The prospective mega deep-sea port of Gwadar is located 500 kilometers from Karachi and just 70 kilometers from the border with Iran. Until 1958 this area was under the rule of Oman, to be then bought by Pakistan. For much of its history, Gwadar has had a small to medium population exist on its land with most of them traditionally involved in fishing and related small industries such as boat-making.
Over the past couple of years, Gwadar has gotten major recognition and talk due to its importance with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As part of its bigger One Belt One Road initiative, China identified Gwadar as a significant component of CPEC. The plans involve major infrastructural development, primarily that of a deep-sea port to facilitate mass sea trade. This is to be supported by strong road link projects connecting Gwadar to the Pakistan-China border at Khunjerab Pass in the north.
Uniquely, Gwadar has two bays, a ‘neck’ where the town has been developed, and a 500-foot tall hammerhead plateau overlooking the sea on its far-end.
Gwadar town with the port to the right of the picture
Sand dunes bordering Gwadar along the Makran Coastal Highway
The Koh-e-Batil hammerhead in the background
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