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Geography

Pakistan

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

Map references:

Asia

Area:

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:

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)

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

Environment - international 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

Geography - note:

Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

People

Pakistan

Population:

165,803,560 (July 2006 est.)

Population distribution:

Age structure:

0-14 years: 39% (male 33,293,428/female 31,434,314)
15-64 years: 56.9% (male 48,214,298/female 46,062,933)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,256,065/female 3,542,522) (2006 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.8 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.09% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

29.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 70.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 70.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.39 years
male: 62.4 years
female: 64.44 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

74,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,900 (2003 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
animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Nationality:

noun: Pakistani(s)
adjective: Pakistani

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%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.7%
male: 61.7%
female: 35.2% (2004 est.)

Government

Pakistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

Islamabad

Administrative divisions:

4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh
note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas

Independence:

14 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Constitution:

12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003

Legal system:

Based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan’s status as a Muslim state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Executive branch:

note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Pervez MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan’s constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan’s Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date; on 20 June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself as president and was sworn in, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF’s presidency was extended by five more years; on 1 January 2004, MUSHARRAF won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National Assembly, and four provincial assemblies
chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: the president is elected by Parliament for a five-year term; note - in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF’s presidency was extended by five more years (next to be held in 2007); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly (next to be held in 2007)
election results: AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004 with 191 of the votes

Legislative branch:

Bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve six-year terms and the National Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10 seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 47, PPPP 9, MMA 20, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, PML/F 1, PkMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP 3, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNP/H 1, independents 1; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H 1, PkMAP 1, independents 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari’ah Court

Political parties and leaders:

Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN];
Balochistan National Party/Hayee Group or BNP/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH];
Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH];
Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL];
Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Akbar Khan BUGTI];
Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR];
Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED];
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN];
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ];
Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ];
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED];
Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN];
Muttahida Quami Movement, Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD];
National Alliance or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI];
Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI];
Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN];
Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI];
Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO];
Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF];
Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA;
Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO];
Pakistan People’s Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO];
Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO];
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];
Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]

Other political/religious parties and groups (some banned):

Harakat ul-Mujahidin;
Hizb ut-Tahrir;
Hizb ul-Mujahideen;
Jaishe Mohammed;
Lashkar-e-Jhangavi;
Lashkar-e-Taiba;
Sipah-e-Mohammad;
Sipah-e-Sahabah;
Tableegh Jamat;
Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi;
Tehrik-i-Jafria;

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Military remains most important political force; ulema, landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential

International organization participation:

ARF, AsDB, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

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

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$393.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$89.55 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.9% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,400 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 21.6%
industry: 25.1%
services: 53.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

46.84 million
note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 42%
industry: 20%
services: 38% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.6% plus substantial underemployment (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

32% (FY00/01 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

41 (FY98/99)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.1% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

15.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $15.45 billion
expenditures: $20.07 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

Public debt:

53.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:

10.7% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:

76.92 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 68.8%
hydro: 28.2%
nuclear: 3%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

71.54 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:

63,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

365,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:

341.8 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:

23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

759.7 billion cu m (2005)

Current account balance:

-$1.109 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:

$14.85 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

Textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs <