Baluchistan

Mountainous desert area, comprising a province of Pakistan, part of the Iranian province of Sistán and Balúchestan, and a small area of Afghanistan. The Pakistani province has an area of 347,200 sq km/134,050 sq mi and a population (2002 est) of 7,215,700; its capital is Quetta. Sistán and Balúchestan has an area of 181,600 sq km/70,098 sq mi and a population (2002 est) of 2,093,600; its capital is Zahedan. The Quetta region has become important for fruit-growing. Coal, natural gas, chrome and other minerals have been discovered and exploited. The 1,600 km/1,000 mi rail network has strategic as well as economic significance. Much of Baluchistan consists of dry and rocky plateau areas with a rainfall of less than 13 cm/5 in a year and therefore little plant life.

The port of Gwadar in Pakistan is strategically important, situated close to the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz. The common religion of the Baluch (or Baluchi) people is Islam, and they speak Baluchi, a member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. In the drier areas they make use of tents, moving when it becomes too arid. Although they practise nomadic pastoralism, many are settled agriculturalists, growing wheat, barley, millet, maize, and potatoes.

Originally a loose tribal confederation, Baluchistan was later divided into four principalities that were sometimes under Persian, sometimes under Afghan suzerainty. In the 19th century British troops tried to subdue the inhabitants until a treaty in 1876 gave them autonomy in exchange for British army outposts along the Afghan border and strategic roads. On the partition of India in 1947 the khan of Khalat declared Baluchistan independent; the insurrection was crushed by the new Pakistani army after eight months. Three rebellions followed, the last being from 1973 to 1977, when 3,300 Pakistani soldiers and some 6,000 Baluch were killed.