The Indus Valley civilization,
one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years,
spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second
millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating
Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent
centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam),
Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th
centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century.
The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan
(with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never
satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in
1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war
between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on
Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted
in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response
to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in
1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions
and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since
2002.
Geography
Pakistan
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the
Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the
west and China in the north
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 N, 70 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km water: 25,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the
size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India
2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200
nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert;
temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
flat Indus plain in east;
mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian
Ocean 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Natural resources:
land, extensive natural gas
reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt,
limestone
total: 169.39 cu km/yr
(2%/2%/96%) per capita: 1,072 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes,
occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus
after heavy rains (July and August)
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from raw
sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh
water resources; most of the population does not have access to potable
water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan
Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian
Subcontinent
total: 21.2 years
male: 21 years female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.805% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
26.93 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.83 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.05 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89
male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 66.95
deaths/1,000 live births male: 67.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 66.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.13
years male: 63.07 years female: 65.24 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.58 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
74,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,900 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A
and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and
malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly
pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it
poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US
citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Pakistani(s)
adjective: Pakistani
Ethnic groups:
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun
(Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition
and their descendants)
Religions:
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a
20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3%
Languages:
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%,
Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi
3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani
elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 49.9%
male: 63% female: 36% (2005 est.)
Government
Pakistan
Country name:
conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan
local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan local short
form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Islamabad
geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E time
difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
4 provinces, 1 territory*, and
1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*,
Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh
note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu
and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir
and Northern Areas
Independence:
14 August 1947 (from British
India)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 23 March (1956)
Constitution:
12 April 1973; suspended 5 July
1977, restored 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in
stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007;
restored on 15 December 2007
Legal system:
based on English common law
with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal;
joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and
non-Muslims
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001) note: following
an October 1999 military coup, General Pervez MUSHARRAF suspended
Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief
Executive; in May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court validated the 1999 coup
and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years
following the coup; in June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself president,
replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; an April 2002 referendum extended
MUSHARRAF's presidency by five years; on 6 October 2007, MUSHARRAF was
reelected President of Pakistan, although the Supreme Court was reviewing
a challenge to his eligibility to serve another term; MUSHARRAF declared
emergency rule from 3 November to 15 December, during which time he
replaced several Supreme Court Justices; the reconstituted court upheld
his presidency on 22 November 2007 head of government: Syed
Yousaf Raza GILLANI (since 25 March 2008) cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the President upon the advice of the prime minister
elections: the president is elected by secret ballot (1,170
votes total) through an Electoral College comprising the members of the
Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies for a five-year
term; election last held on 6 October 2007 (next to be held in October
2012); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly; election
last held on 24 March 2008 election results: MUSHARRAF
reelected; MUSHARRAF 671 votes; Wajihuddin AHMED 8 votes; 6 votes invalid;
GILLANI elected prime minister GILLANI 264 votes; Pervaiz ELAHI 42 votes;
several abstentions
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or
Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats; members indirectly
elected by provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives in
the National Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every
three years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by
popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for
non-Muslims; to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last
held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly -
last held 18 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election
results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PML 38, MMA 18, PPPP 10, MQM 6, PML/N 4, PKMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP/S 2,
BNP/A 1, BNP/M 1, JWP 1, NA 1, PML/F 1, independents 12; National Assembly
results (as of 18 March 2008) - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by
party - PPPP 121, PML-N 91, PML 54, MQM 25, ANP 13, MMA 6, PML-F 5, BNP-A
1, NPP 1, PPP-S 1, independents 18; note - by-elections for the remaining
seats of the National Assembly will be held in mid-April 2008
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices
appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court
Political parties and leaders:
Awami National Party or ANP
[Asfandyar Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Party/Hayee Group or BNP/H
[Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/A [Moheem Khan
BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL];
Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR];
Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur
Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ
faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah
Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED];
Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; National Alliance or NA
[Ghulam Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party
or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul
QADRI]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO];
Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF];
Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; Pakistan Peoples
Party or PPP/S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan Peoples Party
Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali
ZARDARI, co-chairman]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];
Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI] note: political alliances
in Pakistan can shift frequently
Political pressure groups and leaders:
military remains most important
political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small
merchants also influential
chief of mission:
Ambassador Mahmud Ali DURRANI chancery: 3517 International
Court, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544 consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Anne W. PATTERSON embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna
5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO
AE 09812-2200 telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000 FAX:
[92] (51) 2276427 consulate(s) general: Karachi
consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar
Flag description:
green with a vertical white
band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a
large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the
crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
Economy
Pakistan
Economy - overview:
Pakistan, an impoverished and
underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political
disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing
confrontation with neighboring India. However, since 2001, IMF-approved
reforms - most notably, privatization of the banking sector - bolstered by
generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets, have
generated macroeconomic recovery. Pakistan has experienced GDP growth in
the 6-8% range in 2004-07, spurred by gains in the industrial and service
sectors. Poverty levels have decreased by 10% since 2001, and Islamabad
has steadily raised development spending in recent years, including a 52%
real increase in the budget allocation for development in FY07. In 2007
the fiscal deficit - a result of chronically low tax collection and
increased spending - exceeded Islamabad's target of 4% of GDP. Inflation
remains the top concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to
more than 11% during the first few months of 2008, primarily because of
rising world commodity prices. The Pakistani rupee has depreciated since
the proclamation of emergency rule in November 2007.
