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Climate
The climate of Pakistan varies widely from place to place. In the mountain regions of the north and west, temperatures fall below freezing during winter; in the Indus Valley area, temperatures range between about 32° and 49° C (about 90° and 120° F) in summer, and the average in winter is about 13° C (about 55° F). Throughout most of Pakistan rainfall is scarce. The Punjab region receives the most precipitation, more than 500 mm (more than 20 in) per year. The arid regions of the southeast and southwest receive less than 125 mm (less than 5 in) annually. Most rain falls in July and August.
Natural Resources, Plants, and Animals
The resources of Pakistan are primarily agricultural. The country's mineral
resources include salt, chromite, coal, gypsum, limestone, manganese, sulfur,
clay, graphite, copper, petroleum, and natural gas.
Vegetation in Pakistan varies according to elevation. Alpine flora grows on the
higher slopes. Forests of spruce, evergreen oak, chir or cheer pine, and a cedar
known as the deodar are found at lower elevations.
Animal life abounds in Pakistan, including deer, boar, bear, crocodile, and
waterfowl. In the freshwater and saltwater areas, fish of many varieties are
found. Marine life includes herring, mackerel, sharks, and shellfish.
POPULATION
The ethnological background of the population of Pakistan is extremely varied, largely because the country lies in an area that was invaded repeatedly during its long history. The people come from such ethnic stocks as the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Greek, Scythian, Hun, Arab, Mongol, Persian, and Afghan.
Characteristics The population of Pakistan (1998 estimate) is 135,135,195, yielding an average population density of 170 persons per sq km (440 per sq mi). The country's population was increasing in 1998 at a rate of 2.2 percent a year. Only 35 percent of the people live in urban areas.
Political Divisions For administrative purposes
Pakistan is divided into four provinces (Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, and Sind); Islāmābād Capital Territory, which consists of the capital city of Islāmābād; and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Pakistan also administers the northwestern portion of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmīr. The Pakistani government is directly responsible for the Northern Areas, while Azad (Free) Kashmir has an autonomous government with strong ties to Pakistan.
Principal Cities
Pakistan's largest city is Karāchi. Other significant urban centers are Lahore, an industrial center; Faisalābād, a center of the cotton industry; Rāwalpindi, an industrial city; Hyderābād, a manufacturing center; Multān; and Peshāwar, a hub of trade with Afghanistan. Islāmābād is the capital of Pakistan
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Religion
The leading religion of Pakistan is Islam, which is the faith of about 97 percent of the people. Hinduism and Christianity form the leading minority religions; other religious groups include the Sikhs, the Parsis, and a small number of Buddhists. The constitution defines Pakistan as an Islamic nation, but guarantees freedom of religion.
Languages
The official language of Pakistan is Urdu, but less than one-tenth of the people use it as their first language. Punjabi is spoken by about one-half of all households, and Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Balochi are also spoken by many people. In addition, English is extensively used by people in government, the military, and higher education.
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Education
Only 38 percent of adult Pakistanis are literate. The constitution prescribes
free primary education. While enrollment rate in primary school in high for
boys, less than one-half of girls attend school. Five years has been established
as the period of primary school attendance.
In the 1996 school year 81 percent of primary school-aged children were enrolled
in school, while only 30 percent of secondary school-aged children attended. In
the early 1990s, 336,600 students attended institutions of higher education.
Among Pakistan's leading universities are the University of Karāchi (1951), the
University of the Punjab (1882), in Lahore; the University of Peshāwar (1950);
the University of Sind (1947), in Dādu; and the University of Agriculture
(1909), in Faisalābād.
Libraries and Museums Karāchi is the seat of some of the most important
libraries in Pakistan; these include the Liaquat Memorial Library (1950), the
Central Secretariat Library (1950), and the University of Karāchi library. Also
of note are the National Archives of Pakistan, in Islāmābād, and the Punjab
Public Library (1884), in Lahore. The National Museum of Pakistan (1950), in Karāchi,
contains important materials from the Indus Valley civilizations, as well as
Buddhist and Islamic artifacts. Cultural materials also are displayed in the
Lahore Museum (1864) and the Peshāwar Museum (1906). The Industrial and
Commercial Museum, in Lahore, contains exhibits on the manufactures of Pakistan.
ECONOMY
The economy of Pakistan grew by 4.2 percent annually during the period
1990-1997. While less than the 6 percent annual expansion the country
experienced in the 1980s, the rate is still high compared to most countries.
