Pakistan: Basic Facts

Basic Facts About Pakistan

Official Name	Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Father of the Nation	Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948)
National Poet	Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938)
Head of the State	General Pervez Musharraf, President
Head of Government	Shaukat Aziz , Prime Minister
Capital	Islamabad
Area	Total  796,095 Sq. km.  Punjab  205,344 Sq. km.  Sindh  140,914  Sq. km. North West Frontier Province  74,521 Sq. km.  Balochistan  347,190 Sq. km.  Federally Administered Tribal Areas  27,220 Sq. km.  Islamabad (Capital)  906 Sq. km.
Population	153.96 million (E)
Administrative Setup	Pakistan is divided into four provinces viz., North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. The tribal belt adjoining NWFP is managed by the Federal Government and is named FATA i.e., Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have their own respective political and administrative machinery, yet certain of their subjects are taken care of by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. Provinces of Pakistan are further divided into Divisions and Districts   Divisions Districts NWFP  7 24 Punjab  8   34 Sindh  5 21 Balochistan  6 22 While FATA consist of 13 Areas/Agencies and Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have 7 and 5 Districts respectively.
Religion	95% Muslims, 5% others.
Annual Per capita income	US $736
GDP	8.4%
Currency	Pak. Rupee.
Imports	Industrial equipment, chemicals, vehicles, steel, iron ore,  petroleum, edible oil, pulses, tea.
Exports	Cotton, textile goods, rice, leather items  carpets, sports goods, handi-crafts, fish and fish prep. and fruit
Languages	Urdu (National)  and English (Official)
Literacy rate	53%
Government	Parliamentary form
Parliament	Parliament consists of two Houses i.e., the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House).   The Senate is a permanent legislative body and symbolises a process of continuity in the national affairs. It consists of 100 members. The four Provincial Assemblies, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Federal Capital form its electoral college.  The National Assembly has a total membership of 342 elected through adult suffrage (272 general seats, 60 women seats and 10 non-Muslim seats).
Pakistan National Flag	Dark green with a white vertical bar, a white crescent and a five-pointed star in the middle. The Flag symbolizes Pakistan's profound commitment to Islam, the Islamic world and the rights of religious minorities.
National Anthem	Approved in August, 1954  Verses Composed by: Abdul Asar Hafeez Jullundhri  Tune Composed by: Ahmed G. Chagla  Duration: 80 seconds
State Emblem	The State Emblem consists of:  1. The crescent and star which are symbols of Islam  2. The shield in the centre shows four major crops  3. Wreath surrounding the shield represents cultural heritage and 4. Scroll contains Quaid's motto: Unity Faith, Discipline
Pakistan's Official Map	Drawn by Mian Mahmood Alam Suhrawardy (1920-1999)
National Flower	Jasmine.
National Tree	Deodar (Cedrus Deodara).
National Animal	Markhor.
National Bird	Chakor (Red-legged partridge)
Flora	Pine, Oak, Poplar, Deodar, Maple, Mulberry
Fauna	The Pheasant, Leopard, Deer, Ibex, Chinkara, Black buck, Neelgai, Markhor, Marco-Polo sheep, Green turtles, River & Sea fish, Crocodile, Waterfowls
Popular games	Cricket, Hockey, Football, Squash.
Tourist's resorts	Murree, Quetta, Hunza, Ziarat, Swat, Kaghan, Chitral and Gilgit
Archaeological sites	Moenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Diji, Mehr Garh, Takht Bhai.
Major Cities	Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot
Major Crops	Cotton, Wheat, Rice and Sugarcane
Agricultural Growth Rate	7.5% in 2004-05
Total cropped area	22.94 million hectares
Industry	Textiles, Cement, Fertiliser, Steel, Sugar, Electric Goods, Shipbuilding
Energy	Major sources Electricity (Hydel, Thermal, Nuclear) Oil, Coal,  and Liquid Petroleum Gas   Power Generating Capacity  19,389 MW
Health	Hospitals  916 Dispensaries  4,600 Basic Health Units (BHUs)  5,301 Maternity & Child Health Centres  906 Rural Health Centres (RHCs)  552 Tuberculosis (TB) Centres  289 Hospital Beds  99,908  Doctors (registered)  113,206  Dentists (registered)  6,127  Nurses (registered  48,446 Paramedics  23,559 Lady Health Workers  6,741
Education	Primary Schools 155,000 Middle Schools 28,728  High Schools 16,100 Secondary Vocational Institutions 636 Arts & Science Colleges 1,066 Professional Colleges 382 Universities 51
Transport & Communication	Total length of roads  259, 758 km  Pakistan Railway network  7,791 km  Locomotives 580 Railway stations  781  Pakistan International Airlines Covers 38 international and 24 domestic stations with a fleet of 49 planes. Major Airports  8 (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Gwadar)
Seaports	International  2 (Karachi and Bin Qasim) Gwadar deep sear port is under construction Fish Harbours-Cum-Mini Ports  3 (Minora, Gawadar, and Keti Bandar)
Communications	Post Offices  12,170 Telephone connections  5,052,000 Public Call Offices  217,597 Telegraph offices  299 Internet Connections 2 million Mobile Phones 10,542,641
Employment	Total Labour force  46.84 million Employed Labour Force  43.22 million Agriculture Sector  18.60 million Manufacturing & Mining sector  5.96 million Construction  2.52 million Trade  6.39 million Transport  2.48 million  Others  6.98 million
Media	Print Media (In accordance with Central Media List)     Dailies  540 Weeklies  444  Fortnightlies  55 Monthlies  268   News Agencies   Official  APP   Private PPI, NNI, On Line and Sana.   Electronic Media   TV Centres Five TV centres at Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi covering 88.58% population and 49 re-broadcasting stations.    Pakistan Television  4 channels (PTV-I, PTV-II (PTV World), PTV-III &  PTV National   Radio Stations Public: Total 25, Home services in 19 languages. External Services cover 81 countries in 15 languages  Private: Radio stations 22. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has so far awarded 72 FM Radio broadcast licenses including nine (9) specialized subject licenses for universities. Fifteen (15) licenses have been granted for the establishment of Satellite TV Channels. Nine Satellite TV channels have started their operation.   Cable Operators  900
Banks	Central Bank State Bank of Pakistan   Nationalized Scheduled Banks First Woman Bank Ltd. National Bank of Pakistan Specialized Banks Zari Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Ltd Private Scheduled Banks Askari Commercial Bank Limited Bank Al-Falah Limited Bolan Bank Limited Faysal Bank Limited Bank Al-Habib Limited Metropolitan Bank Limited KASB Commercial Bank Limited Prime Commercial Bank Limited PICIC Commercial Bank Limited Soneri Bank Limited Union Bank Limited Meezan Bank Limited Saudi-Pak Commercial Bank Limited Crescent Commercial Bank Limited Dawood Bank Limited NDLC-IFIC Bank Limited (NIB) Allied Bank of Pakistan Limited United Bank Limited Habib Bank Limited SME Banks Foreign Banks ABN Amro Bank N.V Albaraka Islamic Bank BSC (EC) American Expresss Bank Limited Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi Limited Citibank N.A Deutsche Bank A.G. Habib Bank A.G. Zurich Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp Limited Oman International Bank S.O.A.G Rupali Bank Limited Standard Chartered Bank Limited Development Financial Institutions Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corp. Limited Pak Kuwait Investment Company (Pvt) Limited Pak Libya Holding Company (Pvt) Limited Pak-Oman Investment Company (Pvt) Limited Saudi Pak Industrial and Agricutural Investment Company (Pvt) Limited Investment Banks Crescent Investment Bank Limited First International Investment Bank Limited Atlas Investment Bank Limited Security Investment Bank Limited Fidelity Investment Bank Limited Prudential Investment Bank Limited Islamic Investment Bank Limited Asset Investment Bank Limited Al-Towfeek Investment Bank Limited Jahangir Siddiqui Investment Bank Limited Franklin Investment Bank Limited Orix Investment Bank (Pak) Limited

