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KARACHI, or KURRACHEE

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 673 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KARACHI, or KURRACHEE , a seaport and See also:district of See also:British See also:India, iri the See also:Sind See also:province of Bombay. The See also:city is situated at the extreme western end of the See also:Indus See also:delta, 500 M. by See also:sea from Bombay and Sao m. by See also:rail from See also:Lahore, being the maritime See also:terminus of the See also:North-Western railway, and the See also:main gateway for the See also:trade of the See also:Punjab and See also:part of central See also:Asia. It is also the See also:capital of the province of Sind. Pop. (1881), 73,500; (1891), 105,199; (1901), 115,407. Before 1725 no See also:town appears to have existed here; but about that See also:time some little trade began to centre upon the convenient See also:harbour, and the silting up of Shahbandar, the See also:ancient See also:port of Sind, shortly afterwards drove much of its former trade and See also:population to the rising See also:village. Under the Kalhora princes, the See also:khan of See also:Kalat obtained a See also:grant of the town, but in 1795 it was captured by the Talpur Mirs, who built the fort at Manora, at the entrance to the harbour. They also made considerable efforts to increase the trade of the pert and at the time of the British acquisition of the province the town and suburbs contained a population of 14,000. This was in 1843, from which time the importance of the See also:place practically See also:dates. The harbour of Karachi has an extreme length and breadth of about 5 m. It is protected by the promontory of Manora See also:Head; and the entrance is partially closed by rocks and by the See also:peninsula (formerly an See also:island) of Kiamari. On Manora Head, which is fortified, are the buildings of the port See also:establishment, a See also:cantonment, &c.

Kiamari is the landing-place for passengers and goods, and has three piers and railway connexions. The harbour improvements were begun in 1854 with the See also:

building of the See also:Napier See also:Mole or See also:causeway connecting Kiamari with the main-See also:land. The entrance has a minimum See also:depth of 25 ft.; and a large number of improvements and extensions have been carried out by the harbour See also:board, which was created in r88o, and transformed in 1886 into the port See also:trust. The See also:great See also:extension of the See also:canal colonies in the Punjab, entirely devoted to the cultivation of See also:wheat, has immensely increased the export trade of Karachi. It now ranks as the third port of India, being surpassed only by See also:Calcutta and Bombay. The See also:principal articles of export, besides wheat, are oilseeds, See also:cotton, See also:wool, hides and bones. The See also:annual value of exports, including specie, amounts to about nine millions See also:sterling. There are See also:iron See also:works and manufactures of cotton See also:cloth, See also:silk scarves and carpets. The See also:fisheries and See also:oyster beds are important. Among the principal public buildings are See also:government See also:house, the See also:Frere municipal See also:hall, and the Napier See also:barracks. The military cantonments, stretching north-See also:east of the city, See also:form the head-quarters of a See also:brigade in the 4th See also:division of the See also:southern See also:army. An excellent See also:water See also:supply is provided by an underground See also:aqueduct 18 m. in length.

The See also:

chief educational institutions are the Dayaram Jethmal Arts See also:College, with a See also:law class; five high See also:schools, of which two are for Europeans and one for Mahommedans; a See also:convent school for girls; and an See also:engineering class. The See also:average rainfall for the See also:year is about 5 in. The See also:rainy months are See also:July and See also:August, but one or two heavy showers usually fall about See also:Christmas. The end of May, beginning of See also:June, and first fortnight in See also:October are hot. See also:November, See also:December, See also:January, See also:February and See also:March are delightfully cool and dry; the remaining months are See also:damp with a See also:constant cool sea See also:breeze. The DISTRICT OF KARACHI has an See also:area of 11,970 sq. m. Pop. (1901), 607,439, showing an increase of 6% in the See also:decade. It consists of an immense See also:tract of land stretching from the mouth of the Indus to the Baluch boundary. It differs in See also:general See also:appearance from the See also:rest of Sind, having a rugged, mountainous region along its western border. The See also:country gradually slopes away to the See also:south-east, till in the extreme south the Indus delta presents a broad expanse of See also:low, See also:flat and unpicturesque See also:alluvium. Besides the Indus and its mouths, the only See also:river in the district is the Hab, forming the boundary between Sind and See also:Baluchistan.

The Manchhar See also:

lake in Schwan sub-division forms the only considerable See also:sheet of water in Sind. The hot springs at Pir Mangho are 6 m. N. of Karachi town. The principal crops are See also:rice, millets, oil-seeds and wheat. In addition to Karachi, there are seaports at Sirgonda and See also:Keti Bandar, which conduct a considerable See also:coasting trade. See also:Tatta was the old capital of Sind. See also:Kotri is an important railway station on the Indus. The main See also:line of the North-Western railway runs through the district. From Kotri downwards the line has been doubled to Karachi, and at Kotri a See also:bridge has been constructed across the Indus opposite See also:Hyderabad, to connect with the See also:Rajputana railway See also:system. See A. F. See also:Baillie, Kurrachee: Past, See also:Present and Future (1890).

End of Article: KARACHI, or KURRACHEE

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