Map of Sind
Sind is a first-level division of Pakistan. Its largest mapped city is Karachi, with about 12.13 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Sind, and the tables list its 6 mapped cities along with the dams, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 6
- Largest City
- Karachi
- Country
- Pakistan
Interactive Map of Sind
About Sind
Sindh is a province of Pakistan, located in the southeastern region of the country. It is the third-largest Pakistani province by land area and second-largest by population. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south and borders the provinces of Balochistan to the west and Punjab to the north; in addition to sharing an international border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east. Karachi, located along the southern coast, is the capital and largest city. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion along the provincial border with Balochistan.
The first settled life in South Asia emerged around Sindh and Punjab 9,000 years ago along the Indus River Basin, which gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Aryans migrated from Central Asia after 2000 BCE as the Indus Valley Civilisation gradually declined. Around 1000 BCE, the Indo-Aryan kingdom of Sindhu-Sauvīra emerged in Sindh which lasted until 518 BCE when the Achaemenids captured the region, followed by the Macedonians, the Mauryans, the Indo-Greeks, the Indo-Scythians, the Guptas, and finally the Sasanians in the 3rd century CE. Sindh emerged as an independent kingdom under the Rai dynasty in the 5th century, which was succeeded by the Chach dynasty in the 7th century. The Arabs conquered Sindh in 712 CE under the Umayyad Caliphate and established it as a caliphal province — laying the foundations of the Muslim period in South Asia, which lasted over a millennia.
The Habbari Emirate emerged in the 9th century which nominally pledged allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphate. Between the 11th and the 16th centuries, the Soomra, Samma, and Arghun dynasties ruled Sindh respectively — mostly under the vassalage of the Delhi Sultanate.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Sindh (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sind in Depth
History
Sindh and surrounding areas contain the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation. There are remnants of ancient cities and structures, with a notable example in Sindh being that of Mohenjo-daro. Built around 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Civilisation, with features such as standardized bricks, street grids, and covered sewerage systems. It was one of the world's earliest major cities, contemporaneous with the civilisations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoan Crete, and Caral-Supe. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilisation declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s.
Geography and nature
Sindh is in the western corner of South Asia, bordering the Iranian plateau in the west. Geographically it is the third largest province of Pakistan, stretching about 579 kilometres (360 mi) from north to south and 442 kilometres (275 mi) (extreme) or 281 kilometres (175 mi) (average) from east to west, with an area of 140,915 square kilometres (54,408 sq mi) of Pakistani territory. Sindh is bounded by the Thar Desert to the east, the Kirthar Mountains to the west and the Arabian Sea and Rann of Kutch to the south. In the centre is a fertile plain along the Indus River.
Demographics
Sindh has the second highest Human Development Index out of all of Pakistan's provinces at 0.628. The 2023 Census of Pakistan indicated a population of 55.7 million.
As per a 2025 Dawn News report, based on data compiled by research organisation Population Council, UK Aid and the United Nations Population, Sindh had an annual growth rate of 2.57%. According to demographic projections, if the province’s current total fertility rate of 3.6 children per woman remains unchanged, Sindh's population could more than double to approximately 111 million by 2050.
Islam in Sindh has a long history, starting with the capture of Sindh by Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712. Over time, the majority of the population in Sindh converted to Islam, especially in rural areas.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sindh (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sind: Key Facts
| Population | 55,245,497 |
|---|---|
| Area | 140,914 km² |
| Capital | Karachi |
| Head of government | Kamran Tessori |
| Established | 14 August 1947 |
Facts from Wikidata Q37211 (CC0).
History of Sind: Empires and States
The atlas records 32 polities whose mapped territory included part of Sind, from Indus Valley Civilization in 2300 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Indus Valley Civilization | 2300–1701 BCE |
| Achaemenid Empire | 500–405 BCE |
| Achaemenid Persian Empire | 500–405 BCE |
| Nanda Empire | 333–324 BCE |
| The Macedonian Empire of Alexander | 323–316 BCE |
| The Maurya Empire | 315–226 BCE |
| Indo-Scythians | 77 BCE – 0 CE |
| Indo-Parthians | 1–90 CE |
| Kushan Empire | 91–237 CE |
| Eastern Kushans | 238–269 CE |
| Western Satraps | 270–409 CE |
| The Gupta Empire | 347–489 CE |
| White Huns | 490–533 CE |
| The Umayyad Caliphate | 718–749 CE |
| The Abbasid Caliphate | 750–859 CE |
| Sind-Habbari Dynasty | 860–1201 CE |
| Ghurid Dynasty | 1202–1209 CE |
| Hamdanid Emirates | 1210–1249 CE |
| Mamluk Dynasty | 1236–1293 CE |
| The Delhi Sultanate | 1236–1343 CE |
| The Mongol Empire | 1250–1343 CE |
| Ilkhanate | 1294–1343 CE |
| Khalji Dynasty | 1314–1325 CE |
| Tughlaq Dynasty | 1326–1343 CE |
| Sind-Samma Dynasty | 1344–1525 CE |
| The Mughal Empire | 1595–1740 CE |
| Afsharid Iran | 1741–1747 CE |
| Durrani Empire | 1752–1821 CE |
| Talpur Dynasty | 1820–1845 CE |
| The British Empire | 1840–1946 CE |
| British Raj | 1859–1946 CE |
| Islamic Republic of Pakistan | 1947–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Sind
Sind on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Sind
Sindh (Sindhi: سنڌ), the historical home to the Sindhi people is the second most populated administrative unit of Pakistan after Punjab, with a population of over 55 million people. Sindh is known as Bab-ul-Islam (the gateway of Islam), as it saw the first spread of Islam into South Asia. It has its own culture and traditions, and has its roots in one of the world's oldest civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilisation, which Sindh was home to.
Sindh is endowed with coastal access, and is a major centre of economic activity in Pakistan. Karachi, the country's largest city at the southwestern tip of Sindh, is the main financial hub of the country as well one of the most populous cities in the world and has both the country's largest airport and largest seaport.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Sindh (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Sind
6 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karachi | 12.13 million | Sind | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Hyderabad | 1.46 million | Sind | Populated place |
| 3 | Sukkur | 417,767 | Sind | Populated place |
| 4 | Larkana | 364,033 | Sind | Populated place |
| 5 | Mirput Khas | 356,435 | Sind | Populated place |
| 6 | Nawabshah | 229,504 | Sind | Populated place |
Major Dams in Sind
1 dam mapped. Ranked by structural height. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage) | 20 m | Indus | — | 1932 |
Ports in Sind
2 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karachi | 38.4 m | Minor | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | large vessels |
| 2 | Muhamamad Bin Qasim | 34.7 m | Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sind
2 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohenjo-daro | 1980 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) |
| 2 | Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta | 1981 | Cultural | (iii) |
Sind: Quick Answers
- Where is Sind?
- Sind is a first-level division of Pakistan, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 26.2177° N, 68.3047° E.
- What is the largest city in Sind?
- Karachi is the largest city mapped in Sind, with a metropolitan population of about 12.13 million.
- How many cities are in Sind?
- YearMaps maps 6 cities and towns in Sind, with a combined metropolitan population of about 14.96 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.