Islamic Republic Of Pakistan
Pakistan, officially Islamic Republic of Pakistan, republic in southern Asia, bounded on the north and northwest by Afghanistan, on the northeast by Jammu and Kashmir, on the east and southeast by India, on the south by the Arabian Sea, and on the west by Iran. The area of Pakistan is 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq mi), not including the section of Jammu and Kashmir under its control. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad and the largest city of the country is Karachi.
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Reference: MS Encarta '96 Encyclopedia
Pakistan is mostly a dry region characterized by great extremes of altitude and temperature. The highest peak in Pakistan is K2, Rising 8611 m (28,250 ft) above sea level in the Karakorum Range, the peak is located in the region of Kashmir that Pakistan controls. K2 is the second highest mountain in the world, behind Mount Everest.
The climate of Pakistan varies widely from place to place. In the mountain regions of the north and west, temperatures fall below freezing during winter; in the Indus Plain area, temperatures range between 32° and 49° C in summer, and the average in winter is 13°C. Throughout most of Pakistan rainfall is scarce. The Punjab region receives the most rain, more than 500 mm per year. Most rain falls in July and August.
Natural Resources, Plants, and Animals
The resources of Pakistan are primarily agricultural. The country's mineral resources include salt, chromite, coal, gypsum, limestone, manganese, sulfur, clay, graphite, copper, petroleum, and natural gas. Vegetation in Pakistan varies according to elevation. Alpine flora grows on the higher slopes. Forests of spruce, evergreen oak, chir or cheer pine, and a cedar known as the deodar are found at lower elevations. Animal life abounds in Pakistan, including deer, boar, bear, crocodile, and waterfowl. In the freshwater and saltwater areas, fish of many varieties are found. Marine life includes herring, mackerel, sharks, and shellfish.
The ethnological background of the population of Pakistan is extremely varied, largely because the country lies in an area that was invaded repeatedly during its long history. The people come from such ethnic stocks as the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Greek, Scythian, Hun, Arab, Mongol, Persian, and Afghan.
The population of Pakistan (1995 estimate) is about 134,974,000, yielding an average population density of about 170 persons per sq km (about 439 per sq mi). The country's population was increasing in the mid-1990s at a rate of approximately 2.7 percent a year. Only about 35 percent of the people live in urban areas.
For administrative purposes, Pakistan is divided into four provinces (Balochistan, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, and Sind); the Federal Capital Territory, which consists of the capital city of Islamabad; and six federally administered tribal areas.
Pakistan's largest city is Karachi, with a population (1981) of 5,180,562. Other significant urban centers are Lahore (2,952,689), an industrial center; Faisalabad (1,104,209), a center of the cotton industry; Rawalpindi (794,843), an industrial city; Hyderabad (751,529), a manufacturing center; Multan (722,070); and Peshawar (566,248), a hub of trade with Afghanistan. Islamabad (204,364) is the capital of Pakistan.
The leading religion of Pakistan is Islam, which is the faith of about 97 percent of the people. About four-fifths of the Muslims are Sunnite, and about one-fifth are Shiite. Hinduism and Christianity form the leading minority religions; other religious groups include the Sikhs, the Parsees, and a small number of Buddhists. The constitution defines Pakistan as an Islamic nation, but guarantees freedom of religion.
The official language of Pakistan is Urdu, but less than one-tenth of the people use it as their first language. Punjabi is spoken by about one-half of all households, and Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Baloch are also spoken by many people. In addition, English is extensively used by people in government, the military, and higher education.
Only about 35 percent of adult Pakistanis are literate. Although the constitution prescribes free primary education, less than half of all children actually receive it. Five years has been established as the period of primary school attendance.
Karachi is the seat of some of the most important libraries in Pakistan; these include the Liaquat Memorial Library 1950), the Central Secretariat Library (1950), and the University of Karachi library. Also of note are the National Archives of Pakistan, in Islamabad, and the Punjab Public Library (1884), in Lahore. The National Museum of Pakistan (1950), in Karachi, contains important materials from the Indus Valley civilizations, as well as Buddhist and Islamic artifacts. Cultural materials also are displayed in the Lahore Museum (1864) and the Peshawar Museum (1906). The Industrial and Commercial Museum, in Lahore, contains exhibits on the manufactures of Pakistan.
