O Pakistan is an Asian country located in the south of the continent, with Islamabad as its capital. It borders India, Iran, Afghanistan and China, with an exit to the Arabian Sea to the south. The Pakistani population is one of the largest in the world, being Karachi the most populous city in the country. Its economy is highly centered on the tertiary sector, which has grown significantly in recent years.
Read too: What are the countries in Asia?
Pakistan General Data
Nameofficial: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Gentile: Pakistani
Extensionterritorial: 796,095 km²
Location: Asia
capital: Islamabad
Climate: Continental Arid
Government: parliamentary federal republic
Divisionadministrative: four provinces, two administrative areas, tribal areas administered by the Federation, and the capital, Islamabad.
Language: urdu and english (officials)
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religions:
islam: 96,4%
others: 3,6%
Population: 220,892,000 inhabitants (UN, 2020)
Densitydemographic: 286.5 inhab./km² (UN, 2020)
Human Development Index (HDI): 0,557
Coin: Pakistani Rupee (PKR)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$262.8 billion (IMF, 2020)
GDP per capita: US$1260 (IMF, 2020)
Gini: 0.316 (World Bank, 2018)
Timezone: GMT +5 hours (Pakistan Standard Time)
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foreign relations:
UN
WTO
IMF
world Bank
British Commonwealth
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Pakistan History
In South Asia, where today Pakistan is located, some of the oldest peoples in the world, such as the Indus Valley civilization, at least 5,000 years ago a. Ç. Over the years, people from different backgrounds have settled in the area, notably the Indo-Aryans. In addition, Pakistani territory was target of foreign incursions, that fixed empires in the region in the last centuries before the present era.
in the centurys XVII and XVIII, the British Empire came to exercise its domain over South Asia, more specifically over the area called the Indian subcontinent.
You Pakistani independence movements began in the 1930s, motivated by the creation of a territory with a Muslim majority. Pakistan's independence was won nearly two decades later, in 1947, making it a predominantly Islamic nation. After its emancipation, there were at least three conflicts between Pakistan and India. Its causes are linked to the territory of cashmere, located on the border between both countries and China. These conflicts are known as the Indo-Pakistani Wars, and they took place in 1947-1948, 1965 and 1971.
In addition to the aforementioned barriers, the territory known as East Pakistan declared its independence of Pakistan in 1971, then becoming Bangladesh. Internally, Pakistani territory has gone through a series of political conflicts, including military coups and moments of suspension of the Constitution.
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Pakistan Map
Pakistan Geography
Pakistan is a Asian nation located in the region ssouth of the continent. With a total area of just over 796 km², it is the 37th country in the world in terms of land area. It has a coastline of 1046 km, with an exit to the Indian Ocean, where the Arabian Sea extends.
To the southwest, the country borders the Will, to the west, with the Afghanistan, in a narrow northern strip, with the China, and to the east, with the India. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad.
Pakistan climate
The climate of Pakistan is of the type Continental Arid, marked by high thermal amplitude annual and daily. The country experiences two very dry seasons, which are the Winter, in which temperatures can reach 2°C, and spring. You summers they are very hot, with temperatures of up to 47ºC, and some areas can be influenced by monsoons, winds that carry a lot of moisture. O autumn is characterized as a transition season and gradual moisture reduction.
Pakistan relief
THE most of Pakistan's relief is formed bymountains and plateaus, with an average altitude of 900 meters. The mountainous region is in the north of the country, where stretches of the Himalayan, Karakoram and Indouche mountain ranges extend. Also in this area is the country's highest point, Mount Godwin-Austen, which is 8611 meters above sea level. It is the second highest point on the planet.
In the central lands, the relief is characterized by the presence of the Indo-Gangetic plain, while, to the south of this domain, there is the plateau of Balochistan.
Pakistan Vegetation
Pakistan's vegetation cover is quite diverse, although increasingly sparse as a result of agricultural and extractive activities.
Are common bushes and small and medium trees in most central lands, such as acacias and wild olive trees. Mainly in the higher areas, conifers such as spruce are found, while oaks, maples and birches cover the lower lands.
Pakistan hydrography
O rio Indo is the main and longest from Pakistan, crossing the country from north to south to the Arabian Sea. The Jelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers are also important.
