Okara, Pakistan

For other uses, see Okara (disambiguation).
Okara
اوکاڑہ
City

Old hospital in Okara
Okara
Coordinates: 30°48′33″N 73°26′52″E / 30.80909°N 73.447723°E / 30.80909; 73.447723Coordinates: 30°48′33″N 73°26′52″E / 30.80909°N 73.447723°E / 30.80909; 73.447723
Country  Pakistan
Area
 • Total 199 km2 (77 sq mi)
Elevation 105 m (344 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,887,915
Time zone PST (UTC+5)
Number of Union councils 10

Okara (Punjabi, Urdu: اوکاڑہ‎), is the capital city of Okara District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Okara is also known as Mini Lahore.[1] The name Okara is derived from Okaan, the name of a type of tree.[2] The city is located southwest of the city of Lahore and Faisalabad is 100 km by passing away Ravi River. It is famous for its agriculture-based economy and cotton mills. The nearest major city to Okara is Sahiwal,formerly known as Montgomery.

Okara has the largest storage capacity in Asia and is a fairly large district in Pakistan in terms of population. There are famous Pakistan military dairy farms, especially famous for their cheese, situated in Okara. These farms were established before the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Mitchels farms also are located in the nearest town, Renala Khurd, in the Okara District. Okara's postal code is 56300.

History

The city is a relatively new agricultural city; during the period of British rule there was a jungle of Okaan where the city has been built, and from this the name of the city was derived.[2] During British rule, the area was part of Montgomery District and contained a large saltpeter refinery.[3] A large number of textile mills are located in Okara. In 1982, the city became the headquarters of the newly created Okara District. Okara has had a railway line since 1892.[2] Okara is famous for its cattle breed known as Sahiwal and a water buffalo breed known as Nili-Ravi. It is very rich in livestock population and production. Livestock Production Research Institute Bahadar Nagar Farm is a very large government farm near Okara. The farm has a large number of cows, buffalo, bulls (for reproduction), goats and sheep. The majority of the population of Okara are Kharals, Kamyana, Wattos,Kamboh's, khanzada's, Noon and Arain families, and the Chaudhary are prominent. However, the Jat castes population is less compared to other castes. Rao's, Kharals and Wattos, and Arains are major political hubs in Okara. The major politician in Okara is Rao Sikandar Iqbal who was the former Defence Minister of Pakistan, Okara city was established in the nineteenth century by the British Raj

Administration

The city of Okara serves as district and tehsil capital and is itself administratively subdivided into ten Union councils.[1]

Agriculture

The city of Okara is renowned in producing of Maize and Potato, Okara is known as Pakistan's largest city for production of these commodities.[4]

Education

Schools

Colleges

Universities


[5]

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Okara.
  1. 1 2 Tehsils & Unions in the District of Okara - Government of Pakistan Archived February 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 Okara, a neglected city
  3. ↑ Punjab - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 20, p. 312.
  4. ↑ Punjab Agriculture Department
  5. ↑ http://na.gov.pk/en/all_members.php

Statistics on Okara from Official Website of Bureau of Statistics, Government of Punjab

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