Pakistan

Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan
Former: West Pakistan

Background:  
The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) 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. Retrieved from the CIA.gov database

Geography
Location:        
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Area:  
Total: 803,940 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
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
Natural resources:      
Land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
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; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification  
           
Population:     
165,803,560 (July 2006 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, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location
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%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages:     
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%
            Government       
           
Government type:      
Federal republic
Capital:           
Islamabad
Independence:           
14 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday:       
Republic Day, 23 March (1956)
Chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)
           
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        Top of Page
Economy:           
Agriculture - products:           
Cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs
Industries:      
Textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Currency:
Pakistani rupee (PKR)
            Military          
Military branches:      
Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Air Force (2006)
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 has inducted its first female combat pilots (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
           
            Transnational Issues       
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; in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease-fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration and in general the two states still dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed the Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, had repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and had undertaken a census to count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan and stem organized terrorist or other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
           
Illicit drugs:    
opium poppy cultivation declined 58% to 3,147 hectares in 2005; 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

Click here to return to the map