Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Population: 172,800,048
History of Pakistan
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) 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. Mounting public dissatisfaction with President MUSHARRAF, coupled with the assassination of the prominent and popular political leader, Benazir BHUTTO, in late 2007, and MUSHARRAF?s resignation in August 2008, led to the September presidential election of Asif ZARDARI, BHUTTO?s widower. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control Islamist militants, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani government is also faced with a deteriorating economy as foreign exchange reserves decline, the currency depreciates, and the current account deficit widens.
Geography
Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 N, 70 00 E
Area:
Total: 803,940 sq km
Land: 778,720 sq km
Water: 25,220 sq km
Size comparison: 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
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf:
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Natural resources:
Land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, Salt, limestone
Land use:
Arable land: 24.44%
Permanent crops: 0.84%
Other: 74.72% (2005)
Irrigated land:
182,300 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus After heavy rains (July and August)
Current Environment Issues:
Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited Natural fresh water resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil Erosion; desertification
International Environment Agreements:
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation.
Last edited by Only_4U on 12/05/09, 11:03 pm; edited 1 time in total