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About Pakistan |
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About Pakistan
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Pakistan extends along either side of the historic Indus River,
following its course from the mountain valleys of the Himalayas down to
the Arabian Sea. Bordering on India, China, Afghanistan and Iran, it is
strategically located astride the ancient trade routes between Asia and
Europe. Pakistan's 796,095 square kilometers of territory include a wide
variety of landscapes, from arid deserts to lush, green valleys to stark
mountain peaks.
Geographically, Pakistan can be divided into three regions: the lowlands
along the Indus in the south and east, the arid plateau of Baluchistan
in the southwest, and the mountains of the north. The provinces of
Punjab and Sindh, in the east and south, are well irrigated by the Indus
and its tributaries. The land is fertile and produces most of Pakistan's
food. This area, which includes the cities of Karachi, Islamabad (the
capital), Lahore and Rawalpindi, is the most densely-populated in the
country.
Background: The separation in 1947 of
British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West
and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved. A
third war between these countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan
seceding and becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. A dispute over
the state of Kashmir is ongoing. In response to Indian nuclear weapons
testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998.
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India
on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.
Capital City: Islamabad
Currency: 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Languages Spoken: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%,
Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi
3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of
Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other
8%
Population: 141.6 million
Map: Click
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