Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, is also the  biggest city of Pakistan covering an area of 3,527 km2. It is located at 24º45” to 25º15” north, and 66º37” to 67º37” east. It is bounded by Dadu District in the northeast, Thatta District in the south-east, the Arabian Sea  to the south and the Lasbela District of Baluchistan Province to the west.

In the seventeenth century, Karak Bunder was a small port on the Arabian Sea on the estuary of the Hub River, 40 km west of present day Karachi. It was a transit point for the South Indian – Central Asian trade. The estuary silted up due to heavy rains in 1728 and the harbour could no longer be used. As a result, the merchants of Karak Bunder decided to relocate their activities to what is today known as Karachi. Trade increased between 1729 and 1839 because of the silting up of Shah Bunder and Kiti Bunder (important ports on the Indus) and the shifting of their activities to Karachi.