Map of Baluchistan

History

Much of present-day Balochistan province occupies the southeastern most portion of the Iranian plateau. The Kach Gandava Plain in the northeast was the setting for the earliest known farming settlements in the pre-Indus Valley Civilisation era, the earliest of which was Mehrgarh, dated around 7000 BCE.

Although an indigenous population existed during the Bronze Age and under the empire of Alexander the Great, the Baloch people themselves did not appear in the region until the 14th century CE. From the first millennium BCE onwards, the region was divided into several provinces of the Achaemenid Empire, namely Maka, which certainly corresponded to Makran, and Zarang.

Geography

Balochistan is situated in the southwest of Pakistan and covers an area of 347,190 square kilometres (134,050 mi2). It is Pakistan's largest province by area, constituting 44% of Pakistan's total landmass. The province is bordered by Afghanistan to the north and northwest, Iran to the south-west, Punjab and Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the northeast. To the south lies the Arabian Sea. Balochistan is located in the southeastern part of the Iranian plateau. It borders the geopolitical regions of the Middle East and Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. Balochistan lies at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz and provides the shortest route from seaports to Central Asia.

Economy

The economy of Balochistan is largely based upon agriculture, livestock, fisheries, production of natural gas, coal, and other minerals.

Though agriculture and livestock play a dominant role in the provincial economy by contributing 47% of its GDP. It faced extensive damage due to the 2022 Pakistan floods. The floods killed around 500,000 of Balochistan's livestock and damaged cultivation and agricultural output in 32 out of 35 districts of the province. The Lasbela district was the worst hit as the floods washed away four-fifths of the homes, crops, and livestock. Due to the floods and severe drought conditions, the province faces food insecurity and is 85% dependent on the Sindh and Punjab provinces for the supply of wheat.

Demographics

Balochistan's population density is low due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. In March 2012, preliminary census figures showed that the population of Balochistan, not including the districts of Khuzdar, Kech and Panjgur, had reached 13,162,222, an increase of 139.3% from 5,501,164 in 1998. The population constituted 6.85% of Pakistan's total population. This was the largest increase in population in any province of Pakistan during that time period, almost thrice the national increase of 46.9%. Official estimates of Balochistan's population grew from approximately 7.45 million in 2003 to 7.8 million in 2005.