textiles (garments, bed linen,
cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals,
manufactures, carpets and rugs
Exports - partners:
US 21%, UAE 9%, Afghanistan
7.7%, China 5.3%, UK 5.1% (2006)
Imports:
$30.99 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, petroleum products,
machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and
paperboard, iron and steel, tea
Imports - partners:
China 13.8%, Saudi Arabia
10.5%, UAE 9.7%, US 6.5%, Japan 5.7%, Kuwait 4.7%, Germany 4.2% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.666 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$16.03 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$40.32 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$14.67 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$885 million (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$45.52 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Pakistani rupee (PKR)
Currency code:
PKR
Exchange rates:
Pakistani rupees per US dollar
- 60.6295 (2007), 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752
(2003)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications
Pakistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
5.24 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
63.16 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: the
telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign
and domestic investments into fixed-line and mobile networks;
mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, reaching some 63 million
in mid-2007, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being
constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line
availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are
still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic
cable, cellular, and satellite networks international: country
code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine
cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian
Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2
at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2006)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA
(2006)
Radios:
13.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (5 state-run channels and 15
privately-owned satellite channels) (2006)
Televisions:
3.1 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.pk
Internet hosts:
164,067 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
30 (2000)
Internet users:
12 million (2006)
Transportation
Pakistan
Airports:
146 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 92 over
3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 1,524 to 2,437
m: 29 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 10 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 54 2,438
to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523
m: 13 under 914 m: 24 (2007)
Heliports:
18 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 10,398 km; oil 2,076 km
(2007)
Railways:
total: 8,163 km
broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 258,340 km
paved: 167,146 km (includes 711 km of expressways)
unpaved: 91,194 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 14 ships (1000
GRT or over) 325,254 GRT/536,876 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1,
cargo 10, petroleum tanker 3 registered in other countries: 12
(Comoros 2, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 1, Malta 2, Panama 5, St Vincent and
The Grenadines 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin
Qasim
Military
Pakistan
Military branches:
Army (includes National Guard),
Navy (includes Marines and Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force
(Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary
military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18;
the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first
female pilots and sailors (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
42,633,765 females age 16-49: 40,114,017 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
32,453,913 females age 16-49: 31,369,057 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49:
1,976,444 females age 16-49: 1,856,505 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.2% (2006; 3% 2007 est.)
Transnational Issues
Pakistan
Disputes - international:
various talks and
confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over
Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region;
Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most
militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto
administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and
Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in
India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers
since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir
lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004
cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed
stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing
the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar
Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger
dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse
tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and
Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek
estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani
maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by
2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan
refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at
their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests
construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous
border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and
control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal
activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of
origin): 1,084,208 (Afghanistan) IDPs: undetermined
(government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan), 34,000
(October 2005 earthquake; most of those displaced returned to their home
villages in the spring of 2006) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
opium poppy cultivation
estimated to be 800 hectares in 2005 yielding a potential production of 4
metric tons of pure heroin; federal and provincial authorities continue to
conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force eradication - fines and arrests
will take place if the ban on poppy cultivation is not observed; key
transit point for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and
hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf States, and Africa; financial
crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling
remain problems
