The Baloch of Balochistan were traditionally nomads, but settled agricultural existence is becoming more common; every chief has a fixed residence. The villages are collections of mud or stone huts; on the hills, enclosures of rough stone walls are covered with matting to serve as temporary habitations. The Balochi raise camels, cattle, sheep, and goats and engage in carpet making and embroidery. Their agricultural methods are primitive. They profess Islam.also spelled BALUCH, OR BALOUCH, group of tribes speaking the Balochi language and estimated at about 8,800,000 inhabitants in the province of Balochistan in Pakistan and also neighbouring areas of Iran, Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Punjab (India). In Pakistan the Balochi people are divided into two groups, the Sulaimani and the Makrani, separated from each other by a compact block of Brahui tribes

Balochistan: 

The original Balochi homeland probably lay on the Iranian plateau. The Balochi were mentioned in Arabic chronicles of the 10th century AD. The old tribal organization is best preserved among those inhabiting the Sulaiman Mountains. Each tribe (tuman) consists of several clans and acknowledges one chief, even though in some tuman there are clans in habitual opposition to the chief.

Some 70 percent of the total Balochi population live in Pakistan. About 20 percent inhabit the coterminous region of southeastern Iran. This geographic region is the least-developed in Iran, partially owing to its harsh physical conditions. Precipitation, which is scarce and falls mostly in violent rainstorms, causes floods and heavy erosion, while heat is oppressive for eight months of the year. The mountain chains of Iranian Balochistan, including the Baga-e Band and Bampusht Mountains, run east-west, parallel to the Gulf of Oman, making ingress and egress difficult. In the centre of the region there are abundant groundwater and streams, such as the Mashkid and the Kunari, that sometimes open out into valleys.

In ancient times, Iranian Balochistan provided a land route to the Indus River valley and the Babylonian civilizations. The armies of Alexander the Great marched through Balochistan in 326 BC on their way to the Hindu Kush and, on their return march in 325, experienced great hardships in the region's barren wastes.

The Seljug invasion of Kerman in the 11th century AD stimulated the eastward migration of the Balochi. The Seljuq ruler Qawurd (Kavurt) sent an expedition against the Kufichis (Qufs), Balochi mountaineers whose banditry had long threatened the region's southern and eastern parts. After suppressing the Balochi, the Seljuqs put watchtowers, cisterns, and caravansaries along the desert route to encourage trade with India. The Balochi remained rebellious under Safavid rule (1501-1736). Western Balochistan was conquered by Iran in the 19th century, and its boundary was fixed in 1872. The Iranian government began to assist settlement and economic development in the 1970s by building dams and thermoelectric-power plants, though these efforts slackened after the Iranian Islamic Revolution.

Palm-tree oases in central Iranian Balochistan contain orchards of oranges, pomegranates, mulberries, and bananas. Grain, tobacco, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and indigo plants are the principal crops. A road was opened from Zahedan to the port of Chah Bahar. Zahedan also is connected by rail with Pakistan, Zabol, and Tehran; and it is a junction for roads east-west.

One might say that Balochistan is the land of baloch tribes. Because Baloch are of various baloch tribes and baluch clans. Although, this concept is diminishing in its strengths, it still exists in rural area and in the north of Balochistan. However in the coastal region of Balochistan known as Makoran or Makkaran the concept of tribe has long faded away. People of Makoran are not dependent primarily on the land. Hence, the old tradition of land ownership and caste system which goes with it does not exist. Makoranis depend on the sea for living. They are involved in sea transport, fishing, and trade with other countries.  The Makoranis do not come from a particular tribe or caste. There are ex-landlords, ex-slaves and many others from various tribes and castes who are involved in fishing or sea trade. The original people were called "Mead" that means someone who earn his living through the sea and primarily by way of fishing. Meads were very versatile and dynamic. They moved from one coast to another. The sea was every where - from Bandar Abbas to Karachi. The interesting fact about the Meads is that they had rejected the back-ward and suppressive tribalism and the caste system long time ago.  Hence, they were, and still are, despised by the tribal chiefs. The Meads or Makoranis are much more peaceful and non-violent in comparison with the Baloch from the northern part of Balochistan who seems to be warriors and much more angry with life. This difference in temperament can be attributed to environment and brutal tribalism. The environment in the south (Makoran area) is rather humid and constant. There is no tribe to fight against. The northern part of Balochistan is mountainous and wild with hot temperatures in the summer and very cold and some times freezing weather in the winter.

Balochistan also spelled BALUCHISTAN, westernmost province of Pakistan. It is bordered by Iran (west), by Afghanistan (northwest), by North-West Frontier and Punjab provinces (northeast and east), by Sindh province (southeast), and by the Arabian Sea (south).

Although an indigenous population of the region passed through the Stone and Bronze ages and was part of Alexander the Great's empire, the Balochi people themselves did not enter the region until the 14th century AD. The Balochi and Pashtun (Pathan) people constitute the two major and more distinct ethnic groups; a mixed ethnic stock, mainly of Sindhi origin, forms the third major group. Balochi, Brahui, Pashto, and Sindhi are the main languages. Balochistan was established as a separate province in its present form in 1970. It is the largest and most sparsely populated province in Pakistan.

There are four major physical regions in Balochistan. The upper highlands of the central and northeastern areas are bounded by the Sulaiman Range to the east and the Toba Kakar Range to the northwest. The lower highlands include the eastern slopes of the Sulaiman Range; the lower ranges of the Makran, Kharan, and Chagai on the west; and the Pab and Kirthar ranges on the southeast. These highland regions are primarily inhabited by nomadic herdsmen. Flat plains extend northward along the coast into the mountains; in the northwest an arid desert region consists of the Chagai, Kharan, and Makran deserts and the swamps of Lora and Mashkel. The upper highlands drain into the Indus River, while the lower highlands drain northward into the swamps or southward into the Arabian Sea. Outside the influence of the Asian monsoon, most of the province is dry with continental extremes of heat and cold.

Agriculture is limited by the scarcity of water, power, and adequate transportation facilities. Wheat, jowar (sorghum), and rice are the major food crops, and fruits are the principal cash crops. Sheep raising employs the great majority of the population and occupies most of the land. The sheep provide a high-quality wool, part of which is exported. Almost all industry is small-scale and includes cotton and woolen manufacturing, food processing, carpet making, textile and leather embroidery, small machinery and appliance manufacturing, and handicrafts. The transportation network is poorly developed, but roads connect the major towns, and Quetta is connected by road to the ocean port of Karachi in Sindh province. Quetta is a centre of the railway network, and its airport offers domestic service.

The University of Balochistan was established in Quetta in 1970. The Balochi Academy and the Pashto Academy, also in Quetta, promote the preservation of traditional cultures. Area 334,050 square miles (547,188 square km). Pop. (1983 est.) resident pop., 8,611,000.