Karachi

Karachi, Pakistan’s loud, busy, and ever-growing problematic city, is located on the Arabian Sea’s eastern shore, just northwest of the Indus River delta. Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest and unquestionably most significant metropolis, served as the country’s first capital. The vast massive city has evolved into the country’s economic, transportation, and political centre, and it manages the country’s biggest and busiest ports. Karachi’s rapid expansion pulls it into the world scene, and the city is on its path to becoming a highly significant participant.

Karachi has a surprising range of sights and activities, including bright, sandy beaches and scurf-infested ancient colonial houses that have been conserved and, in some instances, are still inhabited, as well as traditional bazaars and contemporary retail malls. Upscale luxury hotels overlook trendy eateries serving cuisine from all around the country and much of the globe. These and other factors combine to make the city a popular destination for both local and tourist visitors.

The incredible skyline is only one of the city’s many outstanding attractions, and this big South Asian metropolis has many surprises in store for anybody who chooses to seek them out. Karachi is home to nearly 23 million people from all across the nation and even from other countries, and it is a thriving melting pot of cultures and ideas. Around every turn and on every visit, visitors will be greeted with a fresh and intriguing experience. The city is renowned as the “City of the Quaid” since it is where Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was born, reared, and died. Furthermore, because to its nonstop activity, Karachi is now more generally and fondly known as the “City of Lights.”

Karachi, Pakistan’s most varied and cosmopolitan metropolis, lives and breathes its own flair. The most evolved city in the country, it frequently serves as a model for Pakistan to come, and because of its diversified population, it is often referred to as a mini-Pakistan, with representation from every Pakistani culture. Karachi is the world’s third most populated metropolis and the biggest in the Muslim world. Because of this, and because of the city’s melting pot nature, the pace of life is faster and social attitudes are more liberal than elsewhere in the country, and the city’s growth rate makes it an evolving hub where people from various backgrounds meet and shape the future of both the city and Pakistan itself.

Because Karachi is located on the coast, it enjoys a reasonably warm and dry climate — although a modest variation of this climate — for the most of the year. Summer and winter are the two primary seasons of Karachi, with spring and fall being quite brief. The city has a tropical climate, with warm and humid summers and moderate and dry winters; the city’s closeness to the sea keeps humidity levels at a near-constant high, and cool sea breezes ease the heat of the summer months; nonetheless, the summer season lasts the longest. Because of the high summer temperatures (varying from 30-44°C from April to October), the winter season, which lasts from November to March, is the ideal time to visit Karachi. The majority of rain falls during the monsoon season, which lasts from July to August and is characterized by long periods of continuous rain. The highest temperature ever recorded in Karachi is 47.8°C, while the lowest is 0°C.

The city’s coordinates are 24°51′ N 67°02′ E. The majority of the area is flat or rolling plains, with hills on the western horizon and Manora Island and the Oyster Rocks. Karachi’s southern shore is bordered by the Arabian Sea. The Indus delta’s mangroves and streams may be located on the city’s southeast side. Cape Monze, also known locally as Ras Muari, is located to the west and north and is characterized by protruding sea cliffs and steep sandstone promontories. This region is home to several fantastic beaches. In the northwest, the Khasa Hills and Mulri Hills define the boundary between North Nazimabad Town and Orangi Town. The Manghopir Hills are located northwest of Karachi, between the Hub River and the Manghopir River. The Karachi hills are offshoots of the Kirthar Range. The highest point of these hills in Karachi is around 528 meters to the north. All of these hills are barren of vegetation and are separated by vast plains, dry river beds, and water channels. The rivers in Karachi are the Malir and Lyari. The flood plain of the Indus River is close to Karachi. The city is situated on the Arabian Sea’s shore.

Karachi is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s financial and commercial center. It contributes for the lion’s share of Pakistan’s income, owing to its role as a major port and the country’s biggest city. Tax and customs units in Karachi were responsible for 46.75 percent of direct taxes, 33.65 percent of federal excise tax, and 23.38 percent of domestic sales tax, according to the Federal Board of Revenue’s 2006–2007 year book. Karachi contributes for 75.14 percent of customs duty and 79 percent of import sales tax. As a result, Karachi collects 53.38 percent of the Federal Board of Revenue’s total receipts, of which 53.33 percent is customs duty and sales tax on imports. (Note: Money received in Karachi includes revenue from other locations since the Large Tax Unit (LTU) Karachi and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Quetta encompass the whole province of Sindh and Balochistan.) Karachi’s indigenous contribution to national income is around 25%.

