Sargodha (Punjabi and ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as the City of Eagles. It is one of the few planned cities of Pakistan (others include Faisalabad, Islamabad & Gwadar).
History
Sargodha was established by the British as a canal-colony in 1903, and was initially spelled Sargoda. Sargodha was badly affected by an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1903, and experienced a milder outbreak in 1904. Although it was a small town in the beginning, the British Royal Air Force built an airport here due to its strategic location. The term "Sargodha" has its origin in the words "Sar" (from "sarowar") meaning "pond" and "Godha" meaning "Sadhu", which means "Pond of Godha". This city was founded by Lady Trooper by the supervision of Sir Charles Montgomery Rivaz KCSI (1845 – 7 October 1926), a colonial administrator in British India and Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab from 1902 to 1907.Being the District Headquarters since 1940, Sargodha was moved up to the status of Divisional Headquarters in the year 1960.
Geography
Location
Location of Sargodha with respect to five major cities of Pakistan is as follow: North of Karachi West of Lahore South of Islamabad North-West of Faisalabad South of Rawalpindi
Sargodha is situated in Pakistani province of Punjab. It is located northwest of Lahore, in Sargodha District. It lies about from the M-2 motorway, which connects Lahore and Islamabad. It is connected to the M-2 by several interchanges at different locations. Sargodha is roughly from Faisalabad, due southeast. Directly east connected by the M-2 motorway are Lahore and the route to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Due east is the city of Jhang; toward the west are the city of Mianwali and the Chashma Barrage.
Topography
Sargodha mainly comprises flat, fertile plains, although here are a few small hills on the Sargodha-Faisalabad Road. The River Jhelum flows on the western and northern sides, and the River Chenab lies on the eastern side of the city. The city is located 190 metres above sea level.
Climate
The city has a climate of extreme heat in the summers and moderate cold in the winters. The maximum temperature reaches in the summer while the minimum temperature recorded is as low as freezing point in the winter.
Demographics
The total population of the city was 458,440 according to the 1998 census. The majority of the people in the city speak Punjabi with Shahpuri dialect. According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of city was recorded as 872,557 with a rise of 43.94% from 1998. The population of the metropolitan area (City District) reached 3,903,588, in which around 1 million forms the urban population. The population of Sargodha Division was recorded as 8,181,499 by the 2017 Census of Pakistan.
Economy
The majority of Sargodha's economy is based on agriculture. Sargodha is considered the best citrus-producing area of Pakistan and therefore is also known as the California of Pakistan. Sargodha is largest kinnow-producing district of the world. It produces oranges that are considered high-quality, and supplies them to the different parts of the country. These oranges are also exported to other countries. Sargodha produces a large amount of wheat, cotton, rice and vegetables that are transported to other parts of country and exported to other countries.
There are also textile mills, rice processing plants and Nestle and Shezan juice factories.
The Sargodha Chamber of Commerce and Industry monitors industrial activity in the city and reports their findings to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry and provincial government. A dry port is also under construction in Sargodha.
There are also several shopping malls and trade centres with both international and national outlets. Some of them include: