In Kurrachee subdivision cultivation exists only on a few isolated spots, and depends upon wells, springs, or natural rainfall. Here the chief crops are jodr, bdjra, barley, and sugar-cane. In Jerruck and Shâh-bandar, where numerous canals carry the waters of the Indus through the alluvial flats, rice forms the staple crop; but wheat, sugar-cane, millets, cotton, and tobacco are also grown. In the barren hills of Kohistân, agriculture is practically unknown; and the nomad population devotes itself almost entirely to grazing cattle in the southern plains. The district trade is centred in Kurrachee town, the staple exports consisting of cotton, wool, and grain. Extensive salt deposits of the purest description occur on the Sirganda creek, a branch of the Indus. Sea fisheries form an important industry. The pearl oyster is found at several places along the coast, but the pearls are of inferior size and quality. The Indus valley line of the Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway runs from Kurrachee to Kotri within the district a distance of 106 miles. The administration is conducted by a collector-magistrate, assisted by several deputies. The total imperial revenue in 1873-74 amounted to £139,079, exclusive of £52,222 derived from the canals. Education in 1873-74 was afforded by forty-nine schools, attended by 3167 pupils. Kurrachee town and neighbourhood, being open to the sea-breeze, are said to possess the healthiest climate in Sind. Fevers prevail at the setting in of the cold season, and in the hot weather external inflammations, ulcers, and skin diseases are very troublesome. Cholera occasionally appears in an epidemic form. The rainfall is slight and fluctuating, the average hardly exceeding 5 inches per annum.

Kurrachee, or Karachi, the chief town of Sind, India, and a large seaport, situated at the extreme northern end of the Indus delta, in 24° 5Γ N. lat. and 67° 4' E. long. The city is almost entirely a creation of British rule, its extensive commerce, splendid harbour works, and numerous flourishing institutions having all sprung up since the introduction of settled institutions; and the architecture of the town is essentially modern and Anglo-Indian. Before 1725 no town whatever appears to have existed on its site; but about that time some little trade began to centre upon the convenient harbour, and the silting up of Shâhbandar, the ancient port of Sind, shortly afterwards drove much of its former trade and population to the rising village. Under the Kalhora princes, the khân of Khelât obtained a grant of the town, but in 1795 it was captured by the Talpur Mirs, who built the fort at Manora, at the entrance to the harbour. They also made considerable efforts to increase the trade of the port, and at the time of the British acquisition of the province the town and suburbs contained a population of 14,000.

The census of 1872 returned the inhabitants of Kurrachee, including the cantonment, at 56,753, viz., Mohammedans, 29,156; Hindus, 23,404; Christians, 3397; and “others,” 796. The municipal revenue of the town in 1874 amounted to £22,596, and the expenditure to £20,142. Trade has immensely developed of late years. In 1843-44 the total value of the trade was returned at £122,160, that of the exports being only £1010. In 1873-74 the value of the trade amounted to £3,507,684, viz., imports £1,481,765 and exports £2,025,919. Up to 1851 only one English sailing ship had entered Kurrachee harbour, steamers and large vessels having to anchor outside and discharge by lighters. In 1853 the construction of the Napier Mole or causeway, 3 miles long, connecting the town with Kiamari island, and the subsequent extensive harbour improvements carried out between 1869 and 1873, at a cost of £450,000, have enabled vessels of any size to enter the harbour. In 1847-48 the number of vessels which entered the harbour was 891, all native craft, of a total burthen of 30,509 tons. In 1873-74 the vessels visiting the harbour numbered 913, of a total burthen of 161,284 tons.