Pakistan Demographics
With 220,892,000 inhabitants, according to UN data for 2020, Pakistan is the fifthmost populous country in the world. The largest portion of this population lives in rural areas. The country's urbanization rate is 36.9% (UN, 2020).
THE demographic density of Pakistan is 286.5 inhab./km², being the areas from the center towards the south which concentrate the largest contingent of people. Karachi is the most populous city in the country and one of the largest in the world, with 15,400,000 inhabitants. The federal capital, Islamabad, has 1,095,100 inhabitants.
The Pakistani population is among the youngest in the world, with a median age of 22.1 years. Life expectancy in the country is low compared to other nations: 69.37 years, with a five-year difference between women and men, greater for the first group.
The population composition of Pakistan is given by diverse ethnicities:
Punjabi (44.7%)
Pashtun (15.4%)
sindhi (14.1%)
saraiki (8.4%)
muhajirs (7.6%)
Baluchis (3.6%)
These groups have their own languages, the most spoken being Punjabi. Urdu is one of the official languages of the country, along with English.
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Pakistan Economy
Pakistan is a underdeveloped economy highly focused on the trade and services sector. Internal political conflicts, various economic models put into effect and the low rate of foreign investment are described as defining the current economic structure of the country.
It can be said, however, that there has been a significant change in recent years, and Pakistan's economy has experienced a great advance, which is mainly due to the growth of the tertiary sector with respect to the primary. Despite this, income distribution did not improve, and Pakistan's GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world. Most of the country's workforce remains allocated to agricultural activity.
The country's US$ 262.8 billion GDP is thus composed as follows:
56.5% correspond to the services and commerce sector;
24.4%, to primary sector;
19.1%, to secondary.
The Pakistani industry is formed by the textile and clothing, food production, pharmaceutical, construction materials, paper and cellulose, and chemical products such as fertilizers. In agriculture, sugarcane, rice, corn, wheat, potato, fruit (mango, sapodilla, plum, apple, guava) and milk are grown.
flag of pakistan
Pakistan Culture
The rich Pakistani culture was built over millennia of tradition, having in its traces the influence of different peoples, such as the Indos and Mughals. Many of the customs and cultural norms present in the country today are directly tied to religion practiced by the vast majority of Pakistanis, which is the islam.
One of the country's typical dances is the bhangra, of Punjabi origin. It is also a very popular musical style in the aforementioned group. There is also the khatak, originating from the Pashtuns, the giddHThe it's the kikli, the latter two being traditionally female.
The festivities calendar includes several religious celebrations. In addition, Pakistan Day is celebrated on March 23, as is Independence Day, which takes place on August 14th. The kite festival, known as Basically, it is quite popular in the country, and it marks the arrival of spring.
The tea (chai) is a drink widely consumed in Pakistan, with milk, herbs and sugar in its preparation. The country's typical dishes are mainly rice and lamb, among them kebabs, qabuli palau, nihari (stew with cooked meat), karahi lamb and chapli kebab.
Pakistan Infrastructure
Pakistan is a country with most of its population living in rural areas. In these areas, only 32.6% have access to drinking water safely managed, while electrification covers 72%. In urban areas, the safe water system reaches 40% of the inhabitants, while the share with electricity is 91%. Its energy matrix is composed of fossil fuels (mainly), hydroelectric, nuclear sources and other renewable sources.
With regard to transport, highways are the main means of travel in the country and also of connection with neighboring nations. In all, there are more than 263,000 km of highways, while the railway network totals 11,800 km. The country has 103 airports, in addition to a main port located in Karachi.
Issues related to access and permanence of children and adolescents in school are some of the main educational problems in the country. Pakistan has the second largest number of people of school age outside of classrooms in the world, with the majority being female. There are eight years of schooling on average, and government spending on education amounts to 2.9% of GDP.
Pakistan Government
Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic. The president is the head of state in the country, while the prime minister plays the role of head of government. The latter is elected by the National Assembly, while the former is elected by the same body together with the Senate and Provincial Assemblies. Pakistan has an official religion, which is Islam.
Curiosities about Pakistan
The name Pakistan is derived from Persian pak (sacred, pure) and Hindi stâno (place full of).
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel Prize. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, at just 17 years old.
Pakistan is home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Cricket is the most popular sport in the country.
By Paloma Guitarrara
Geography teacher
