Important Cities
Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد) is the capital of Pakistan, and is located in the Potohar Plateau in the north of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. This area has historically been at the crossroads of Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province (the Margalla pass being a historic gateway to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province). Rawalpindi is considered its sister city due to the close proximity of the two cities.
Karachi (Sindhi: ڪراچي, Urdu: كراچى) is the provincial capital of Sindh province and the largest city in Pakistan. It is also, population-wise, the second largest city of the world and is located on the northern shores of the Arabian Sea, west of the Indus River Delta. It was the first capital of Pakistan and remains the cultural and economic hub, as well as the largest seaport of the country. Its leading economic sectors include finance, business services, transportation, media, television production, publishing, software, medical research, education and tourism.
Lahore (Urdu: لاہور, Punjabi: لہور, pronounced [lahor]) is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. It is popularly known as the Heart of Pakistan, due to its historical importance in the creation of Pakistan, and also being a cultural, political and educational centre of the country. It is often called the Garden of the Mughals or the City of Gardens because of the heritage of the Mughal Empire. It is located near the Ravi River and Wagah (The Pakistan-India border).
Peshāwar (Pashto: پښور; Urdu: پشاور) is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the administrative centre for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. “Peshawar” literally means High Fort in Persian and is known as Pekhawar in Pashto. The area of the city has been ruled by numerous empires including the Afghan, Persian, Greek, Maurya, Scythian, Arab, Turk, Mongol, Mughal, Sikh and the British.
Quetta (Urdu: کوئٹہ) (Pashto: کوټه ) also spelled Kwatah city is a variation of kwatkot, a Pashto word meaning “fort”. It is the largest city and provincial capital and a district of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. The city is the provisional and district headquarters and is an important marketing and communications centre between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Faisalabad (Urdu: فیصل آباد) is a city located in the Province of Punjab. It was formerly known as Lyallpur. Faisalabad is the third largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of 3 million (city proper). It is an important industrial centre located in the Punjab province, west of Lahore. The city-district of Faisalabad is bound on the north by the districts of Gujranwala and Sheikhupura, on the east by Sahiwal, on the south by Toba Tek Singh and on the west by Jhang.
Hyderabad (Urdu, Sindhi: حيدر آباد; pronounced [Haidarābād]) is located in the province of Sindh. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot (Sindhi: نيرُون ڪوٽ). Formerly the capital of Sindh, it serves as the headquarters of the district of Hyderabad. Before the creation of Pakistan, it was known as the Paris of India, for its roads used to be washed with perfumed rose-water every day and sandalwood incense would linger the air.
Sukkur (Urdu:سکھر, Sindhi:سکر), formerly Aror (Sanskrit: अरोड, Urdu: اروڑ), is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River (Pakistan) in Sukkur District. When Arabs invaded Sukkur (Sindh) in the 10th century, they found an extreme climate (hot and cold), and called it Saqar, which means intense. Sukkur is nicknamed Darya Dino (درياءَ ڏنو , meaning the gift of river), as without the Indus it would be a desert.
Sialkot (Urdu/Punjabi: سیالکوٹ) is a city located in the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. Formerly, Sialkot has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir. The city is about 125 km (78 mi) north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Jammu. It is one of the major industrial centers of Pakistan and is well-known for its manufacture and export of surgical instruments, musical instruments, sports goods, leather goods, textile products and other light manufactures.