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Baluchistan |
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Baluchistan (bəl `chĭstăn), province (1998 pop. 6,511,358), c.134,000 sq mi (347,000 sq km), Pakistan. The country's largest and least populous province, it is bounded by Iran on the west, by Afghanistan on the north, and by the Makran coast of the Arabian Sea on the south. The larger historical region of Baluchistan includes neighboring areas of SE Iran and SW Afghanistan. Quetta Quetta (kwĕ`tə), city (1998 pop. 560,307), capital of Baluchistan prov., W central Pakistan, at an altitude of c...... Click the link for more information. is the province's capital; it is connected by railway to the main Indus plains corridor of Pakistan. Lying outside the monsoon zone and with few rivers usable for irrigation, Baluchistan is largely desert basins with inarable hills and mountains. Outside of urban areas, tribes who speak languages related to Persian constitute most of the sparse population; the Baluch are dominant except in the northeast, where the people are largely Pathans (Pashtuns). Some cotton is raised and processed; grains are grown in some valleys, and fruits in the highlands. Sheep and goats also are raised. Extensive mineral resources include coal and lignite, gypsum, chromite, limestone, sulphur, and lead. Natural gas and oil discoveries are being developed and exploited. On the coast there is trade in fish and salt. Many invaders going India have crossed Baluchistan; the return route of Alexander the Great (325 B.C.) from India to Persia was through S coastal Baluchistan. During 7th–10th cent., Arabs held most of area; in early 17th-cent., the region was under Mughal Mughal (m The area was incorporated (1947–48) into Pakistan and then (1955) into West Pakistan prov. It was returned to full provincial status in 1970. In 1976 the Pakistani central government revoked the authority of local chiefs to administer their own peoples, touching off a significant popular revolt against the government; there had been several more minor tribal uprisings in the previous decades. Guerrilla fighting between local groups and government forces re-erupted sporadically, resuming in 2004 over proposed economic and military development that seems likely to bring large numbers of Punjabis into the province. There also has been feuding between local tribes. Balochistanor BaluchistanProvince (pop., 1998: 6,511,000), southwestern Pakistan. Its capital is Quetta (pop., 1998: 560,307). Its landscape includes mountains, notably the Sulaiman and Kithar ranges; barren, flat plains; arid desert; and marshy swamps. In ancient times, it was part of Gedrosia. Alexander the Great traversed it in 325 BC. It was included in the Bactrian kingdom, then was ruled by Arabs from the 7th to the 10th century AD. It was ruled by Persia for centuries, with the exception of a period when it belonged to the Mughal Empire (1594–1638). It became a British dependency in 1876 and a British province of India in 1887. It was made part of Pakistan in 1947–48 and was designated a separate province in 1970. Wheat, sorghum, and rice are staple crops; manufactures include cotton and woolen goods. Baluchistan, Balochistan 1. a mountainous region of SW Asia, in SW Pakistan and SE Iran 2. a province of SW Pakistan: a former territory of British India (until 1947). Capital: Quetta. Pop.: Pop.: 7 450 000 (2003 est.) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Beijing has been assisting in developing the Gawadar sea port on the Baluchistan border, which will facilitate exports to the Middle East. Particularly telling is the Chinese involvement in the development of the Gwadar port in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, which is positioned to affect access to the Persian Gulf. samples tested Animal Kidney culture f1aB PCR Spiny mouse 0/9 0/9 (Acomys cahirinus) House mouse 0/4 0/4 (species unknown) Golden spiny mouse 0/13 0/13 (Acomys russatus) Mongolian gerbil 0/9 0/9 (Meriones unguiculatus) Southern flying squirrel 5/10 * 5/10 * (Graucomys volans) Baluchistan pygmy jerboa 0/20 0/20 (Salpingotulus michaelis) Siberian chipmunk 0/10 0/10 (Tamias sibiricus) * Four of 5 culture-positive animals were positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). |
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