Shamspir () is a populated

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

off the coast of

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 ...

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 ...

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# ...

. The village on the island, administratively part of Keamari District, is home to approximately 5,000 residents.

Location

Located west of Karachi Harbour, north of Sandspit Beach, and west of Kakapir, the island was densely surrounded by mangrove forests until 2006. However, these forests have been significantly reduced over the past two decades within the harbour's ecosystem.

History

Shamspir is named for the shrine of a saint, named Hazrat Sham Pir, located on the island. Shamspir is an old village which, like the nearby Baba and Bhit Islands, predates the formal establishment of Karachi. Residents from Baba and Bhit islands helped settle Shamspir. During the British era, some residents of Mithadar and Kharadar were settled in Shamspir during construction of the Port of Karachi. Some of those residents moved further west and established the fishing village of Kakapir.

Location

History

References

See also