Ormara

Ormara اورماڑا
City
A view of Ormara's "Double Crescents"
Ormara Location in Pakistan Ormara Ormara (Pakistan)
Coordinates: 25°12′51.96″N 64°37′59.87″E
Country	Pakistan
Province	Balochistan
District	Gwadar
Tehsil	Ormara
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population  (2023 census)
• Total	16,573
Time zone	UTC 5 (PST)
Postal code	91400
Highways	N-10
Ormara Lighthouse
Coordinates	25°11′19.3″N 64°41′15.8″E
Constructed	1970
Foundation	concrete base
Construction	metal skeletal tower
Height	10.7 metres (35 ft)
Shape	square pyramidal skeletal tower
Markings	grey tower
Power source	solar power
Operator	Mercantile Marine Department
Focal height	223 metres (732 ft)
Lens	Type LASE-28/6
Intensity	28,900 cd
Range	16.7 nautical miles (30.9 km; 19.2 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 20s.

Ormara (Balochi and Urdu: اورماڑا, Urdu pronunciation: [oːɾmɑːɽɑː]), is a town & tehsil in Gwadar District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a port in the Makran coastal region. It is located 360 kilometres (220 mi) west of Karachi and 230 kilometres (140 mi) east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as Oraea.

History

Ormara beach, west side of the city

Going towards Gwadar through the Makran Coastal Highway, Ormara comes in midway between Karachi and Gwadar. Its historical routes are linked with Alexander the Great, who stayed there with his army for a few days on his way back from the Indus region after conquering the lands of Sindh, Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions of modern-day Pakistan in 400 BC. One of his generals, Ormoz, died there, and the present-day city was named after him.

For centuries, Ormara remained a battlefield between the Baloch Sardar (local feudal) and foreign aggressors. Before independence, it was part of the state of Las Bela and afterward in 1975, it became part of the Makran Division. Being an isolated town, it remained undeveloped; however, after the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway and Jinnah Naval Base, life has taken a positive change for the locals with many local industries and the resultant increase in jobs available for the locals. Its population is about forty thousand people and still offers a traditional look at how the ancients lived. Most residents make their livelihood from fishing; a few of them also work in Middle Eastern countries. Ormara has witnessed considerable growth in recent years, especially with the foundation of the Makran Coastal Highway, which integrated the area more with the mainstream Pakistani economy and significant urban centres allowing for transport of goods, commerce and people.

Demographics

The population of city in 1981 was 8,265 but according to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, the population has risen to 16,573. In the Ormara tehsil 27,832 people lived in 2023.

Census	Population
1981	8,265
1998	11,521
2017	15,631
2023	16,573

Transport

Ormara has a port and fish harbour. The Jinnah Naval Base of the Pakistan Navy is located at Ormara. Ormara Airport (ORW) is a domestic airport with connections to the rest of Pakistan. The Makran Coastal Highway links Ormara with Karachi to the east and Gwadar to the west.

Education

• Cadet College Ormara

• Bahria College Naval Village Ormara

• Govt Inter Boys College Ormara

• Govt Girls College Ormara

• Govt High School Gazi Lane

• Govt Girls High School Islamia Line

• Govt Middle School Punjag

• Govt Girls Middle School Juna Line

• Govt Primary School Syedabad

• Govt Primary School KohBon

• Govt Primary School Tak

Military

• Ormara Cantonment
• Jinnah Naval Base
• Cadet College Ormara
• PNS Darmaan Jah Hospital

See also

• Ormara Turtle Beaches
• List of lighthouses in Pakistan
• Oraea

External links

• Ormara satellite image