Nevertheless, the majority of the nation's citizens remained poor and heavily
dependent on the agricultural sector for employment. This was largely a result
of the country's high rate of population increase, but political factors, such
as the war of secession waged successfully by East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in
1971 and a coup d'état in 1977 (see "History," below), also slowed
economic growth and modernization. In 1997 Pakistan's gross domestic product
(GDP) was $61.7 billion.
The government of Pakistan is deeply involved in directing the country's
economy, and most major industries have been nationalized. A government economic
plan for 1978 to 1983, however, recommended that private capital be given a
greater role in the industrial sector; the plan for 1983 to 1988 emphasized
investment in hydroelectric power and rural development. A plan implemented in
1988 to liberalize internal and external trade and privatize more sectors of the
economy had produced increases in the GDP growth rate, export revenues, and
domestic and foreign investment by the early 1990s. In 1993 the government moved
to reduce the nation's deficit and lessen its reliance on foreign aid and loans,
by introducing, among other measures, a national sales tax and increases in fuel
taxes. The government budget in 1996 included $10.3 billion in revenues and
$14.3 billion in expenditures. Pakistan receives considerable economic
assistance from foreign countries and from international organizations. The
United States, which had imposed economic sanctions against Pakistan in 1990 in
order to protest Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, lifted the sanctions in
January 1996, clearing the way for economic assistance.
Agriculture
Some 27 percent of Pakistan's total land area is cultivated. Agriculture and
related activities engage 52 percent of the workforce and provide 25 percent of
GDP. By the late 1970s an intensive land-reform effort had resulted in the
expropriation of some 1.2 million hectares (some 3 million acres) from
landlords, the distribution of almost half of this to tenants, and the
limitation of individual holdings to 40 hectares (100 acres) of irrigated or 81
hectares (200 acres) of nonirrigated land. Formerly an importer of wheat,
Pakistan achieved self-sufficiency in the grain by the mid-1970s. Chief cash
crops are cotton (textile yarn and fabrics produce more than one-half of export
earnings) and rice. Principal crops in 1998 (with output in metric tons)
included sugarcane, 53.1 million; wheat, 19 million; rice, 6.6 million; cotton
lint, 4.7 million; and corn, 1.3 million. The livestock population in 1998
included 18 million cattle, 21.2 million water buffalo, 32 million sheep, 49
million goats, and 124 million poultry.
Forestry and Fishing Forests cover 2.3 percent of Pakistan. Most of the
29.7 million cu m (1,049 million cu ft) of roundwood harvested in 1997 was used
as fuel.
Fishing resources, although underdeveloped, are extensive. In the 1996 the catch
was 555,489 metric tons, three-quarters of it obtained from the Indian Ocean.
Types of fish caught include sardines, sharks, and anchovies; shrimp are also an
important part of the industry.
Mining In the early 1990s the most important non-fuel minerals (with
annual production in metric tons) included gypsum (532,000), rock salt
(895,000), limestone (8.8 million), and silica sand (154,000). In 1997 coal
production was 3.74 million metric tons, crude petroleum production reached 21
million barrels, and production of natural gas was 19.8 billion cu m (699
billion cu ft).
Manufacturing
The manufacturing capacity of Pakistan is still small, but production has been steadily expanding. In 1996 manufacturing accounted for 17 percent of GDP. Important products include processed foods, cotton textiles, silk and rayon cloth, refined petroleum, cement, fertilizers, sugar, cigarettes, and chemicals. Many handicrafts, such as pottery and carpets, also are produced.
Energy
In 1997, 59 percent of Pakistan's electricity was produced in thermal
installations, and most of the rest was generated in hydroelectric facilities,
including the large Tarbela project on the Indus River. A nuclear power plant is
situated near Karāchi. Pakistan's total output of electricity in 1997 was 58
billion kilowatt-hours.
Currency and Banking
The basic monetary unit is the Pakistani rupee, consisting of 100 paisa (41.11 rupees equal U.S.$1; 1997 average). The State Bank of Pakistan, established in 1948, issues banknotes; manages currency and credit, the public debt, and exchange controls; and supervises the commercial banks. Pakistani banks were nationalized in 1974, but in the early 1990s the country transferred two banks to private ownership and issued licenses for ten new commercial banks. A number of major foreign banks maintain offices in the country. In conformity with Islamic doctrine, domestic banks in Pakistan have abandoned the payment and collection of interest. Investment partnerships between the bank and the customer have replaced loans at interest.
