Neptune's Needle

City (1981 pop. 5,208,132), (cap.) Sind prov., largest city and former capital of Pakistan, SE Pakistan, on the Arabian Sea just NW of the Indus R. delta, and 550 mi/885 km NW of Mumbai (Bombay), India; 24º52'N 67º03'E. Pakistan’s chief seaport and shipping point for agr. produce. An old settlement, Karachi was developed as a port and trading center by Hindu merchants in the early 18th cent. In 1843 it passed to the British, who made it the seat of the Sind govt. Steady improvements in harbor facilities made Karachi a leading Indian port by the late 19th cent., while agr. development of the hinterland gave it a large export trade. Karachi served as the capital Pakistan from 1947, when the country gained independence (1959), when Rawalpindi became the interim capital pending completion of Islamabad.

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Compiler

Peter Richards