The economy of Pakistan grew by 5.1 percent annually during the period from 1965 to 1980 and by about 6 percent during the 1980s and early 1990s. Nevertheless, in the early 1990s, the majority of the nation's citizens remained poor and heavily dependent on the agricultural sector for employment. This was largely a result of the country's high rate of population increase, but political factors also slowed economic growth and modernization. In 1992 Pakistan's gross domestic product (GDP) was $46.1 billion. The government of Pakistan is deeply involved in directing the country's economy, and most major industries were nationalized. A government economic plan for 1978 to 1983, however, recommended that private capital be given a greater role in the industrial sector; the plan for 1983 to 1988 emphasized investment in hydroelectric power and rural development. A plan implemented in 1988 to liberalize internal and external trade and privatize more sectors of the economy had produced increases in the GDP growth rate, export revenues, and domestic and foreign investment by the early 1990s. Pakistan receives considerable economic assistance from foreign countries and from international organizations.
About 26 percent of Pakistan's total land area is considered arable. Agriculture and related activities engage about half of the workforce and provide nearly one-fourth of GDP. Formerly an importer of wheat, Pakistan achieved self-sufficiency in the grain by the mid-1970s. Chief cash crops are cotton (textile yarn and fabrics produce more than one-half of export earnings) and rice. Principal crops in the early 1990s (with output in metric tons) included sugarcane, 38.9 million; wheat, 15.7 million; rice, 4.6 million; cotton lint, 1.6 million; and corn, 1.3 million. The livestock population included about 36 million cattle and water buffalo, 27 million sheep, 39 million goats, and 164 million chickens.
About 4 percent of Pakistan is forested. Most of the 27.2 million cu m (961 million cu ft) of roundwood harvested annually in the early 1990s was used as fuel. Fishing resources, although underdeveloped, are extensive. In the early 1990s the annual catch was about 515,500 metric tons, three-quarters of it obtained from the Indian Ocean. Types of fish caught include sardines, sharks, and anchovies; shrimp are also an important part of the industry.
In the early 1990s the most important minerals (with annual production in metric tons) included coal and lignite (3 million), gypsum (532,000), rock salt (895,000), limestone (8.8 million), and silica sand (154,000). Crude petroleum production reached about 21.9 million barrels, and production of natural gas was about 15.6 billion cu m (about 551 billion cu ft).
The manufacturing capacity of Pakistan is still small, but production has been steadily expanding. In the early 1990s manufacturing accounted for about 18 percent of GDP, as compared with 14 percent in 1965. Important products include processed foods, cotton textiles, leather and leather products, sports goods, silk and rayon cloth, refined petroleum, cement, fertilizers, sugar, cigarettes, and chemicals. Many handicrafts, such as pottery and carpets, also are produced.
In the early 1990s about 56 percent of Pakistan's electricity was produced in thermal installations, and most of the rest was generated in hydroelectric facilities, including the large Tarbela project on the Indus River. A nuclear power plant is situated near Karachi. Pakistan's annual output of electricity in the early 1990s was 43 billion kilowatt-hours, based on an installed generating-capacity of 10 million kilowatts.
The basic monetary unit is the Pakistani rupee, consisting of 100 paisa (30.47 rupee equal U.S.$1; 1994). The State Bank of Pakistan, established in 1948, issues banknotes; manages currency and credit, the public debt, and exchange controls; and supervises the commercial banks. Pakistani banks were nationalized in 1974, but in the early 1990s the country transferred two banks to private ownership and issued licenses for ten new commercial banks. A number of major foreign banks maintain offices in the country. In conformity with Islamic doctrine, domestic banks in Pakistan have abandoned the payment and collection of interest. Investment partnerships between the bank and the customer have replaced loans at interest.
