Pakistan

Pakistani flag

Basic facts of Pakistan
Official name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Capital : Islamabad.
Area : 796,095 sq km 307,374 sq mi
Population : 167,762,040 (2008 estimate)
Government:
Form of government: Republic.
Head of state : President.
Head of government : Prime minister.
Religious affiliations:
Sunni Muslim : 77 percent.
Shia : 20 percent.
Christian, Hindu, and other: 3 percent.
Population density: 215 persons per sq km, 558 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution: Share urban 35 percent, Share rural 65 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population:
Karachi 9,339,023 (2006 estimate), Lahore 5,063,499 (1998), Faisalabad 2,510,000 (2007 estimate),Rawalpindi 1,406,214 (1998), Hyderabad 1,390,000 (2007 estimate)
Languages: Urdu (official), English (commonly used), Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Saraiki
Life expectancy:
Total 64.1 years,
Female 65.2 years,
Male 63.1 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 47.4 percent,
Female 32.4 percent,
Male 61.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Total number of military personnel 619,000 (2004)

Introduction:
Pakistan, officially Islamic Republic of Pakistan, republic in South Asia, marking the area where South Asia converges with Southwest Asia and Central Asia. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad; Karachi is the country’s largest city. The area of present-day Pakistan was the cradle of the earliest known civilization of South Asia, the Indus Valley civilization (2500?-1700 bc). The territory was part of the Mughal Empire from 1526 until the 1700s, when it came under British rule. Pakistan gained independence in August 1947. It initially comprised two parts, West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which were separated by about 1,600 km (1,000 mi) of territory within India. In December 1971 East Pakistan seceded and became the independent republic of Bangladesh.

Faisal Mosque, Pakistan

Islamabad A planned city, Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan’s capital in 1967. The city contains many examples of modern architecture, including Faisal Mosque, designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay.

Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf became de facto leader of Pakistan after staging a military coup in October 1999 that ousted the unpopular Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Hindu Kush Mountains, Pakistan

The Hindu Kush mountain system in central Asia extends for 1,000 km (600 mi) in parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. With about two dozen peaks surpassing 7,000 m (23,000 ft), the range reaches its highest point in Pakistan’s highlands, where the peak known as Ti rich Mir rises 7,690 m (25,230 ft) above sea level.

Peshawar, Pakistan

Pakistan Located near the strategic Khyber Pass connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan, Peshawar has been an important trading center since ancient times. It became the capital of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province in 1947.

Pakistani Muslims

A Muslim prays outside the entrance of his home in Quetta, in northwestern Pakistan. About 97 percent of the people in the country are Muslims, of which about 80 percent are Sunni Muslims.

Some Pakistani children photos

Pakistani Muslim woman