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Quetta is the capital and largest city of the
Pakistani province The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, one federal territory, and two disputed territories: the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan; the Islamabad Capital Territory; and the administrativ ...
of
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
. It is the ninth
largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...
in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. Quetta is at an average elevation of above sea level, making it Pakistan's highest altitude major city. The city is known as the ''"Fruit Garden of Pakistan,"'' due to the numerous fruit orchards in and around it and the large variety of fresh and dried fruits produced there. Located in northern
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the road across to
Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
, Quetta is a trade and communication centre between the two countries. The city is near the
Bolan Pass Bolan Pass () is a valley and a natural gateway through the Toba Kakar range in Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is situated south of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The pass is an stretch of the Bolan River valley from Rindli in the ...
, which was on a major gateway from
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
to
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
.


Etymology

The name ''Quetta'' is a variation of the
Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...
word ''Kwatkōṭ'', or ''kōta'' meaning "fortress". Quetta was formerly known as Shalkot (, ).


History


Early history

File:Quetta 1880.JPG, Fort Mirri in 1880 File:Quetta4m.jpg, Quetta Cantonment, 1889 Modern day Quetta was captured by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi during his invasion of India. In 1543, Mughal emperor
Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...
came to Quetta en route to
Safavid Persia The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beg ...
, leaving his son and future Mughal emperor
Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...
here. In 1709, the region was a part of Afghan
Hotak dynasty The Hotak dynasty ( ) was an Afghan monarchy founded by Ghilji Pashtuns that briefly ruled portions of Iran and Afghanistan during the 1720s. It was established in April 1709 by Mirwais Hotak, who led a successful rebellion against the declining ...
and stayed a part until 1747 when
Ahmed Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (; ; – 4 June 1772), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the first ruler and founder of the Durrani Empire. He is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan. Throughout his reign, Ahmad Shah fought ov ...
conquered it and made it a part of
Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...
. The first European visited Quetta in 1828, describing it as ''mud-walled fort surrounded by three hundred mud houses''.


Foundation

In 1856, British General John Jacob had urged his government to occupy Quetta given its strategic position on the western frontier. British troops constructed the infrastructure for their establishment as a garrison town. In 1877, the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
made an agreement with then
Khan of Kalat The Khanate of Kalat, also known as the Brahui Confederacy, was a Brahui Khanate that originated in the modern-day Kalat region of Pakistan. Formed in 1666 due to the threat of Mughal expansion in the region,"Baluchistan" ''Imperial Gazet ...
, Mir Khudadad Khan to rule Quetta, which started the regime of Sir Robert Groves Sandeman. It was reconstructed after the
1935 Quetta earthquake An earthquake occurred on 31 May 1935 between 2:30 am and 3:40 am at Quetta, Baluchistan Agency (now part of Pakistan), close to the border with southern Afghanistan. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and anywhere between 30,000 ...
, which razed the city to the ground. The epicentre of the earthquake was close to the city and destroyed most of the city's infrastructure, killing an estimated 40,000 people. After the foundation of Pakistan, Balochistan acquired the status of a province and Quetta became a provincial capital.


Climate

Quetta has a
cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk'') with a significant variation between summer and winter temperatures. Summer starts from late May and goes on until early September with average temperatures ranging from . The highest temperature in Quetta is which was recorded on 10 July 1998. Autumn starts in mid-September and continues until mid-November with average temperatures in the range. Winter starts in late November and ends in late February with average temperatures near . The lowest temperature in Quetta is which was recorded on 8 January 1970. Spring starts in early March and ends in mid-May with average temperatures close to . Unlike more easterly parts of Pakistan, Quetta does not have a
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
season of heavy rainfall. Highest rainfall during 24 hours in Quetta is which was recorded on 17 December 2000, Highest monthly rainfall of was recorded in March 1982 which was also the year of the highest annual rainfall, . In the winter, snowfall has become quite erratic (December, January and February). The city saw a severe drought from 1999 to 2001 during which the city did not receive snowfall and below normal rains. In 2002, the city received snow after a gap of five years. In 2004 and 2005, the city received normal rains after three years without snowfall while in 2006, 2007 and 2009 the city received no snow. In 2008, it received a snowfall of in four hours on 29 January, followed on 2 February by in 10 hours – the city's heaviest snowfall in a decade. During the winter of 2010, it received no snow and saw below normal rains due to the presence of El-Nino over Pakistan.


