbadmintonf0000unse/page/13 13] |year=2003 |publisher=Pelham Books |isbn=978-0-7207-0228-6}}</ref> and likely place is said to Frere Hall.
 
[[Cricket]]'s history in Pakistan predates the creation of the country in 1947. The first ever international cricket match in Karachi was held on 22 November 1935 between [[Sindh]] and Australian cricket teams. The match was seen by 5,000 Karachiites.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/ "Match against Sindh"]. ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 23 November 1935</ref> Karachi is also the place that innovated [[tape ball]], a safer and more affordable alternative to cricket.<ref>{{Citation|last=Guardian Sport|title=Have you heard of Tape Ball cricket?|date=19 July 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV4fmG9-hlo| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/sV4fmG9-hlo| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=23 July 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
 
The inaugural first-class match at the National Stadium was played between Pakistan and India on 26 February 1955 and since then Pakistani national cricket team has won 20 of the 41 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] played at the National Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/22/1506_t.html|title=Test matches played on National Stadium, Karachi|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The first [[One Day International]] at the National Stadium was against the West Indies on 21 November 1980, with the match going to the last ball.
 
The national team has been less successful in such limited-overs matches at the ground, including a five-year stint between 1996 and 2001, when they failed to win any matches. The city has been host to a number of domestic cricket teams including Karachi,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/846/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class matches played by Karachi|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Karachi Blues,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/444/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class matches played by Karachi Blues|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> Karachi Greens,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/446/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class matches played by Karachi Greens|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> and Karachi Whites.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/445/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class matches played by Karachi Whites|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The National Stadium hosted two group matches (Pakistan v. South Africa on 29 February and Pakistan v. England on 3{{nbsp}}March), and a quarter-final match (South Africa v. West Indies on 11 March) during the [[1996 Cricket World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/series/60981.html?template=fixtures|title=Fixtures|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>
 
The city has hosted seven editions of the National Games of Pakistan, most recently in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sports.gov.pk/Participation/National%20Games.htm#RPNG|title=National Games|publisher=Pakistan Sports Board|access-date=26 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824061938/http://www.sports.gov.pk/Participation/National%20Games.htm#RPNG|archive-date=24 August 2011}}</ref>
 
In 2005, the city hosted the [[SAFF Championship]] at this ground, as well as the Geo Super Football League 2007, which attracted capacity crowds during the games. The popularity of golf is increasing, with clubs in Karachi like Dreamworld Resort, Hotel & Golf Club, [[Arabian Sea Country Club]], DA Country & Golf Club. The city has facilities for [[field hockey]] (the [[Hockey Club of Pakistan]], UBL Hockey Ground), [[boxing]] (KPT Sports Complex), [[Squash (sport)|squash]] ([[Jahangir Khan]] Squash Complex), and [[polo]]. There are marinas and boating clubs. [[National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex]] is [[First-class cricket]] venue and Multi-purpose sports facility in Karachi,
 
;Professional teams of Karachi
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" |Club
! scope="col" |League
! scope="col" |Sport
! scope="col" |Venue
! scope="col" |Established
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[Karachi Kings]]
|[[Pakistan Super League]]
|[[Cricket]]
|[[National Stadium, Karachi|National Stadium]]
|2015
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[Karachi Dolphins]]
|[[Haier T20 Cup|National T20 League]]/[[National One-day Championship]]
|[[Cricket]]
|[[National Stadium, Karachi|National Stadium]]
|2004
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[Karachi Zebras]]
|[[Haier T20 Cup|National T20 League]]/[[National One-day Championship]]
|[[Cricket]]
|[[National Stadium, Karachi|National Stadium]]
|2004
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[HBL FC]]
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|[[People's Football Stadium]]
|1975
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[K-Electric F.C.]]
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|[[People's Football Stadium]]
|1913
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[KPT F.C.]]
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|KPT Football Stadium
|1887
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[NBP F.C.]]
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|KPT Football Stadium
|N/A
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[PIA F.C.]]
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|KPT Football Stadium
|1958
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[Karachi United]] F.C.
|[[Pakistan Premier League]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|[[Karachi United Stadium]]
|1996
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" |[[Diya W.F.C.]]
|[[National Women Football Championship]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|N/A
|2002
|}
 
== Twin towns and sister cities ==
{{Main|List of twin towns and sister cities in Pakistan}}
 
==See also==
 
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Cinema in Karachi]]
* [[Cuisine of Karachi]]
* [[List of cemeteries in Karachi]]
* [[List of hospitals in Karachi]]
* [[List of magazines in Karachi]]
* [[List of newspapers in Karachi]]
* [[List of parks and gardens in Karachi]]
* [[List of people from Karachi]]
* [[List of streets of Karachi]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Karachi]]
* [[List of tourist attractions in Karachi]]
* [[List of cultural heritage sites in Karachi]]
* [[List of television stations in Karachi]]
* [[List of Union Councils of Karachi]]
* [[Media in Karachi]]
* [[Sister cities of Karachi]]
* [[Transport in Karachi]]
* [https://www.dawn.com/news/1606997/understanding-the-truth-behind-the-facade Growth of the city]
 
