Balochistan, Pakistan

Balochistan is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km², but has the smallest population: approximately 6.3 million in 1994. The population density is very low due to the moutainous terrain and scarcity of water. The southern region is known as Makran. A region in the centre of the province is known as Kalat.

The capital city is Quetta, located in the most densly populated district in the northeast of the province. Quetta is situated in a river valley near the border with Afghanistan, with a road to Kandahar in the northwest.

Balochistan was the site of the earliest known farming settlements in south Asia, the earliest of which was Mehrgarh dated at 6500 BC. Parts of Balochistan were held by Oman as late as the 1950s, but they were eventually turned over to Pakistan. Included in these areas is the coastal city of Gwadar where the Pakistani government is undertaking a large project with Chinese help to build a large port. This is being done partially to provide the Pakistani Navy with another base, and to reduce Pakistan's reliance on Karachi, which currently is the only major port.

External links and references

• Pakistan government website http://www.pak.gov.pk/
• The Planning and Development Department of the Government of Balochistan - http://www.bdd.sdnpk.org/ http://www.balochistan.org

Referenced By