Demographics

According to the
2023 Census of Pakistan The 2023 Census of Pakistan was the census, detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population and the census in Pakistan, seventh national census in the country. It was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. It was also the first ever di ...
, the population of the city was a total of 1,565,546. This makes it the largest city in Balochistan province and one of the major cities of Pakistan. Quetta is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. The city has a
Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...
plurality followed by Balochs,
Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...
, Brahui,
Punjabis The Punjabis (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Pañjābī) are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of northwestern India and eastern Paki ...
and
Muhajir people The Muhajir people (also spelled Mohajir and Mahajir) () are a multi-origin ethnic group of Pakistan. They are the Muslim immigrants of various ethnic groups and regional origins, who migrated from various regions of India after the 1947 in ...
.
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
being the national language is used and understood by all the residents and serves as a
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
. According to
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
and the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, there are as many as 500,000-600,000
Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...
living in Quetta and its surrounding areas.


Administration

At the local level, the city is governed by a municipal corporation consisting of 66 ward members which elects a mayor and a deputy mayor. In addition,
Quetta Development Authority The Quetta Development Authority is an agency of the Government of Balochistan, Pakistan. The authority is responsible for providing municipal services to the city of Quetta. The Authority was established in 1978. See also * Gwadar Development ...
is responsible for provision of municipal services for the city.


Transportation

Quetta is on the western side of
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and is connected to the rest of the country by a network of roads, railways and its international airport close to its centre. At an altitude of above sea level,
Quetta International Airport Quetta International Airport (Urdu کوئٹہ بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) ( Balochi: کویٹه میان‌استمانی بالی پٹّ); is an international airport located at Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, ...
is the second-highest airport in Pakistan.
Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
has regular flights to and from the other major cities of Pakistan 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 ...
,
Gwadar Gwadar (, ) is a Port, port city on the southwestern coast of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a populati ...
,
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 ...
,
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
and
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
. Quetta Railway Station is one of the highest railway stations in Pakistan at above sea level. The railway track was laid in the 1890s during the British era to link Quetta with rest of the country. The extensive network of
Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...
connects Quetta to Karachi in the south, by a track,
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
in the northeast (1,170 km or 727 miles) and
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
further northeast (1,587 km or 986 miles). A metalled road runs alongside the railway that connects Quetta to Karachi via the nearby town of
Sibi Sibi (; ;) is a city situated in the Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Subdivisions of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. The city serves as the administrative headquarters of the Sibi District, district and Sibi Tehsil, tehsil of the same name ...
to
Jacobabad Jacobabad, also known as Khanger, is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district. The city itself is subd ...
and
Rohri Rohri ( Sindhi: روهڙي; ) is a city of Sukkur District, Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located on the east bank of the Indus River, located directly across from Sukkur, the third largest city in Sindh. Rohri town is the administrative headqu ...
in the plain of the
River Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...
.


Education

Quetta serves as the learning centre for the Balochistan province. The city has a number of government and private colleges, including the following: * Balochistan Agriculture College *
Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences The Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering, and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) is a public research university in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in ...
(BUITEMS) * Bolan Medical College * Islamia High School, Quetta; frequently visited by Quaid-e-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...
in 1937, and was nicknamed as ''Chhota Aligarh'' (Little
Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...
) by him. *
Pakistan Command and Staff College The Command and Staff College Quetta is a staff college for the Pakistan Armed Forces and military officers from allied countries. Established in 1905 as Staff College, Deolali, it was later shifted to its present location in 1907 and has been a ...
* Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University *
St Francis Grammar School St. Francis' Grammar School is a Private school, private Catholic school, Catholic secondary school located in Balochistan (Pakistan), Baluchistan, Pakistan. The school is situated on the Zarghoon Road (formerly known as Lytton Road). The school h ...
* St. Joseph's Convent School, Quetta * Government Science College, Quetta * Tameer-e-Nau Public College * University Law College, Quetta *
University of Balochistan The University of Balochistan (UoB) (Urdu: جامعہ بلوچستان; Balochi: بلوچستان ء یونیورسٹی , Pashto: د بلوچستان پوهنتون ) also known as Balochistan University, is a public university located in the ...