Karachi contributes around 30 percent of Pakistan’s industrial industry. Karachi accounts for a significant portion of Sindh’s GDP (the GDP of Sindh as a proportion of Pakistan’s overall GDP has usually fluctuated between 28 and 30 percent). Karachi’s GDP accounts for almost 20% of Pakistan’s overall GDP. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report published in 2009 that assessed the 2008 GDP of the world’s top cities, Karachi’s GDP (PPP) is $78 billion[27] (projected to be $193 billion in 2025 at a growth rate of 5.5 percent). It reinforced Karachi’s position as Pakistan’s largest economy, well ahead of the next two major cities, Lahore and Faisalabad, which had recorded GDP (PPP) of $40 billion and $14 billion, respectively, in 2008. Karachi’s high GDP is built on its industrial basis, with a heavy reliance on the banking industry. The key sectors contributing to Karachi’s GDP include textiles, cement, steel, heavy equipment, chemicals, food, banking, and insurance.

Karachi is Pakistan’s economic nerve hub. During the late 1980s and 1990s, economic stagnation caused by political chaos, ethnic violence, and the resulting military operation resulted in an exodus of industry from Karachi. The majority of Pakistan’s public and private banks are based on Karachi’s I. I. Chundrigar Road, often known as “Pakistan’s Wall Street”; according to a 2001 estimate, approximately 60% of the Pakistani economy’s cashflow occurs on I. I. Chundrigar Road. It was on this road in 1963 that Habib Bank Plaza was erected, which remained Pakistan’s tallest structure until the 2000s, when it was surpassed by two other skyscrapers in Karachi. The headquarters of the majority of large international multinational firms operating in Pakistan are in Karachi. The Karachi Stock Market is Pakistan’s biggest stock exchange, and many analysts believe it is one of the primary causes behind the country’s 8% GDP growth in 2005. Credit Suisse’s latest study on Pakistan’s stock market attests to the country’s solid fundamentals, placing Pakistan’s relative return on equities at 26.7 percent, compared to Asia’s 11 percent.

Karachi has grown in terms of information and communications technology, as well as electronic media, and has become Pakistan’s software outsourcing centre. Call centers for foreign corporations have been identified as a key area of development, with the government attempting to decrease taxes by up to 10% in order to attract international investment in the IT industry. Many of Pakistan’s independent television and radio stations, including the globally famous Business Plus, AAJ News, Geo TV, KTN, Sindh TV, CNBC Pakistan, TV ONE, ARY Digital, Indus Television Network, Samaa TV, and Dawn News, are located in Karachi, as are other local stations.

Karachi contains extensive industrial zones on the outskirts of the city, including the Karachi Export Processing Zone, SITE, Korangi, Northern Bypass Industrial Zone, Bin Qasim, and North Karachi. Textiles, medicines, steel, and autos are its key industries. Karachi also boasts a cottage industry and a Free Zone with an annual growth rate of approximately 6.5 percent. Regional and international exhibits are held at the Karachi Expo Centre.

In Karachi, development projects have been planned, authorized, and are now under construction. Among notable projects is Emaar Properties’ proposal to spend $43 billion (£22.8 billion) in Karachi to build Bundal Island, a 12,000-acre (49-square-kilometer) island right off the coast of Karachi. On the Clifton waterfront, the Karachi Port Trust is developing a Rs. 20 billion, 1,947-foot (593-meter) high Port Tower Complex. It will include a hotel, a commercial complex, an exhibition center, and a rotating restaurant with a viewing gallery providing a panoramic view of the city and the coastline.

Karachi’s area code is 21. If you are calling from outside Pakistan, use the international dialing number +92. Phone numbers in Karachi are eight digits long. Public Call Offices (PCO) can be found all over the city; although they are not as popular as they once were due to the widespread use of mobile phones, you can still find a PCO in general or convenience stores; unlike coin-operated telephone booths, there is usually someone who operates the phone and fax. Rates are often low and will be paid based on the amount of time spent, and you will be charged after you have completed your call. It is often difficult to locate one that is open early in the morning or late at night. The city’s mobile phone coverage is great.

Cybercafes, also known as “Internet cafes” in India, may be found on almost every street corner and charge roughly Rs 50 per hour. They normally don’t have a fast operating system or a fast internet connection, so don’t be too eager. Keep in mind that they have most likely not kept up with changes in hardware or software, so if you find yourself in one of them, don’t be shocked if you’re stuck with a tiny display, Windows XP, and Internet Explorer 5.0. Data security may also be a concern.

Internet access may be readily acquired on notebook computers via GRPS/3G enabled mobile connections, which are supported by almost all of the five mobile providers. The normal cost of GPRS/EDGE/3G use is PKR 15-Rs 20/MB of data download with no costs on uploads. Although some providers provide prepaid Unlimited daily/weekly packages, if you want to download much more, you may opt to utilize unlimited packages, which are offered by all five mobile carriers. WiMax internet is provided by PTCL, Mobilink Infinity, WorldCall, Wateen, and Qubee, while USB internet is provided by Wi-Tribe. PTCL 3G/4G evo is another fantastic high-speed and low-cost internet alternative.

Wi-Fi, It is quite tough to find Wi-Fi in Karachi. There are, however, many Wi-Fi Hotspots in hotels, malls, and cafes/restaurants. If you’re in a commercial district, like as Shahra-e-Faisal or I.I.Chundrigar Rd, or one of Clifton’s malls, you’ll find Wi-Fi.