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==


{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}
 
===Bibliography===
 
{{See also|Timeline of Karachi#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Karachi}}
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{citation |first=Laurent|last=Gayer|title=Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City|date=1 June 2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-023806-3|ref={{sfnref|Laurent Gayer|2014}}}}
* {{citation |author1=West Pakistan (Pakistan). Transport Commission|author2=Mian Anwer Ali|title=Report: April 1969 – September 1969, Volume 2|year=1970 |publisher=West Pakistan Government Press|ref={{sfnref|Railway Report|1970}}}}
* {{citation |publisher=United Nations|title=Review of Developments in Transport in the ESCAP Region ...: Asia and the Pacific|year=2007|isbn=978-92-1120-534-3|ref={{sfnref|United Nations|2007}}}}
* {{citation |author=Thomas, Amos Owen|title=Imagi-Nations and Borderless Television: Media, Culture and Politics Across Asia|date=3 October 2005|publisher=SAGE|isbn=978-0-7619-3396-0|ref={{sfnref|Amos Owen Thomas|2005}}}}
* {{citation |first1=Hunt|last1=Janin|first2=Scott A.|last2=Mandia|title=Rising Sea Levels: An Introduction to Cause and Impact|date=11 October 2012|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=978-0-7864-5956-8|ref={{sfnref|Hunt Janin|Scott A. Mandia|2012}}}}
* {{citation |author=Sind Muslim College, Karachi|title=Sind Muslim College Magazine|year=1965|publisher=[[The University of Michigan]]|ref={{sfnref|Sind Muslim College|1965}}}}
* {{citation |first=Sarina|last=Singh|author-link=Sarina Singh|title=Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway|year=2008|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-542-0|ref={{sfnref|Sarina Singh|2008}}}}
* {{citation |first=Barbara A.|last=Weightman|title=Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qeBfed17zxEC&pg=PA187|date=15 June 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-13998-1|ref={{sfnref|Barbara A. Weightman|2011}}}}
* {{citation |author=N. H. Senzai|title=Ticket to India|date=17 November 2015|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4814-2258-1|ref={{sfnref|N. H. Senzai|2015}}}}
* {{citation |first=Yamini|last=Narayanan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQUBCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|title=Religion and Urbanism: Reconceptualising Sustainable Cities for South Asia|date=19 November 2015|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-317-75542-5|ref={{sfnref|Yamini Narayanan|2015}}}}
* {{citation |first1=Robert|last1=Stimson|first2=Kingsley E.|last2=Haynes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgiDiR1QQHQC&pg=PA43|title=Studies in Applied Geography and Spatial Analysis: Addressing Real World Issues|date=1 January 2012|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing|isbn=978-1-78100-796-9|ref={{sfnref|Robert Stimson|Kingsley E. Haynes|2012}}}}
* {{citation |first=Newsline|last=Publications|title=Newsline, Volume 18|year=2006|publisher=[[The University of Michigan]]|isbn=978-1-78100-796-9|ref={{sfnref|Newsline|2006}}}}
* {{citation |author=Mohammad Shahid Alam|title=Community Organizations and Urban Development: A Study of Selected Urban Settlements in Karachi|year=1996|publisher=NGO Resource Centre|ref={{sfnref|Mohammad Shahid Alam|1996}}}}
* {{citation |first=Marcello|last=Balbo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCet48XFuJQC&pg=PT95|title=International Migrants and the City: Bangkok, Berlin, Dakar, Karachi, Johannesburg, Naples, São Paulo, Tijuana, Vancouver, Vladivostok|year=2005|publisher=UN-HABITAT|isbn=978-92-1131-747-3|ref={{sfnref|Marcello Balbo|2005}}}}
* {{citation |first1=Jonah|last1=Blank|first2=Christopher|last2=Clary|first3=Brian|last3=Nichiporuk|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSZRBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|title=Drivers of Long-Term insecurity and Instability in Pakistan: Urbanization|date=30 October 2014|publisher=Rand Corporation|isbn=978-0-8330-8751-5|page=19|ref={{sfnref|Jonah Blank|Christopher Clary|Brian Nichiporuk|2014}}}}
* {{citation |first=Stephen P.|last=Cohen|title=The Idea of Pakistan|year=2004|publisher=[[Brookings Institution Press]]|isbn=978-0-8157-9761-6|page=202|ref={{sfnref|Stephen P. Cohen|2004}}}}
* {{citation |author=Q. Ashton Acton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DrCxJ4F8f0cC&pg=PT278|title=Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine: 2013 Edition|date=1 May 2013|publisher=ScholarlyEditions|isbn=978-1-4901-1294-7|page=278|ref={{sfnref|Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine|2013}}}}
* {{citation |author=Q. Ashton Acton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CwtnpymlSe4C&pg=PA404|title=Endocrine System Diseases: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2013 Edition|date=22 July 2013|publisher=ScholarlyEditions|isbn=978-1-4816-5848-5|page=404|ref={{sfnref|Endocrine System Diseases: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional|2013}}}}
* {{citation |first1=Zohra|last1=Zaidi|author2=S.W Lanigan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I0GFGJfVeFIC&pg=PR10|title=Dermatology in Clinical Practice|date=10 March 2010|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-84882-862-9|page=x|ref={{sfnref|Zohra Zaidi|S.W Lanigan|2010}}}}
* {{citation |author1=Mohammad Aslam Uqaili|first2=Khanji|last2=Harijan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rndnOvfTDW4C&pg=PA259|title=Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development|date=14 October 2011|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-7091-0109-4|page=259|ref={{sfnref|Mohammad Aslam Uqaili|Khanji Harijan|2011}}}}
* {{citation |author=Renaux, Helen|title=True Children of the Raj|year=2011|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1-4669-0177-3|page=159|ref={{sfnref|HELEN RENAUX|2011}}}}
* {{citation |author1=Kenneth D. Miller M.D.|author2=Miklos Simon MD|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7cxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA414|title=Global Perspectives on Cancer: Incidence, Care, and Experience [2 volumes]: Incidence, Care, and Experience|date=3 February 2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-4408-2858-4|page=414|ref={{sfnref|Kenneth D. Miller M.D.|Miklos Simon MD|2015}}}}
{{refend}}
 
