PAKISTAN

Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved. A third war between these countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan seceding and becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. A dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998.

Pakistan

Geography

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:

total:  803,940 sq km land:  778,720 sq km water:  25,220 sq km

Area - comparative:

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:

contiguous zone:  24 NM continental shelf:  200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone:  200 NM territorial sea:  12 NM

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:  27% permanent crops:  1% permanent pastures:  6% forests and woodland:  5% other:  61% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

171,100 sq km (1993 est.)

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, 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, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note:

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

Pakistan

People

Population:

144,616,639 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years:  40.47% (male 30,131,400; female 28,391,891) 15-64 years:  55.42% (male 40,977,543; female 39,164,663) 65 years and over:  4.11% (male 2,918,872; female 3,032,270) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.11% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

31.21 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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:  0.96 male(s)/female total population:  1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:  61.45 years male:  60.61 years female:  62.32 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.41 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

74,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

6,500 (1999 est.)

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:  42.7% male:  55.3% female:  29% (1998)

Pakistan

Government

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 includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas

Independence:

14 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Constitution:

10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999

Legal system:

based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International organization participation:

AsDB, C (suspended), CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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

Pakistan

Economy

GDP:	purchasing power parity - $282 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture:  25.4% industry:  24.9% services:  49.7% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:

40% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%:  4.1% highest 10%:  27.7% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.2% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

40 million

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 44%, industry 17%, services 39% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6% (FY99/00 est.)

Budget:

revenues:  $8.9 billion expenditures:  $11.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)

Industries:

textiles, food processing, beverages, construction materials, clothing, paper products, shrimp

Industrial production growth rate:

3.8% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:

62.078 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel:  63.38% hydro:  36.51% nuclear:  0.11% other:  0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

57.732 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs

Exports:

$8.6 billion (f.o.b., FY99/00)

Exports - commodities:

textiles (garments, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice, other agricultural products

Exports - partners:

US 24%, Hong Kong 7%, UK 7%, Germany 6%, UAE 6% (FY99/00)

Imports:

$9.6 billion (f.o.b., FY99/00)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, petroleum, petroleum products, chemicals, transportation equipment, edible oils, grains, pulses, flour

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 8%, UAE 8%, US 6%, Japan 6%, Malaysia 4% (FY99/00)

Debt - external:

$38 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2 billion (FY99/00)

Currency:

Pakistani rupee (PKR)

Currency code:

PKR

Exchange rates:

Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 59.152 (January 2001), 52.814 (2000), 49.118 (1999), 44.943 (1998), 40.918 (1997), 35.909 (1996)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Pakistan

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.861 million (March 1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

158,000 (1998)

Telephone system:

general assessment:  the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population domestic:  microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks international:  satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998)

Radios:

13.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pk

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

30 (2000)

Internet users:

1.2 million (2000)

Pakistan

Transportation

Railways:

total:  8,163 km broad gauge:  7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified; 1,037 km double track) narrow gauge:  445 km 1.000-m gauge (1996 est.) (2000)

Highways:

total:  247,811 km paved:  141,252 km (including 339 km of expressways) unpaved:  106,559 km (1998)

Waterways:

none

Pipelines:

crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas 4,044 km (1987)

Ports and harbors:

Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim

Merchant marine:

total:  17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 240,605 GRT/367,040 DWT ships by type:  cargo 13, container 3, petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:

117 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total:  82 over 3,047 m:  12 2,438 to 3,047 m:  21 1,524 to 2,437 m:  32 914 to 1,523 m:  14 under 914 m:  3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total:  35 1,524 to 2,437 m:  7 914 to 1,523 m:  11 under 914 m:  17 (2000 est.)

Heliports:

8 (2000 est.)

Pakistan

Military

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard

Military manpower - military age:

17 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49:  35,770,928 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49:  21,897,366 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males:  1,657,723 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$2.435 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

3.9% (FY99/00)

Pakistan

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:

status of Kashmir with India; water-sharing problems with India over the Indus River (Wular Barrage)