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Faisalabad

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Faisalabad is a major industrial and distribution hub located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in the province and the third-most populous city in the entire country. The city sits within the Rechna Doab, a region of rolling flat plains situated between the Chenab and Ravi rivers.

Om
Om

Because of its central location and its connections to roads, rails, and air transportation, it serves as a vital link for trade. The city is famous for its massive textile industry, which has earned it the nickname "the Manchester of Pakistan."

The city's development is rooted in a massive irrigation project from the 1880s. During this time, the Punjab government created canal colonies to farm the western Punjab region. The Chenab colony was the largest of these projects and covered the entire Lyallpur District. An officer named Popham Young chose the site for the current city to serve as the headquarters for this colony. To manage the water, the lower Chenab canal was used to irrigate the land. Today, this canal provides water to 80% of the cultivated lands in the area.

Faisalabad was one of the first planned cities within British India. The architect Ganga Ram designed the main architecture of the settlement. The city center was built to replicate the design of the Union Jack flag. Eight roads extend outward from a large clock tower at the very center of the city. This geometric design is symbolically linked to several different crosses. These eight roads developed into eight separate bazaars, which are large markets, leading to different regions of the Punjab.

Christian cross
Christian cross

Originally, the city was known as Lyallpur, named after Sir James Broadwood Lyall. He was the British lieutenant governor of the Punjab from 1887 to 1892. In 1898, the town was incorporated as a municipality. Following the Partition of British India in 1947, the city experienced a massive population shift. As India and Pakistan became sovereign states, hundreds of thousands of East Punjabi Muslim immigrants settled in the city. This caused the population to increase six times in the decade following the partition. In 1979, the Government of Pakistan renamed the city Faisalabad. This name honors King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and his kingdom's long relationship with Pakistan.

Star and Crescent
Star and Crescent

Economically, Faisalabad is a powerhouse for the nation. In 2013, the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at $43 billion. The city contributes over 20 percent to the total GDP of Pakistan. While industry is a major part of the economy, agriculture remains a hallmark of the region. The city's growth was further supported in the 1980s by foreign investments in the textile sector. Many residents also began working abroad, which brought foreign remittances, or money sent home, back into the city. This helped fund large-scale infrastructure projects.

The geography of the region is defined by the alluvial plains of the upper Indus Basin. These plains consist of thick layers of alluvial deposits, which can be over a thousand feet deep. The soil is made of young stratified silt loam or very fine sand loam. This soil is excellent for farming but can have a weak subsoil structure. The rivers in the area, such as the Ravi and Chenab, have winding courses. During the rainy season, these rivers have very strong currents. This can lead to high floods that last for several days.

Khanda
Khanda

The climate in Faisalabad is a mix of semi-arid and humid subtropical conditions. The weather can be quite extreme, with summer temperatures reaching a record of 48.0 °C. In the winter, temperatures have dropped as low as −4.0 °C. The city experiences a monsoon season from July through September. This season brings heavy rainfall, which is the peak of the annual rainfall. While the rain is necessary for crops, it can also cause flash flooding or even cloudbursts. In the winter, the weather is often cloudy and accompanied by frequent fog.

Jain Prateek Chihna
Jain Prateek Chihna
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