Quetta (Urdu: , Pashto: , Balochi: pronunciation (helpinfo)) is

the provincial capital ofBalochistan, Pakistan and the ninth-largest city

of Pakistan.[4] 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 fruits and dry
fruits produced there.[citation needed] The city was also known as Little Paris in the
past due to its beauty and geographical location. [5] The immediate area has long
been one of pastures and mountains, with varied plants and animals relative to
the dry plains to the west. Quetta is at an average elevation of 1,680 meters
(5,510 feet) above sea level,[6] making it Pakistan's only high-altitude major city.
The population of the city is estimated to be approximately 1,140,000. [3]
Located in north western Balochistan near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,
Quetta is a trade and communication centre between the two countries. The city
lies on the Bolan Pass route which was once the only gateway from Central Asia
to South Asia. Quetta played an important role militarily for the Pakistani Armed
Forces in the intermittent Afghanistan conflict.
Contents
[hide]

1Etymology

2History

2.1British Raj

2.2Independence of Pakistan

3Geography
o

3.1Climate

4Government and politics

5Transport

6Educational institutions

7Flora and fauna

8Attractions

9Demographics

10Festivals and shopping

11Cuisine

12Sports
o

12.1Facilities

13See also

14Gallery

15References

16Bibliography

17External links

Etymology
Quetta is also spelled Kuwatah, which is a variation of Kot, a Pashto word
meaning "fortress".[7] It is believed that it relates to the four imposing hills
(Chiltan, Takatu, Zarghoon and Murdaar) that surround the city and form a
natural bulwark.
History
Main article: History of Quetta

Quetta cantonment during theBritish Raj era (c. 1889)

It is believed that the earliest inhabitants of the city were the Pashtun Kasi Tribe.
[citation needed]
The first important event in the history of Quetta is from the 11th
century when it was captured by Amir Mahmud of Ghazni during his invasions of
South Asia.
British Raj
In 1876 Quetta was incorporated into British controlled territories of India. British
Troops constructed the infrastructure for their establishment as it was a strategic
location. By the time of the earthquake on 31 May 1935 Quetta had developed
into a bustling city with a number of multistory buildings and was known as
"Little Paris" because of that. The epicenter of the earthquake was close to the
city and destroyed most of the citys infrastructure and killed an estimated
40,000 people.[5]
During the independence movement of Indian subcontinent the predominantly
Muslim population of the region supported the Muslim League and the Pakistan
Movement.
Independence of Pakistan

See also: Independence of Pakistan

Quaid-e-azam Residence in Ziarat

On joining Pakistan, Quetta was made the capital city of the newly created
province of Balochistan before it was combined with other Balochi princely states
(Kalat, Makran, Lasbela and Kharan) to form the Baloch province. Quetta
remained the capital of the province until 1959 when the provincial system was
abolished under Ayub Khan. After the 1971 war, the provincial system was reinstated, and Quetta was once again made capital of Balochistan.
Geography

Parish Hall, Quetta Memorial Cathedral Church

Quetta has an area of 2,653 km2 (1,024 sq mi) and consists of series of small
river valleys which act as a natural fort surrounded on all sides by hills; these are
named Chiltan, Takatoo, Murdar and Zarghun. Although a mostly rocky
landscape, there are few natural boundaries between Quetta and its adjoining
districts of Dera Ismail Khan to the northeast,Dera Ghazi Khan and Sibi to the
east, Sukkur and Jacobabad to the southeast, Karachi and Gawadar to the south
andZiarat to the northeast. The closest city is Kandahar in Afghanistan, northwest at the end of the N25 road. Three main roads gradually fan out to the south,
the central route, the N25 leads via the city of Khuzdar to the coastal metropolis
ofKarachi.
Climate
Main article: Climate of Quetta
[hide]Climate data for Quetta, Pakistan

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Record high C (F)

23.6
(74.5
)

26.7
(80.1
)

31.1
(88)

35.0
(95)

39.4
(102.
9)

41.5
(106.
7)

42.0
(107.
6)

40.6
(105.
1)

38.3
(100.
9)

Average high C (F)

10.8
(51.4
)

12.9
(55.2
)

18.7
(65.
7)

24.8
(76.6
)

30.4
(86.7
)

35.3
(95.5
)

35.9
(96.6
)

34.8
(94.6
)

31.4
(88.5
)

Daily mean C (F)

3.7
(38.7
)

6.0
(42.8
)

11.1
(52)

16.6
(61.9
)

