short History & Geo Of Pakistan!

**Pari** · 11-02-2007

(this is the map of Pakistan)

This is the map of Pakistan.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

President: Gen. Pervez Musharraf (2001)

Prime minister (caretaker): Shaukat Aziz (2004)

Land area: 300,664 sq mi (778,720 sq km); total area: 310,401 sq mi (803,940 sq km) 1

Population (2007 est.): 169,270,617 (growth rate: 2.0%); birth rate: 29.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 68.5/1000;

life expectancy: 63.8; density per sq mi: 563

Capital (2003 est.): Islamabad, 601,600

Largest cities: Karachi, 11,819,000 (metro area), 9,339,023 (city proper); Lahore, 5,756,100; Faisalabad (Lyallpur), 2,247,700; Rawalpindi, 1,598,600; Gujranwala, 1,384,100

Monetary unit: Pakistan rupee(Rs)

Principal languages: Urdu 8%, English (both official); Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Burushaski, and others 8%

Ethnicity/race: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendants)

Religions: Islam 97% (Sunni 77%, Shiite 20%); Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Literacy rate: 46% (2003 EST.)

Economic summary GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $384.9 billion; per capita $2,400.

Real growth rate: 7.8%.

Inflation: 9.2%.

Unemployment: 6.6% plus substantial underemployment.

Arable land: 25%.

Agriculture: cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs.

Labor force: 46.84 million; note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor; agriculture 42%, industry 20%, services 38% (2004 est.).

Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp.

Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone.

Exports: $14.85 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs.

Imports: $14.01 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea.

Major trading partners: U.S., UAE, UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Kuwait (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 2.861 million (March 1999); mobile cellular: 158,000 (1998).

Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998).

Radios: 13.5 million (1997).

Television broadcast stations: 22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997).

Televisions: 3.1 million (1997).

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 30 (2000).

Internet users: 1.2 million (2000).

Transportation: Railways: total: 8,163 km (2002).

Highways total: 254,410 km; paved: 109,396 km (including 339 km of expressways); unpaved: 145,014 km (1999).
Ports and harbors: Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim.

Airports: 124 (2002).

International disputes: thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in Pakistan; isolating terrain and close ties among Pashtuns in Pakistan make cross-border activities difficult to control; armed stand-off with India over the status and sovereignty of Kashmir continues—India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed Kashmir; disputes with India over Indus River water sharing and the terminus of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation.

(Flag Of Pakistan)

GEOGRAPHY
Pakistan is situated in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, with Afghanistan and Iran on the west, India on the east, and the Arabian Sea on the south. The name Pakistan is derived from the Urdu words Pak (meaning pure) and Stan (meaning country). It is nearly twice the size of California.

The northern and western highlands of Pakistan contain the towering Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges, which include some of the world's highest peaks: K2 (28,250 ft; 8,611 m) and Nanga Parbat (26,660 ft; 8,126 m). The Baluchistan Plateau lies to the west, and the Thar Desert and an expanse of alluvial plains, the Punjab and Sind, lie to the east. The 1,000-mile-long (1,609-km) Indus River and its tributaries flow through the country from the Kashmir region to the Arabian Sea.

Government
Military rule was instituted in Oct. 1999; a nominal democracy was declared in June 2001 by the ruling military leader, Pervez Musharraf.