The area that is now Karachi has been known by several names in history, including Krokola, Ramya, and Kolachi. According to records from Alexander the Great's time, the earliest reference was to a harbor called Krokola near the Indus River delta. Karachi began as a small fishing village settled by Baloch tribes called Kolachi. By the late 1700s, the village was growing as a commercial hub and trade port with connections to Muscat and the Persian Gulf. The British captured Karachi in 1843 and it was annexed to British India. It was connected by rail to the rest of India in 1878, accelerating its development and growth.