Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان Islāmī Jamhūriya-i-Pākistān | |||||
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National information | |||||
National motto: | Ittehad, Tanzim, Yaqeen-e-Muhkam (Urdu: Unity, Discipline and Faith) | ||||
National anthem: | Pak
sarzamin shad bad (Blessed Be The Sacred Land) | ||||
About the people | |||||
Official languages: | Urdu and English | ||||
Population: (# of people) | |||||
- Total: | 172,800,000 (ranked 6) | ||||
- Density: | 206 per km² | ||||
Geography / Places | |||||
Here is the country on a map of the world. | |||||
Capital city: | Islamabad | ||||
Largest city: | Karachi | ||||
Area | |||||
- Total: | 880,254 (ranked 34) | ||||
- Water: | 27,288 km² (3.1%) | ||||
Politics / Government | |||||
Established: | 14th August 1947 | ||||
Leaders: | President Asif Ali Zardari Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani | ||||
Economy / Money | |||||
Currency: (Name of money) |
Pakistani rupee (Rs.) | ||||
International information | |||||
Time zone: | +5:00 (Pakistan Standard Time) | ||||
Telephone dialing code: | 92 | ||||
Internet domain: | .pk |
Pakistan is country of southern Asia, and forms part of the countries in South-central Asia, next to the Republic of India, Iran, Islamic State of Afghanistan, and China. It is officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It has a long coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south. Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world and is the second largest Muslim country after Indonesia. Pakistan has a total land area of 880,940 km2 (340,130 sq mi) (including the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan). This makes Pakistan the 34th largest country in the world. Pakistan has the seventh largest army in the world.
The name Pākistān (IPA:/pɑːkɪsðɑːn/) means Land of the Pure in Urdu and Persian.
Government

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Main articles: Administrative units of Pakistan and Districts of Pakistan
Pakistan is made up of four provinces, two territories and two special areas. Both special areas are in Kashmir. The provinces and territories are divided into 26 divisions with 107 districts. Each district is divided into several tehsils and each tehsil is divided into several union councils.
Provinces:
- Balochistan
- North-West Frontier Province (NWFP)(Pakhtunkhwa)
- Punjab[1]
- Sindh
Among the four provinces, Punjab has the most people but Balochistan is the largest province by area. (Balochistan and NWFP also have Provincially Administered Tribal Areas[2] (PATA) which are going to be regular districts.)
Territories:
Administrative Areas (Pakistan-administered Kashmir)
India, Pakistan and China separately control parts of the Kashmir region.
India and Pakistan's parts are divided by a Line of Control.
The Pakistan–China border is internationally known. Trade is common between the
2 countries.[3]
History
Pakistan became independent in 1947 from the Indian empire of British Raj. The first people in ancient Pakistan lived 9000 years ago. These people were the ones who made up the Indus Valley Civilization,[4] which is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. After that, the Vedic period came. This also included parts of north-western India. Until 1971, Pakistan also included an area in the North-east India region. This is now called Bangladesh. It lost that area after a war with Indian Army and the joint militant group of Indo-Bangladeshi alliance of Mitro Bahini of West Bengal. During recent times Pakistan has been in the centre of world politics. This is firstly because of its support to guerillas in Afghanistan, following Soviet invasion 1979, and later during the1990s because of its cooperation with and support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. However, since 2000 Pakistan has basically supported the West in their war against fundamentalist terrorism, including the removal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth. However, after the war in East Pakistan the country was excluded (between 1972-1989). It was also a member between 1999 and 2004. However, it is currently excluded from the Commonwealth (since November 2007).
Geography and climate
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Main article: Geography of Pakistan
There are many earthquakes in the area. The earthquake in 2005 with its earthquake center in Kashmir is the strongest so far. Over 100,000 people were killed or wounded on October 8, 2005.

