Ormara

Ormara on Makran coast

Ormara Bay from Hammer Head

Ormara (Urdu: اورمارا) is a port city (25° 16' 29N 64° 35' 10E) located in the Makran or coastal region of Balochistan Province in Pakistan. It is located 360 km west of Karachi and 230 km east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as Oraea.

History

Ormara is an old coastal town. When going towards Gwadar through Makran Coastal Highway Ormara comes in midway between Karachi and Gwadar. Its historical routes are linked with Alexander the Great, who stayed there with his army for a few days on his way back from the Indus region after conquering the lands of Sindh, Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province regions of modern-day Pakistan in 400 BC. One of his generals, Ormoz, died there and the present-day city was named after him.

For a few centuries, Ormara remained a battle field between the Baloch Sardar (local feudal) and foreign aggressors. Before independence, it was part of the state of Las Bela and afterward it became part of Makran Division. Being an isolated town, it remained undeveloped; however, with the naval presence around, life has taken a positive change for the locals with many local industries and the resultant increase in jobs available for the locals. It has a population of about forty thousand people and still offers a traditional look at how the ancients lived. Most residents make their livelihood from fishing; a few of them also work in Middle Eastern countries. Ormara has witnessed considerable growth in recent years especially with the foundation of the Makran coastal highway, which integrated the area more with the mainstream Pakistani economy and major urban centres allowing for easier transport of goods, commerce and people.

Demographics

The population of Ormara was estimated to be over 40,000 in 2005. Most of the population of is Baloch and over 99% is Muslim.

Transportation

Port of Ormara

Ormara has a port and fish harbour. The Jinnah Naval Base of the Pakistan Navy is located at Ormara.^[1]

Airport of Ormara

The airport at Ormara (ORW) connects it with rest of Pakistan. It is located at coordinates 25° 16' 29N 64° 35' 10E.

See also

• Oraea

References

1. ^ Jinnah Naval Base

External links

• Ormara satellite image

Coordinates: 25°13′N 64°38′E / 25.217°N 64.633°E / 25.217; 64.633