Larkana District (Sindhi: لاڙڪاڻو ضلعو; Urdu: ضلع لاڑکانہ) is a district of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Its largest city is Larkana, which sits on the banks of the Indus River. It is the home district of the influential Bhutto family.
By 1911, it had been recognized that the Larkana Division was too heavy a charge for one officer, even with the assistance of an attached Deputy Collector, and a new division known as the Ratodero Division was created out of it. Twenty-two dehs from Ratodero, four from Larkana, and forty-four from Kambar were combined to form a new taluka in the northwestern extremity of the District, with headquarters at the village of Miro Khan. The limits of the new taluka were similar to those of the old Sujawal taluka of the Shikarpur District which was abolished around 1883. This new taluka and the reduced Ratodero taluka were combined to form the new division. A minor feature of the change was the transfer of the ten western dehs of Larkana Tehsil to Kambar. Ratodero Tehsil has since been absorbed into Larkana and Mehar subdivisions. Each of the four divisions is in charge of an Assistant Collector or Deputy Collector.[citation needed]
Around 10 km away from Larkana City, sugarcane is cultivated and processed at the Larkana Sugar Mills (Pvt) Ltd. plant, which was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 30 January 1974.[3]
Larkana's guava and berries are famous both nationally and internationally, with the annual output of the district standing at thousands of tons. All the villages of Larkana District on the right bank of the Indus River have vast guava orchids spread over thousands of acres, located in Dodai, Mahotta, Naudero, Chooharpur, Agani, Metla, Izzat Ji Wandh, Phulpota and other villages.[4][5]
Education
The Government Pilot School was built in 1926, being the oldest education institution in the district. Cadet College Larkana was inaugurated by the former Prime Minister of PakistanBenazir Bhutto in 1994, first planned by her late father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1975. The College is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) away from Larkana, and some 3 kilometres from Mohenjo-daro.[6]
Colleges and universities in Larkana District:[citation needed]
Govt. Pilot School Larkana
Govt. Degree College Larkana
Shaheed Zufiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology Larkana
Govt. College of Technology Larkana
Sindh Science College Larkana
Global Science College Larkana
Govt. Chandka Medical College Larkana
Benazir College of Nursing
QUEST Larkana
Allama Open University Larkana
Transport
Moenjo Daro Airport is located near Mohenjo-daro, 28 km away to the south of the city of Larkana, and about 5 kilometres away from Dokri. The main airline which serves the airport is Pakistan International Airlines, the country's national flag carrier. The outdated infrastructure of the airport prevents the use of large, advanced aircraft, with Pakistan International Airlines largely using Fokker aeroplanes for flights.[citation needed]
Demographics
According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Larkana district is 1,784,453 consists of males 932,604 males and 851,732 females. 798,151 living in urban areas while 986,302 in rural areas.
Note: 1941 census data is Larkana, Labdarya and Ratodero talukas of Larkana District, which roughly corresponds to contemporary Larkana district. District and taluk borders have changed since 1961.
At the time of the 2017 census, Larkana had a sex ratio of 961 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 53.80%: 65.33% for males and 41.89% for females. 698,898 (45.93%) lived in urban areas. 466,715 (30.67%) were under 10 years of age.[10] In 2023, the district had 321,837 households and a population of 1,784,453.[1]
At the time of the 2023 census, 98.94% of the population spoke Sindhi as their first language.[12]