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| | GOOD MORNING PAKISTAN
National
name Islami Jamhuriya e Pakistan
· Area
796,095 sq km/307,374 sq mi
· Capital
Islamabad
· Major
towns/cities Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad,
Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Quetta,
Islamabad
· Major
ports Karachi, Port Qasim
· Physical
features fertile Indus plain in E,
Baluchistan plateau in W, mountains in N and NW; the "five rivers"
(Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej) feed the world's largest
irrigation system; K2 mountain; Khyber Pass
Government
Head
of state Rafiq Tarar (2001)
· Head
of government Pervaiz musharaf (2001)
· Political
system Under military regime
· Administrative
divisions four provinces, the Federal
Capital Territory, and the federally administered tribal areas
· Political
parties Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA),
conservative; Pakistan People's Party (PPP), moderate, Islamic, socialist;
Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Islamic conservative (contains pro- and
antigovernment factions); Pakistan Islamic Front (PIF), Islamic
fundamentalist, right wing; Awami National Party (ANP), left wing; National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) bloc, left of center; Mohajir National Movement (MQM),
Sind-based mohajir settlers (Muslims previously living in India);
Movement for Justice, reformative, anticorruption
· Armed
forces 587,000 (1996)
· Death
penalty retained and used for ordinary
crimes
Economy and resources
Currency
Pakistan rupee
· GDP
U.S. $64.85 billion (1996)
· GDP
per capita U.S. $490 (1996)
· GDP
growth rate 4.61% (1990–1996)
· Average
annual inflation 11.28% (1990–1996)
· Debt
(as portion of GNP) 51% (1994)
· Major
trading partners Japan, United States,
Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia
· Resources
iron ore, natural gas, limestone, rock salt, gypsum, silica, coal,
petroleum, graphite, copper, manganese, chromite
· Industries
textiles (principally cotton), food processing, petroleum refining, leather
production, soda ash, sulfuric acid, bicycles
· Exports
cotton, textiles, petroleum and petroleum products, clothing and
accessories, leather, rice, food and live animals. Principal market: United
States 15% (1995)
· Imports
machinery and transportation equipment, mineral fuels and lubricants,
chemicals and related products, edible oil. Principal source: Japan 10.7%
(1995)
· Arable
land 27.3% (1995)
· Agricultural
products cotton, rice, wheat, corn, sugar
cane
Population
Population
135,135,195 (1998)
· Population
growth rate 2.20% (1998)
· Population
density 170 persons per sq km/440 per sq mi
(1998)
· Urban
population (share of total) 35% (1996)
· Age
distribution (share of total population) 0–4
15.5%, 5–14 26.7%, 15 to 24 19.3%, 25–64 34.5%, 65 and older 4% (1997)
· Ethnic
distribution Five principal, regionally
based, antagonistic communities: Punjabis in the Punjab; Sindhis &
Mohajirs in Sind; Baluchis in Baluchistan; and the Pashtuns (Pathans) in the
Northwest Frontier Province
· Language
Urdu (official); English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Baluchi, other local
dialects
· Religion
Sunni Muslim 75%, Shiite Muslim 20%; also Hindu, Christian, Parsee, Buddhist
· Literacy
rate total 37.8% (1995); men 50%; women
24.4% (1995)
· Labor
force 47,783,430 (1996): 51.8% agriculture,
18.5% industry, 29.7% services (1990)
· Unemployment
4.8% (1994)
· Life
expectancy men 58 years; women 60 years
(1997)
· Child
mortality rate (under 5) 136 deaths per
1,000 live births (1996)
· Physicians
one for every 1,930 people (1993)
· Hospital
beds one for every 1,535 people (1993)
· TV
sets (per 1,000 people) 20 (1995)
· Radios
(per 1,000 people) 92 (1995)
Transportation
Airports
international airports: Karachi (Civil), Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar,
Quetta, Rawalpindi; 30 domestic airports; total passenger km: 1,400
million (1994)
· Railroads
total length: 8,775 km/5,452 mi (1995)
· Roads
total road network: 224,774 km/139,668 mi (1996); passenger vehicles (per
1,000 people): 4.5 (1996)
Practical information
Visa
requirements United States: visa required
· Embassy
in the United States 2315 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008. Tel: (202) 939 6200; fax: (202) 387 0484
· American
embassy Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5,
Islamabad. Tel: (51) 826 161–179; fax: (51) 214 222
· Chamber
of commerce Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, PO Box 4833, Talpur Road, Karachi. Tel: (21) 241 0814; fax: (21)
242 7315
· Office
hours 0900–1700 Sat–Thu
· Banking
hours 0900–1300 and 1500–2000 Sun–Thu
(some banks open on Sat)
· Time
difference GMT +5
· Chief
tourist attractions Himalayan scenery; fine
climate; mountaineering; trekking; winter sports; archeological remains and
historic buildings
· Major
holidays March 23, May 1, July 1, August
14, September 6, 11, November 9, December 25, 31; variable: Eid-ul-Adha (3
days), Ashora (2 days), end of Ramadan (3 days), Prophet's Birthday, first
day of Ramadan
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