Karachi, city and capital of Sindh province, southern Pakistan. It is the country’s largest city and principal seaport and is a major commercial and industrial centre. Karachi is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea immediately northwest of the Indus River Delta. Karachi Harbour, on the shores of which the city is situated, is a safe and beautiful natural harbour. It is protected from storms by Kiamāri Island, Manora Island, and Oyster Rocks, which together block the greater part of the harbour entrance in the west. Karachi has pleasant weather for the greater part of the year. May and June are the hottest months, when the mean maximum temperature is about 93 °F (34 °C). Spells of enervating weather occasionally prevail in May and October, during which the temperature shoots up to 105 °F (41 °C). The coolest months are January and February, during which the mean minimum temperature remains about 56 °F (13 °C). A biting north wind occasionally blows in these months, during which the temperature may drop to 40 °F (4 °C). The relative humidity varies from 58 percent in October, the driest month, to 82 percent in August, the wettest month. The average rainfall is 8 inches (203 mm); most of the rain falls during a total of 12 or 14 days in the months of June, July, and August.