Geography and Climate of Pakistan

Pakistan covers 803,940 square kilometres[30] (310,403 square miles (803,940 km²)), approximately the combined land areas of France and the United Kingdom, with its eastern regions located on the Indian tectonic plate and the western and northern regions on the Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. Apart from the 1,046 kilometre (650 mi) Arabian Sea coastline, Pakistan's land borders total 6,774 kilometres—2,430 kilometres (1,509 mi) with Afghanistan to the northwest, 523 kilometres (325 mi) with China to the northeast, 2,912 kilometres (1,809 mi) with India to the east and 909 kilometres (565 mi) with Iran to the southwest.[31]
The different types of natural features range from the sandy beaches, lagoons, and mangrove swamps of the southern coast to preserved beautiful moist temperate forests and the icy peaks of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains in the north. There are an estimated 108 peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) high that are covered in snow and glaciers. Five of the mountains in Pakistan (including Nanga Parbat) are over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft). Indian-controlled Kashmir to the Northern Areas of Pakistan and running the length of the country is the Indus River with its many tributaries. The northern parts of Pakistan attract a large number of foreign tourists. To the west of the Indus are the dry, hilly deserts of Balochistan; to the east are the rolling sand dunes of the Thar Desert. The Tharparkar desert in the southern province of Sindh, is the only fertile desert in the world. Most areas of Punjab and parts of Sindh are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance.
The climate varies as much as the scenery, with cold winters and hot summers in the north and a mild climate in the south, moderated by the influence of the ocean. The central parts have extremely hot summers with temperatures rising to 45 °C (113 °F), followed by very cold winters, often falling below freezing. Officially the highest temperature recorded in Pakistan is 52.8 °C at Jacobabad. There is very little rainfall ranging from less than 250 millimetres to more than 1,250 millimetres (9.8–49.2 in), mostly brought by the unreliable south-westerly monsoon winds during the late summer. The construction of dams on the rivers and the drilling of water wells in many drier areas have eased water shortages.