==External links==
 
{{Sister project links|Karachi|commons=Category:Karachi|s=1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Karachi|voy=Karachi}}
* {{official website|http://www.kmc.gos.pk/}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXyB3JTHus0 Karachi at the end of the Raj], film by an unknown British soldier, 1942–1947, Mowgli Productions.
* {{curlie|Regional/Asia/Pakistan/Provinces/Sindh/Localities/Karachi/}}
 
{{Navboxes|title=Articles related to Karachi|list=
{{Karachi}}
{{Karachi Towns}}
{{Neighbourhoods of Karachi}}
{{Districts of Sindh|state=collapsed}}
{{Pakistan topics}}
{{Pakistani cities}}
{{World's most populous urban areas}}
{{Megacities}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Geography|Asia|Pakistan}}


{{Authority control}}
{{authority control}}


[[Category:Karachi| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Karachi]]
[[Category:Capitals of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Cities in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Coastal cities and towns in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Former national capitals]]
[[Category:Metropolitan areas of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Populated places in Sindh]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:1729 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1729]]

Revision as of 15:18, 10 September 2022

Mausoleum of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah shades
Coats of arms of the City District Government Karachi

Karachi (Urdu: کاراچی‎) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. Until 1958, it was also the capital of Pakistan. It is also called the City of Lights. It is also one of the world's biggest megacities.[1] In 2017, there are about 17.63 million people who live in Karachi.[2] It is the largest city in the Muslim world.

Karachi has many names including "Mai Kolachi Jo Goth" and "Karatishi". A native of Karachi is called a Karachiite. Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), who was the founder of Pakistan, was born and buried in Karachi. Karachi has two important regional seaports. Karachi also makes the largest share of Pakistan's GDP and national revenue.

Karachi has five districts: District South, District East, District West, District Central, and District Malir. The city is the financial and commercial center of Pakistan.

Karachi has 26 universities including the University of Karachi. It is home to the National Stadium, which hosts many cricket games, and several other sports complexes. The city has several long sandy beaches including Clifton/Kemari beach and Sandspit beach. Clifton beach suffered from an oil spillage but the beach was cleaned. Karachi has Pakistan's first nuclear site, KANUP in 1952 from Canada. Karachi hosted the first ever night hockey match between India and Pakistan in 1986 at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium.

Karachi has many large and small shopping areas including the Saddar area in downtown Karachi. Karachi also has a number of large modern shopping malls.

The city has a modern international airport (Jinnah International Airport) and two large shipping ports, the Port of Karachi and Port Qasim. Karachi is linked by railway to the rest of Pakistan.

Karachi has a hot desert climate (BWh in the Koeppen climate classification).

Related pages

References

  1. ↑ Barbara A. Weightman (15 June 2011), Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-11-1813-998-1{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  2. ↑ "Karachi Population 2017". World Population Review. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karachi&oldid=357090"
Discover more