Karachi (Urdu کراچی‎, English Karachi, Sindhi ڪراچي) is a port city in southern Pakistan, the administrative center of the province of Sindh, the largest city in the country and one of the largest cities in the world. With a population of 12 million to 18 million, Karachi is one of the world's largest cities by population and the 7th largest metropolitan area in the world. It is the main financial, banking, industrial and commercial center of Pakistan. The country's largest corporations are located here, the textile and automotive industries are developed; as well as the entertainment, art, fashion and advertising industries; publishing, software development, medical and scientific research. The city is a major center of higher education in South Asia and the Islamic world.

Karachi was the first capital of the independent state of Pakistan (until the capital was moved to Rawalpindi in 1958). The ports of Karachi and Qasim are one of the largest and busiest ports on the Indian Ocean.
After Pakistan's independence, the city's population increased dramatically as hundreds of thousands of Urdu-speaking migrants from India, East Pakistan and other parts of South Asia moved to Karachi.

The area of ​​the city is 3,527 km², which is almost four times the size of Hong Kong. The locals call Karachi "City of Lights" (Urdu روشنیوں کا شہر‎), "Bride of Cities" (Urdu عروس البلاد‎) and "City of Qaeda" (Urdu شہر قائد‎) because Muham was born and buried here Mad Ali Jinnah, famous in Pakistan under the honorific nickname Qaid-e-Azam (Eng. Qaid-e-Azam, "Great Leader"), the founder of Pakistan, who made the city the capital of the proclaimed state.

History
In the early 18th century, Karachi was a small fishing village. Due to its favorable location and natural protection from the monsoons, in 1795 a fortified Sindhi fort was erected in the village. In 1839, Karachi was captured by the British, this fact played a turning point in the history of the village. Karachi became one of the main British seaports on the Arabian Sea; large military units of the empire were located here. Thus, the village turned into a large city, with a developed infrastructure for those times.
In 1843, a steamboat began to sail between Karachi and Multan (about 500 km along the Indus River). In 1854, on the site of the old port, the British built a modern one. IN In 1861, a railway was built from Karachi to Kotri. IN 1864 году была установлена прямая телеграфная связь с Лондоном. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Karachi's role in the region grew and the city became a full-fledged seaport. By 1873 the city had become an efficient and well-managed harbor. After Punjab became the breadbasket of India in the 1890s, Karachi's role grew further and became the region's main seaport.

After the First World War, the service sector and industry began to develop in the city. By 1924, an airfield was built in Karachi, and in 1936 the city became the capital of Sindh.
With the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Karachi became not only the capital and main seaport of the young state, but also the center of industry, business and trade of the country. Although Rawalpindi was chosen as the temporary capital in 1958, before all government offices moved to Islamabad by 1969, Karachi retained its status as the business capital and industrial center of Pakistan. IN следующем десятилетии, благодаря развитой инфраструктуре и промышленности, в город хлынуло огромное количество иммигрантов из сельской местности и эмигрантов из других стран, что почти в два раза увеличило размер города и способствовало большому росту численности населения. As the city's infrastructure was already overburdened, one third of these newly arrived emigrants were forced to settle in the urban slums known in Pakistan as Kutchi Abadi. IN трущобах нет электричества, водопровода и канализации. IN 21 веке перенаселённость стала самой большой проблемой Karachi.

Physical-geographical characteristic
Karachi is located in southern Pakistan, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Its coordinates are 24°51'N 67°02'E. The city is located predominantly on plains, with hills to the west and the Manor Peninsula to the south. IN юго-восточной части города, в дельте Инда, есть манговые деревья и ручьи. Cape Monze is located in the north-west of the city. Karachi is located at an altitude of 22 meters above sea level. Two rivers flow through the city: Malir (from the northeast to the center) and Layari (from north to south). There are also many other, smaller rivers that flow in the western and northern suburbs of Karachi. INесь административный район Karachi занимает площадь 3 527 км². Of these, 591 km² (17%) are the area of ​​the cities. The remaining 2,936 km² (83%) is occupied by suburbs and rural areas that are part of the agglomeration.

Geology
The vast Indo-Gangetic plain abuts against the array of the Deccan Plateau, forming a trough, turning into folded mountains and formed under the influence of sedimentation. Karachi is located in an arid zone near the Indus, on the outskirts of the plain. The only sources of water here, at the western end of the plain, are short rivers, interrupted by irrigation oases, and the Indus itself, which flows 40 km from the city along a wide river valley.
Throughout the stretch of the coast of the Indian Ocean to the east of the Indus, there is a swampy saline desert (the so-called Great Rann of Kutch); In the Indus Delta region, mangroves stretch along the entire coast. The Indus Valley is one of the most important cotton growing areas in South Asia. Located west of Karachi, it is the main export point for these products, as well as an important hub for international airlines.