21.0
(69.8
)

25.6
(78.1
)

27.9
(82.2
)

26.4
(79.5
)

21.1
(70)

Average low C (F)

3.4
(25.9
)

0.9
(30.4
)

3.4
(38.
1)

8.3
(46.9
)

11.5
(52.7
)

15.9
(60.6
)

19.9
(67.8
)

17.9
(64.2
)

10.9
(51.6
)

Record low C (F)

18.
16.
3
7
(0.9
(1.9)
)

8.
3
(17.
1)

3.9
(25)

0.3
(31.5
)

5.0
(41)

8.9
(48)

3.3
(37.9
)

0.6
(30.9
)

Average precipitation
mm (inches)

56.7
(2.23
2)

55
(2.1
7)

28.3
(1.11
4)

6
(0.24
)

1.1
(0.04
3)

12.7
(0.5)

12.1
(0.47
6)

0.3
(0.01
2)

232.
5

273

334.8 327

49
(1.93
)

Mean monthly sunshine

209.
220.1
hours
05

313.1 313.1 294

Source #1: Hong Kong Observatory (altitude: 1589 m)[8]

Source #2: PMD[9]
Quetta has a high semi-arid climate (Kppen BSk) with a significant variation
between summer and winter temperatures. Summer starts about late May and
goes on until early September with average temperatures ranging from 2426 C
(7579 F). The highest temperature in Quetta is 42 C (108 F) which was
recorded on 10 July 1998.[10] Autumn starts in late September and continues until
mid-November with average temperatures in the 1218 C (5464 F) range.
Winter starts in late November and ends in late March, with average
temperatures near 45 C (3941 F). The lowest temperature in Quetta is
18.3 C (0.9 F) which was recorded on 8 January 1970. [10] Spring starts in
early April and ends in late May, with average temperatures close to 15 C
(59 F). Unlike more easterly parts of Pakistan, Quetta does not have
a monsoon season of heavy rainfall. Highest rainfall during 24 hours in Quetta is

113 millimetres (4.4 in) which was recorded on 17 December 2000, [10] Highest
monthly rainfall is 232.4 millimetres (9.15 in) which was recorded in March, 1982,
also the year of the highest annual rainfall, at 949.8 millimetres (37.39 in).[10] 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 2003 the city received snowfall after
a hiatus 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 except in 2008 when Quetta received a snowfall of 10 centimetres (4 in) in
four hours on 29 January 2008.[11] On 2 February it further received 25.4
centimetres (10 in) in 10 hours[12] which was the heaviest snowfall for the city in
the last ten years. During the winter of 2010 it received no snow and saw below
normal rains due to the presence of El-Nino over Pakistan.[10]
Government and politics

Heart and general hospital

Under the latest revision of Pakistan's administrative structure, promulgated in
2001,[13] Quetta was restructured as a City District, and divided into two towns. [14]
[15]
Each town in turn consists of a group of union councils (U.C.'s). [16] The US
Military sometimes uses the Pakistani Air Force base nearby.[17]
Transport

Kolpur Road passes under Railwayline

Quetta International Airport

Quetta Railway Station

Quetta is on the western side of Pakistan and is connected to the rest of the
country by a network of roads, railways and its international airport close to its
center.
At an altitude of 1,605 metres (5,266 feet) above sea level, Quetta Airport is the
second highest airport in Pakistan. Pakistan International Airlines has regular
flights to and from the other major cities of Pakistan
including Islamabad, Gwadar, Karachi,Lahore and Peshawar
Quetta Railway Station is one of the highest railway stations in Pakistan at 1,676
metres (5,499 feet) 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 ofPakistan Railways connects Quetta to Karachi in the south, by a

863 km (536 mi) track, Lahore in the northeast (1,170 km or 727 miles)
and Peshawar 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 to Jacobabad and Rohri in the plain of the River Indus.
A track from the Iranian city of Zahedan links to Quetta via Taftan, Balochistan.
Service was temporarily discontinued in 2006 due to unrest in Balochistan. Since
2008 railway service has come under attack by the Balochs, especially in the
Bolan Pass area resulting in a bomb blast on the railway tracks and firing on
trains.
There has been a proposal to construct a railway track that will link Gawadar to
China and Gawadar with Quetta via Kalat. Although the distance from Quetta to
Lahore is only 700 km (430 mi), there is no direct track on this route because of
theSulaiman Range that lies in the east of Quetta. All northeast-bound trains
for Punja