The foreign trade of Pakistan consists largely of the export of raw materials and basic products such as cotton yarn, and the import of manufactured products. In the early 1990s annual exports earned about $6.8 billion and imports cost about $9.1 billion. The chief exports were cotton textiles, cotton yarn and thread, clothing, raw cotton, rice, carpets and rugs, leather, fish, and petroleum products; the main imports were machinery, electrical equipment, petroleum products, transportation equipment, metal and metal products, fertilizer, and foodstuffs. Pakistan's chief trading partners for exports are the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and France; chief sources of imports are the United States, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, China, and France.
The lack of modern transportation facilities is a major hindrance to the development of Pakistan. Its terrain, laced with rivers and mountains, presents formidable obstacles to internal overland transportation. The country has about 110,700 km (about 68,800 mi) of roads, of which about 53 percent are paved. The railroad network totals about 12,625 km (about 7845 mi). Karachi is the principal port; a second major port, Muhammad bin Qasim, was opened in the early 1980s. Pakistan International Airlines, in large part government owned, provides overseas service to a number of countries. In the early 1990s the government ended a monopoly held by Pakistan Airlines. Four private carriers have since begun domestic operations. The country's main international airports serve Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
In the early 1990s Pakistan had about 1 million telephones, 11 million radios, and 2.2 million television sets. Television broadcasting began in Lahore in 1964 and in Karachi in 1966. Newspapers are mainly printed in Urdu and English. Pakistan has about 237 daily newspapers, most with small circulations. The major dailies are concentrated in Lahore and Karachi.
Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1973, which was subsequently amended. Following a military coup d'état in 1977, however, a system of martial law was put into effect, and most aspects of the 1973 constitution were suspended. In 1985 parliamentary government was reestablished, the constitution restored, and martial law ended. Legislation enacted in 1991 made Sharia, or Islamic law, the supreme law of the land.
According to the 1973 constitution, as amended, Pakistan's head of state is a president, elected to a five-year term by the legislature. The chief executive official is a prime minister, who is responsible to the legislature. The president has the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and to call new elections.
Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Federal Legislature. The National Assembly consists of 217 members elected directly by universal suffrage for terms of up to five years. The Senate, consisting of 87 members, is elected indirectly by the provincial legislatures; senators serve six-year terms.
The highest court in Pakistan is the Supreme Court. The judicial system in each province is headed by a high court. There is also a federal Sharia Court, which administers Islamic law.
Under the 1973 constitution the four provinces of Pakistan, headed by governors appointed by the president, are subdivided into divisions, districts, and agencies. Political agents responsible to the federal government administer the tribal areas.
Severely limited in July 1977 and banned outright in October 1979, political organizations were allowed to resume their activities in December 1985. The dominant political party after the elections of 1993 was the Pakistan People's party; the Pakistan Muslim League became the main opposition group.
Health services in Pakistan are limited by a lack of facilities. In the early 1990s the country had about 51,900 physicians and about 71,900 hospital beds. In 1976 an old-age pension system was inaugurated, but it covers relatively few Pakistanis.
Military service in Pakistan is voluntary. In the early 1990s the country's armed forces had about 575,000 members, including 45,000 in the air force and 20,000 in the navy. Another 275,000 were in paramilitary units.
The British ruled the Indian subcontinent for nearly 200 years—from 1756 to 1947. After the revolt in 1857, the British initiated political reforms, allowing the formation of political parties. The Indian National Congress, representing the overwhelming majority of Hindus, was created in 1885. The Muslim League was formed in 1906 to represent the Muslim minority. When the British introduced constitutional reforms in 1909, the Muslims demanded and acquired separate electoral rolls. This guaranteed Muslims representation in the provincial as well as the national legislatures until independence was granted in 1947. By 1940, however, the Muslim League had resolved to seek the partitioning of the subcontinent and the creation of a separate Muslim state—Pakistan. During preindependence talks in 1946, therefore, the British government found that the stand of the Muslim League on separation and that of the Congress on the territorial unity of India were irreconcilable. The British then decided on partition and on August 15, 1947, transferred power to both India and Pakistan. The latter, however, came into existence in two parts: West Pakistan, coextensive with the country's present boundries, and East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh. The two were separated by 1600 km (1000 mi) of Indian territory.