Pakistan covers 880,940 km2 (340,130 sq mi),[5] approximately equalling the combined land areas of France and the United Kingdom. Its eastern regions are located on the Indian plate and the western and northern regions on the Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. Apart from the 1,046 km (650 mi) Arabian Sea coastline, Pakistan's land borders total 6,774 km (4,209 mi) — 2,430 km (1,510 mi) with Afghanistan to the northwest, 523 km (325 mi) with China to the northeast, 2,912 km (1,809 mi) with India to the south and east, and 909 km (565 mi) with Iran to the southwest.[6]
The northern and western highlands of Pakistan contain the towering Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges, which incorporate some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 (8,611 m (28,251 ft)) and Nanga Parbat (8,126 m (26,660 ft)). The Balochistan Plateau lies to the west, and the Thar Desert and an expanse of alluvial plains, the Punjab and Sindh, lie to the east. The 1,609 km (1,000 mi) Indus River and its tributaries flow through the country from the disputed territory of Kashmir to the Arabian Sea.[7]
Pakistan has four seasons: a cool, dry winter from December through February; a hot, dry spring from March through May; the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and November. The onset and duration of these seasons vary somewhat according to location.[8] Rainfall can vary radically from year to year, and successive patterns of flooding and drought are also not uncommon.[9]
Government
The 'Government of Pakistan' (حکومتِ پاکستان) is a federal parliamentary system,[10] with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Joint Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are constitutionally independent of the Prime Minister’s term. The Electoral College (composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four Provincial Assemblies) chooses a leadership reprsenting the President of Pakistan for a five-year term. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly and is assisted by a cabinet of ministers drawn from both chambers of the federal legislature. The current Prime Minister is Yousaf Raza Gillani of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who took office on March 25, 2008.
Politics
Pakistan is officially a federal republic, but during a long period in its history it changed to a democratic state and a military dictatorship. Military dictators include Ayub Khan in the 1960s, General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and General Pervez Musharraf between 1999 and 2008.
Pakistan's two largest political parties are the Pakistan Peoples Party and the government party Pakistan Muslim League(Q) (which have military support). On the 27th December 2007 the leader of the Pakistan People's Party, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated. The reasoning is yet to be determined.
National symbols of Pakistan
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Main article: National symbols of Pakistan
Map of Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir |
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Tourism
Pakistan has many high mountain peaks. People from all the world come to climb in those mountains. The most famous mountain peak is K2, which is the second highest mountain peak in the world.
Demography
97% of the people are Muslim. Most of the Muslims in Pakistan are Sunni Muslims (>67%) and Shia Muslims (30%). However a few minority groups exist. Pakistan also has some Christian, Hindu and animist minority groups in the northern parts of the country. When Pakistan was made, it had 2 wings (sections), West Pakistan and East Pakistan. The East wing started a rebellion and wanted independence, so they started a civil war against the West wing with the help of India. They got their wish in 1971. Even after the independence of Bangladesh, a large Bengali population still lives in Karachi.
Languages
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Main article: Languages of Pakistan
English is the official language.[6] Most people can speak Urdu, but only about 8 percent of the population speak Urdu as their first language. Many people also speak Saraiki,Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi and Balochi.
Religion
Hinduism in Pakistan
Religion in Pakistan | ||||
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Religion | Percent | |||
Islam in Pakistan | 97% | |||
Hinduism in Pakistan | 1.85% | |||
Christianity | 1.6% | |||
Sikhism in Pakistan | 0.4% | |||
Others | 0.51% | |||

After the separation from British India, Hinduism had much less importance in the newly created state of Pakistan, but has played an important role in its culture and politics as well as the history of its regions. In fact, Pakistan has the 5th largest population of Hindus, after Sri Lanka. The term Hindu is etymologically derived from the Sindhu (Indus River) of Pakistan. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism. Thus, in many ways, the land which is today's heavily Muslim Pakistan has played an important part in the origin of Hinduism. There are approximately 3 million Hindus living in Pakistan.
References
- ↑ Not to be confused with the Indian state of Punjab. Both together make up the Punjab region.
- ↑ The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Part XII. National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan. Retrieved on 14 February 2008.
- ↑ http://www.commerce.gov.pk/PCFTA.asp
- ↑ Introduction to the Ancient Indus Valley. Harappa (1996). Retrieved on 18 June 2007.
- ↑ [1] URL accessed on 03 November 2006.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pakistan. World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved on 13 February 2008.
- ↑ InfoPlease. Pakistan. Retrieved on 16 March 2009.
- ↑ U.S. Library of Congress. Climate. Retrieved on 16 March 2009.
- ↑ Pakistna Climate. Encyclopedia of the Nations (2008-03-28). Retrieved on 16 March 2009.
- ↑ About Government. Government of Pakistan. Retrieved on 5 March 2009.
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