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Pakistan |
Pakistan’s
southern border is on the Arabian Sea, where the great river Indus
flows out through an immense delta. It has dry and scrubby
mountains in the northwest and barren deserts in the southeast.
The
capital Islamabad is in the Punjab, which is the most fertile province
of the country. In the north is one of the sites
of the Indus Valley Civilisation – Harappa. Another archaeological
site here is Taxila. A large amount of the architecture
is influenced by the Moghul times in forts, palaces, gardens, mosques
and mausoleums.
Lahore
is the cultural centre of the country with a mix of Moghul and colonial
architecture. The attractions of the city include, the
Mall, Lahore Museum, Lahore Fort and the Old City. Karachi is the
commercial centre with thriving markets that sell everything
from carpets and handicrafts to hi-tech electronics. The founder
of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah has a monument dedicated
to him called the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum. There are also, the
Honeymoon Lodge, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Zoroastrian
Towers of Silence and Manora Island. Near Karachi is the
Mohenjodaro site of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Another major
city of the country is Quetta, which has the Archaeological
Museum of Baluchistan as well as the Hazarganji Chiltan National
Park. In the mountains of the Northwest Frontier
Province, the charming Old City of Peshawar is near the fabled Khyber
Pass.
| Joined
Commonwealth |
1947
(left 1972-89) |
| Capital |
Islamabad |
| Population |
144,616,639
(July 2001) |
| Age
structure (15-64 years) |
55.42%
(male: 40,977,543; female: 39,164,663) |
| Youth
Population (15-24) |
29,485,323
(2000) |
| Youth
Population (15-24) in % |
18.9%
(2000) |
| HIV/AIDS
(adult prevalence rate) |
0.1%
(1999) |
| HIV/AIDS
(people living with HIV/AIDS) |
74,000
(1999) |
| HIV/AIDS
deaths |
6,500
(1999) |
| Literacy
(age 15 and over can read and write) |
42.7%
(male: 55.3%; female: 29%) (1998) |
| Total
Unemployment in % |
4.8%
(1994) |
| Youth
Unemployment (15-19) in % |
male:
16.9%; female: 4.9% (1994) |
| Youth
Unemployment (20-14) in % |
male:
13.6%; female: 3.6% (1994) |
| GDP
p.c. growth |
1.2%
p.a. 1990-2000 |
| Currency |
Pakistan
rupee (PRs) |
| Official
language |
Urdu |
| Time |
GMT
plus 5 hours |
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The
Indus Valley Civilisation reached its peak in the cities
of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Alexander the Great invaded
in 327 BC and later different religions prevailed in turn
– Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. The Arabs and
then the Moghuls ruled until 1857. European traders
arrived in the 17th century and Britain became dominant
through the East India Company.
The All India Muslim League was founded in 1907. The campaign
to establish a separate Muslim state
– led by Mohammed Iqbal and Mohammed Ali Jinnah –
became prominent in the 1920s and 30s.
Pakistan was created at independence from the British
Empire in 1947.
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Pakistan is Islamic and democratic, with fundamental
rights guaranteed, including the freedoms of thought, speech,
religion and worship, assembly, association and the
press as well as equality of status. The president is head
of state, elected for five years by an electoral
college. There is a bicameral legislature where the lower
house is the National Assembly and the upper
house is the Senate. The constitution was suspended by the
military government after the coup in October
1999. It was partially restored in November 2002, following
parliamentary elections.
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