Balochistan, Pakistan · Asia
Gwadar sits on the route: 1 hours from Shooli Bazar.
Gwadar is a town located in Balochistan, Pakistan. With a population of 70,852, it is an important destination in Asia.
On a road trip, Gwadar sits in Pakistan. It's in the Asia/Karachi time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Gwadar to your route.
Gwadar (Urdu: گوادر, Urdu pronunciation: [ɡəʋɑːd̪əɾ]) is a port city on the southwestern coast of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman, and had a population of over 90,000 in 2017 census. It was an overseas possession of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman from 1783Read more
to 1958, when it was purchased by Pakistan. It is about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Turbat. The sister port city of Chabahar in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province is about 170 km (110 mi) to the west. In October 2011, Gwadar was declared the winter capital of Balochistan.
Founded in the late 17th century as a fishing settlement, Gwadar became a regional trade hub within the Omani Empire in the 20th century before being ceded to Pakistan (1958). Modest investment from China helped accelerate Gwadar's development from 2013 to 2020 when the city started to develop its economy. In 2025, overall investment reached 1 billion USD.
The main industrial concern is a fish-processing factory.
Gwadar came in the focus of attention after the 1999 Kargil War when Pakistan felt the need of having a military naval port and the Karachi-Gwadar Road (Coastal Highway) was built for defence purposes. For most of its history, Gwadar was a small to medium-sized settlement with an economy largely based on artisanal fishing. The strategic value of its location was first recognized in 1954 when it was identified as a suitable site for a deep-water port by the United States Geological Survey at the request of Pakistan while the territory was still under Omani rule. Until 2001, the area's potential to be a major deep-water port remained untapped under successive Pakistani governments, when construction on the first phase of Gwadar Port was initiated in 2007. The first phase cost $248 million. The port initially remained underutilized after construction for a variety of reasons, including lack of investment, security concerns, and the Government of Pakistan's failure to transfer land as promised to the port operator, Port of Singapore Authority.
In April 2015, Pakistan and China announced their intention to develop the $46 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which in turn forms part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative. Gwadar features heavily in CPEC, and is envisaged to be the link between the One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Road project. $1.153 billion worth of infrastructure projects will be invested into the city as part of CPEC, with the aim of linking northern Pakistan and western China to the deep-water seaport. The city will also be the site of a floating liquefied natural gas facility that will be built as part of the larger $2.5 billion Gwadar–Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project. Despite concerns over the United States sanctions on Iran, Pakistan is going ahead with the construction of a pipeline from the Iranian border to Gwadar as of 2024. This is partly to avoid contractual penalties and partly to avoid overreliance on the Gwadar Coal–Power Plant which requires imported coal. In addition to investments directly under the aegis of CPEC in Gwadar city, the China Overseas Port Holding Company in June 2016 began construction on the $2 billion Gwadar Special Economic Zone, which is being modelled on the special economic zones of China. In September 2016, the Gwadar Development Authority published a request for tenders for the preparation of expropriation and resettlement of Old Town Gwadar.
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Gwadar is located in Balochistan, Pakistan, Asia. The coordinates are 25.1216 latitude, 62.3254 longitude.
Gwadar has a population of approximately 70,852 people, making it a town in Pakistan.
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