Introduction to Sindh

Introduction to SindhSindh is a province of Pakistan and a historic region of the Pak-Hind subcontinent. It is essentially the Delta Country and has derived its name from its life stream, the river Indus, known to the people by the name of "Sindhu" from time immemorial. Sindh is bounded on the west by the province of Balochistan, on the north b the province of Punjab, on the east and southeast by India, and on the south and southwest by the Arabian Sea. Its chief cities are: Karachi, the capital, and the largest city of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, and Nawabshah. Sindh province has an area of 58,471 square miles (151,440 sq. km) and its population in 1992 was estimated to be 29.991The Land and Economy: In general Sindh corresponds to the lower Indus River valley, stretching from north to south in the form of the letter 'S', physiographical, Sindh can be divided into the western highlands of the Khirthar Range and the Kohistan area, rising to more than 6000 feet (1,830 meters); the central valley, with eastern and western valley regions; and western valley regions; and the delta region; and the Thar desert in the east. The climate is of the subtropical desert type, with scanty rainfall averaging 5 inches (125 mm) yearly.As in the rest of Pakistan, the economy is predominantly agricultural and depends almost entirely on irrigation. The principal source of water is the Indus River, on the which there are three irrigation dams ('Barrages') in Sindh: the Guddu, on the Punjab border; the Lloyed (Sukkur), and the Kotri, farthest south. The Sukkur Barrage controls a canal system whose total length including subsidiary water courses, extends 50,000 miles (80,000 km), or twice the length of the earth's circumference. Sindh's principal crops are wheat, rice, cotton, oilseeds, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits. Sheep, cattle, camels, and poultry are raised, and there is fishing industry. Manufacturing industries are concentrated in Karachi, Hyderabad, nooriabad and Kotri. They produce textiles, cement, cardboard, chemicals, electric power and supplies, rail-road equipment, machinery and other metal products Karachi, Pakistan's chief port, has an oil refinery and also is the center of printing and publishing.The artistic and cultural heritage of Sindh is reflected in its superb, examples lacquer ware, mirror embroidery, textile and exquisitely painted tile work