Faisalabad (Punjabi, Urdu: فیصل آباد) is a city in the province of Punjab, P**istan. Faisalabad is the third largest city in P**istan after Karachi and Lahore. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has risen from 9,171 in 1901 to 979,000 in 1951 and to 2,009,000 in 1998.The larger Faisalabad district had a population of about 5.4 million in 1
998. It is an important industrial centre west of Lahore. The city-district of Faisalabad is bound on the north by the districts of Hafizabad and Chiniot, on the east by Nankana Sahib, on the south by Sahiwal, and Toba Tek Singh and on the west by Jhang. It is 1,135 km (705 mi) from Karachi, 128 km (80 mi) from Lahore, 350 km (220 mi) from Islamabad/Rawalpindi, 187 km (116 mi) from Burewala, and 70 km (43 mi) from Jhang. The city is at a road and railway junction, which has played an influential role in the development of Faisalabad's trade and economy. The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the Lower Chenab River, has seen expanded production of cotton, wheat, vegetables, and fruits, which form 25% of P**istan's exports. The city is also an industrial centre with major railway repair yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Produce includes super phosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, agricultural equipment, and ghee (clarified butter). Faisalabad is also the site of the prestigious University of Agriculture, founded in 1909.