Sports

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
is the most popular sport among the people of Quetta. The city has produced notable footballers for the
Pakistan national football team The Pakistan national football team () represents Pakistan in men's international Association football, football in FIFA-authorized events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Paki ...
including
Abdul Wahid Durrani Abdul Wahid Khan Durrani (Urdu, Pashto: ; 30 June 1917 – 24 February 2008) was a Pakistani international footballer and manager. He was the second captain of the Pakistan national football team after the goalkeeper Osman Jan. Playing career ...
Qayyum Changezi Abdul Qayyum Ali Khan Changezi (Urdu: ; 25 December 1935 – 25 June 2005), commonly known as Qayyum Changezi, was a Pakistani Football player, footballer. A versatile player, Changezi played in multiple positions, including Forward (association ...
,
Ayub Dar Ayub Dar (; born 5 December 1947) is a former Pakistani footballer, who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ayub represented the Pakistan national football team, Pakistan national team from 1966 to 1975, and was the country's 25t ...
, Mohammad Ali, and Rajab Ali Hazara. Main football clubs from Quetta include Baloch Quetta. Balochistan United WFC won the 2014 National Women Championship. The major football ground is Ayub National Stadium, a multipurpose stadium also used for athletics. Other football grounds include Qayyum Papa Stadium and Sadiq Shaheed Stadium.
Bugti Stadium Bugti Stadium, formerly known as the Racecourse Ground, is a cricket ground in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is located next to the Ayub National Stadium. History The first recorded match on the groun ...
is the home of
Balochistan cricket team Balochistan cricket team was a domestic cricket team in Pakistan representing Balochistan province. It competed in domestic first-class, List A and T20 cricket competitions, namely the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan Cup and National T20 Cup. ...
, a
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...
team which competes in domestic tournaments, and the Quetta-based team
Quetta Gladiators Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Gladiators won and became the champions in PSL ...
compete in the
Pakistan Super League The Pakistan Super League (PSL), also known as HBL PSL for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan, organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Founded by the PCB in 2015, the league features six city-bas ...
(PSL). They were the champion of the PSL 2019. Boxing is highly popular as well.
Muhammad Waseem Muhammad Waseem (born 29 December 1989) is a Pakistani professional boxer who challenged twice for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight title in 2018 and in 2022. Known for his quick and swift style of boxing, Waseem is nicknam ...
is a professional boxer from Quetta. In Body Building Nisar Ahmed Khilji has Mr. Balochistan and Mr. Pakistan Titles and Pakistan representation in International Body Building Contests. In hockey, Quetta has produced Zeeshan Ashraf and
Shakeel Abbasi Shakeel Abbasi (born 5 January 1984, Quetta, Pakistan) is a former international field hockey player from Pakistan. He played as a forward mainly as an inside right or center forward. A skillful forward, Abbasi was regarded as ...
, who were members of the Pakistan's national hockey team.


Facilities

Local facilities were created in the city for
mountain climbing Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
and
caving Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...
as well as water sports.
Hayatullah Khan Durrani Hayatullah Khan Durrani, PP (Pashto language, Pashto: ; born 22 April 1962) is a Pakistani people, Pakistani caving, caver, mountaineering, mountaineer, environmentalist, organizer, and a rescuer. He is also a part-time sports anchor actor on ...
(
Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...
) is the chief executive of Hayat Durrani Water Sports Academy, Balochistan's first and only Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing, rough swimming and boating academy where all such facilities provide free to the youth members at
Hanna Lake Hanna Lake () is a lake in Urak Valley near Quetta, in Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Province, in southwestern Pakistan. It is surrounded by mountains. Geography Hanna Lake is in the hills close to where the Urak Valley begins, east from ...
.


Twin towns and sister cities


Gallery

File:Quetta Infantry School.png, Junior officers in a tactical discussion at the Infantry School, Quetta File:Hanna Lake Quetta P1140271.jpg,
Hanna Lake Hanna Lake () is a lake in Urak Valley near Quetta, in Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Province, in southwestern Pakistan. It is surrounded by mountains. Geography Hanna Lake is in the hills close to where the Urak Valley begins, east from ...
File:Askrri park quetta - panoramio.jpg, Askari Park File:Jinnah Road, Quetta.JPG, Jinnah Road File:Quetta1880---.JPG, Quetta in 1880


See also

* 2008 Ziarat earthquake *
Balochi cuisine Balochi cuisine is the food and cuisine of the Baloch people native to the Balochistan region spanning Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan – as well as diasporan communities worldwide. Balochi food has a regional variance in contrast to the many ...
* Governor's House, Quetta * List of people from Quetta * Quetta hut * Quetta Memorial Precinct *
RMS Quetta RMS ''Quetta'' was an iron-hulled steamship that was built in Scotland in 1881 and wrecked with great loss of life in the Torres Strait in 1890. She was operated by British India Associated Steamers (BIAS), which was controlled by the British I ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* *


External links


Balochistan Board
* (archived 18 October 2010) {{Authority control * Capitals of Pakistan Populated places destroyed by earthquakes Populated places in Balochistan, Pakistan Metropolitan areas of Pakistan