Major Landforms: Indus River Valley, Hindu Kush Mountains, Karakoram Mountains, Pamir Mountains, K2, Balochistan Plateau, Thar Desert, Cholistan Desert
Major Bodies of Water: Indus River, Jhelum River, Ravi River, Kabul River, Manchar Lake, Keenjhar Lake, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea
Famous Places: Jinnah Mausoleum, Minaret of Pakistan, Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Rani Kot Fort, Hingol National Park, Pir Shohawa, Concordia, K2 Mountain, Trango Towers, Port Grand, Tomb of Jahangir, Mohenjo-daro
Economy of Pakistan
Major Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp
Natural Resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Major Exports: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs
Major Imports: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea
Currency: Pakistani rupee (PKR)
Pakistan Provinces
(click for larger view)
National GDP: $488,400,000,000
Government of Pakistan
Type of Government: federal republic
Independence: 14 August 1947 (from UK)
Divisions: The country of Pakistan is divided up into the four main provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Other regions include the capital city area of Islamabad, Tribal Areas, and disputed areas (with India) in Kashmir.
National Anthem or Song: Qaumi Tarana (National Anthem)
National Symbols:
Animal - Markhor, snow leopard
Bird - Chukar
Aquatic mammal - Indus River dolphin
Reptile - Mugger crocodile
Fish - Golden mahasher
Amphibian - Indus Valley toad
Tree - Deodar tree
National icon - Shaheen falcon
Motto - Faith, unity, discipline
Description of flag: The flag of Pakistan was adopted on August 11, 1947. It has a dark green background (field) with a white stripe on the left (hoist side). Inside the green field is a white star and a white crescent. The flag is often called the "Flag of the Crescent and Star." The crescent represent progress and the star light. The color green represents the religion of Islam.
National Holiday: Republic Day, 23 March (1956)
Other Holidays: Kashmir Solidarity Day (February 5), Pakistan Day (March 23), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (August 14), Iqbal Day (November 9), Birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (December 25), Eid ul-Adha, Eid ul-Fitr, Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Ashura
The People of Pakistan
Languages Spoken: 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%
Nationality: Pakistani(s)
Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Origin of the name Pakistan: The name "Pakistan" was originally coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali. He suggested the name and that the letters each stood for a different region:
P - Punjab
A - Afghania
K - Kashmir
S - Sindh
TAN - Balochistan
The name also means "Land of the Pure" in the Persian and Urdu languages.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Famous People:
Shahid Afridi - Cricket player
Benazir Bhutto - The first female Prime Minister of Pakistan