Climate
IN Karachi тёплый, тропический и засушливый климат с низким средним уровнем выпадения осадков (около 250 мм в год), большая часть которых выпадает во время сезона муссонов (июле-августе). Winters are mild and dry, summers are hot and humid, proximity to the sea keeps humidity levels high and cool sea breezes accompany the summer months. Due to high temperatures during the summer (between 30 and 44°C, April to August), the winter months (November to February) are considered the best time to visit Karachi. IN декабре и январе в городе устанавливается хорошая погода (по сравнению с жарким и влажным летом), в июне начинается сезон дождей. IN июле 1967 года выпал рекордный месячный уровень осадков — 429,3 мм. On August 7, 1953, a record amount of precipitation fell in one day - about 278.1 mm; It rained incessantly, resulting in a major flood. On June 18, 1979, the highest temperature was recorded in Karachi, which was 47 ° C, and the lowest - 0.0 ° C - was recorded on January 21, 1934. IN июне 2015 года температурный рекорд едва не был побит: в ходе аномальной жары, обрушившейся на страну, температура воздуха в городе достигла 45°С. In a few days, about 750 people died from dehydration and heat stroke in the city.

Economy
Karachi is the economic and financial capital of Pakistan, although the beginning of the 2000s was marked by a stagnation in the economic development of the city, caused by general political instability, interethnic conflicts and military operations in Pakistan. ININП Karachi составляет около 20 % от общего объёма ININП страны.

The share of the city in the industrial sector of Pakistan's economy is approximately 30%. Основная часть валового внутреннего продукта провинции Синд приходится на долю Karachi ININП провинции Синд, в процентах от общего объёма ININП Пакистана, традиционно колеблется в районе 28 %—30 %). Согласно исследованиям PricewaterhouseCoopers, опубликованным в 2009 году, в которых участвовали крупнейшие города мира, ININП Karachi составило 78 млрд. долларов. По прогнозам, ININП Karachi составит 193 млрд долл. США к 2025 году, благодаря темпу роста экономики города в 5,5 % ежегодно. По этому показателю Karachi значительно опережает ближайшие два крупнейших города — Лахор и Фейсалабад, ININП которых составляет 40 млрд $ и 14 млрд долл. соответственно. INысокий уровень ININП Karachi обусловлен его мощной производственной базой и развитым финансовым сектором. IN городе производят текстиль, цемент, сталь; heavy engineering, chemical and food industries are developed; banking and insurance. IN феврале 2007 года INсемирный банк определил Karachi как самый благоприятный для бизнеса город Пакистана.

По данным Федерального совета доходов в 2006—2007 годах, налоговые и таможенные органы в Karachi получили сборы: 46,75 % от прямых налогов, 33,65 % от косвенных федеральных налогов и 23,38 % от внутреннего налога с продаж. Karachi получает 75,14 % налогов от таможенной пошлины и 79 % налогов с продаж на импорт. Таким образом, Karachi собирает значительную часть (53,38 %) от общего количества Федерального совета доходов, из которых 53,33 % приходятся на таможенные пошлины и налог на импорт.
Большинство крупных иностранных международных корпораций, действующих в Пакистане, имеют свои штаб-квартиры в Karachi. IN городе представлены большинство государственных и частных банков Пакистана. It is noteworthy that their headquarters are located on the same street - Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar; as of 2001, nearly 60% of Pakistani economy's cash flow passes through the institutions located on this street. Фондовая биржа Karachi является крупнейшей фондовой биржей Пакистана, и, по мнению многих экономистов, именно деятельность этой биржи обеспечила 8%-ный рост ININП Пакистана в 2005 году. Credit Suisse's recent report on the Pakistani stock market shows a solid gain.

Karachi является аутсорсинговым центром Пакистана, здесь развиты информационные технологии и электронные средства массовой информации. Call centers have begun to attract investment from foreign companies, with the government making an effort to reduce taxes by as much as 10% in order to attract foreign investment in the IT sector as well. Многие пакистанские независимые теле- и радиостанции находятся в Karachi, в том числе всемирно популярные: Business Plus, AAJ News, Geo TV, KTN, Sindh TV, CNBC Pakistan, TV One, ARY Digital, Indus Television Network, Samaa TV и Dawn News, as well as several local