Larkana (; ) is a city located in the

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the

Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE ...

site

Mohenjo-daro Mohenjo-daro (; , ; ) is an archaeological site in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. Built 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, and one of the world's earliest major city, cities, contemp ...

. The historic

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

flows in east and south of the city. The city is located within Larkana District. Formerly known as " Chandka", Larkana is located on the south bank of the Ghar canal, about south of the town Shikarpur, and northeast of Mehar. With a population of 551,716 in the 2023 Census of Pakistan, it is the 4th most populated city of

province (after

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, and

Sukkur Sukkur is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the List of cities in Sindh by population, third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and H ...

), and the 19th most populated city in Pakistan.

Geography

Larkana is situated at Latitude 24 56' 00' and Longitude 67 11' 00'. It is situated in northwest part of Sindh and it has its own division. It is also included in Upper Sindh.

Climate

Larkana has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BWh''), bordering a hot

semi arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

climate (Koppen: BSh), with sweltering summers and mild winters. The highest recorded temperature is , recorded On 26 May 2010 and the lowest recorded temperature is , recorded in January 1929. The average annual rainfall is , and mainly occurs in the monsoon season (July to September). The highest annual rainfall ever is , recorded in 2022 (some areas of the city got more than 1000 mm of annual rainfall in 2022) and the lowest annual rainfall ever is , recorded in 1938.

Famous Crops

Rice is the most famous crop of Larkana. Peas, Grape, Mustard, and Sunflowers are also grown there.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2023 census, Larkana had a population of 551,716.

Education

Several old and new schools, colleges, as well as university are functioning in the city for both boys and girls. Many are private and public institutions. IBA has takeover Public School and from 2018, Agha Khan University Education Board will takeover Sindh Board

Schools, colleges and training institutes

Local schools include Government Pilot School, Larkana (founded in 1926 by the British colonists), Girls High School, Public School Larkana, Deeni Madersa High School, and Government Degree College. Technical institutes include Polytechnic Institute and Teachers' Training College. ( UN ECOSOC accredited organization) has established STEVTA registere
technical and vocational training institute
for girls in 2017
DESSI International
imparts free trainings along with giving monthly stipends through NAVTTC an
BBSHRRDB
BBSYDP projects in Larkana since 2017
DESSI International
also provides training programs of Beautician, Diploma in IT, Computers, Dress Making
Rilli Applique
Spoken and Business English,

Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...

and other different short and professional courses in Larkana.

University and campuses

* University of Larkano *

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) () is a public university of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health professions, allied health sciences. It was established on July 9, 2009. It is located in Larkana, Sindh, Pa ...

* Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology campus * Chandka Medical College SZABIST opened its first campus in Larkana in 2004. It offers degrees in BBA (day), BA (day),

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

(evening), EMBA. A few years later the SZABIST Trust established two school and college in the city: Montessori to Class VII (Junior School) and Class VIII to XII (School and College). Chandka Medical College (CMC) was established and inaugurated by the former prime minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on 20 April 1973. It was the fourth public medical college to be established in the province of Sindh. Chandka Medical College is recognised by Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC). The College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has also established its regional center at the campus of CMC Larkana. CMC is recently upgraded to

. In 2009, Quaid-e-Awam University College of Engineering Science & Technology (QUCEST), Larkano, was established in the outskirt of Larkana, under the directives of

Government of Sindh The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...

in collaboration with Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering Science & Technology (QUEST), Nawabshah, Sindh. The campus offers bachelor of engineering degrees in the technologies of

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

electronic engineering Electronic engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering that emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control electric current flo ...

and

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. In 2024, University of Larkano, established a merger of Sindh University Campus, Quaid-e-Awam University College of Engineering Science & Technology (QUCEST) and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Agricultural College (SZBAC) to its faculties.

Transport

Larkana Railway Station is located in the center of the city. It connects Larkana to the rest of Sindh and Pakistan. Pakistan Railway also assists in the transportation of agricultural products to provincial capital

from Larkana. Moenjodaro Airport is located near Mohen-jo-daro, 28 km away to the south of the city of Larkana, about 5 kilometres away from Dokri. Larkana is connected via land buses to most major cities in the country, including

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

and

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

Sport

Larkana was the birthplace of the Sindh Games. It also hosted the 12th Sindh Games in 2009 which included sports such as football, gymnastics, hockey, judo, karate, squash, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, and wushu. It also included traditional games such as kodi kodi, malakhara, shooting and wanjhwatti. Larkana was also home to cricket team Larkana Bulls. The Larkana Tennis Association provides the only

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

in Larkana, and coaches boys coming from various other cities.

Notable people

* Muhammad Tahir - Founder of Jamaat Islah ul Muslimeen Pakistan, Roohani Talaba Jamaat Pakistan & Sajjada Nasheen Dargah Allah Abad Shareef Kandiaro,Sindh * Jan Mohammad Abbasi – Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan * Abdul Ghafoor Bhurgri – lawyer, politician, writer * Abdul-Majid Bhurgri – developer of computing in the Sindhi *

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

– former prime minister of Pakistan * Fatima Bhutto – novelist, journalist * Mumtaz Ali Bhutto – former governor, Chief Minister of Sindh and federal minister * Murtaza Bhutto – founder of the PPP Shaheed Bhutto; son of Z. A Bhutto * Shah Nawaz Bhutto – prime minister of State of Jhunagarah, prominent landowner, politician, initiator and mover of Sukkur Barrage; father of Z. A Bhutto *

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

– former president and prime minister of Pakistan * Sobho Gianchandani – lawyer and scholar * Muhammad Ayub Khuhro – former chief minister of

, former defense minister of Pakistan * Rauf Lala – comedian * Abida Parveen –

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

singer * Bashir Ahmed Qureshi – chairman of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) * Muhammad Sharif – ex-Federal Secretary and Home Minister Sindh * Qazi Fazlullah Ubaidullah – former chief minister of Sindh and Federal Minister * Khalid Mehmood Soomro former senator of (JUI) * Shahnawaz Dahani – Cricketer

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Larkana District Metropolitan areas of Pakistan