Jacobābād

▪ Pakistan

      city, Sindh province, Pakistan. The city lies at a junction of the Pakistan Western Railway and main roads through Sindh. It was founded in 1847 on the site of the village of Khānghar by General John Jacob, the district's first deputy commissioner. Jacob, who laid out the modern city, is commemorated by monuments, and even his horse has been memorialized by a mud pyramid. The city was incorporated as a municipality in 1875. It is noted for its consistently high temperatures and holds the record for the highest temperature recorded in Pakistan, 126° F (52° C) in the shade.

      Manufactures include cotton carpets (ghālīchah), lacquered wooden toys and lamps, and embroidery. Grain markets and milling mark Jacobābād's position at the centre of a rice- and grain-cultivating region. The city has several public parks, Victoria clock tower (1887), a municipal broadcasting station, and government colleges affiliated with the University of Sindh (1947). Pop. (1998 prelim.) 137,733.

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