Location: Southern Asia, along the Arabian Sea, between India
and Afghanistan
Map references: Asia, Standard Time
Zones of the World
Area:
total area
803,940 sq km
land area 778,720 sq km
comparative
area slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: total 6,774 km, 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 the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone 200 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
International disputes: status of Kashmir with
India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand Line); water-sharing
problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with upstream riparian India
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
Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas
reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt,
limestone
Land use:
arable land 26%
permanent crops 0%
meadows and pastures 6%
forest and woodland 4%
other 64%
Irrigated land: 162,200 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues water pollution from untreated sewage,
industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; water scarcity; a majority
of the population does not have access to safe drinking water;
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards
frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west;
flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
international agreements party to - Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation
Note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan
Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian
Subcontinent
Population:
128,855,965 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.86% (1994 est.)
Birth rate: 42.22 births/1,000
population (1994 est.)
Death rate: 12.38 deaths/1,000
population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.21
migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality
rate: 101.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life
expectancy at birth:
total population 57.41 years
male 56.79 years
female 58.06 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.43 children born/woman (1994
est.)
Nationality:
noun Pakistani(s)
adjective Pakistani
Ethnic divisions: Punjabi,
Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and
their descendents)
Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%,
Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages:
Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and
most government ministries), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu
7%, Balochi and other 9%
Literacy: age 15 and over
can read and write (1990 est.)
total population 35%
male 47%
female 21%
Labor force:
28.9 million
by occupation agriculture 54%, mining and
manufacturing 13%, services 33%, extensive export of labor (1987 est.)
Names:
conventional long form Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form Pakistan
former West
Pakistan
Digraph: PK
Type: republic
Capital: Islamabad
Administrative
divisions: 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**;
Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital
Territory**, North-West Frontier, 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:
Pakistan Day, 23 March (1946) (proclamation of the republic)
Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977 restored
with amendments, 30 December 1985
Legal system: based
on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's stature
as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal;
separate electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims
Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Flag: 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
Overview: Pakistan is a poor Third World country faced with the
usual problems of rapidly increasing population, sizable government
deficits, and heavy dependence on foreign aid. In addition, the economy
must support a large military establishment. Rapid economic growth,
averaging 5%-6% over the past decade has helped Pakistan cope with these
problems. However, growth slumped to 3% in FY93 because of severe
flooding, which damaged the key export crop, cotton. Almost all
agriculture and small-scale industry is in private hands. In 1990,
Pakistan embarked on a sweeping economic liberalization program to boost
foreign and domestic private investment and lower foreign aid
dependence. The SHARIF government denationalized several state-owned
firms and attracted some foreign investment. Pakistan likely will have
difficulty raising living standards because of its rapidly expanding
population. At the current rate of growth, population would double in 25
years.
National product: GNP - purchasing power
equivalent - $239 billion (1993 est.)
National product
real growth rate: 3% (FY93 est.)
National product per
capita: $1,900 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer
prices): 12.7% (FY91)
Unemployment rate: 10%
(FY91 est.)
Budget:
revenues $9.4 billion
expenditures $10.9 billion, including capital expenditures
of $3.1 billion (1993 est.)
Exports: $6.8 billion
(f.o.b., FY92)
commodities cotton, textiles, clothing,
rice, leather, carpets
partners US, Japan, Hong Kong,
Germany, UK
Imports: $9.1 billion (f.o.b., FY92)
commodities petroleum, petroleum products, machinery,
transportation equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals
partners Japan, US, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia
External debt: $24 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial
production: growth rate 7.3% (FY92); accounts for 23% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity 10,000,000 kW
production 43 billion kWh
consumption per capita
350 kWh (1992)
Industries: textiles, food processing,
beverages, construction materials, clothing, paper products, shrimp
Agriculture: 22% of GDP, over 50% of labor force; world's
largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops - cotton, wheat, rice,
sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; livestock products - milk, beef, mutton,
eggs; self-sufficient in food grain
Economic aid:
recipient US commitments, including
Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF
bilateral commitments (1980-89), $91 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $2.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.2 billion
note including Bangladesh prior to 1972
Currency: 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Railroads: 8,773 km total;
7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km 1-meter gauge, and 610 km less than 1-meter
gauge; 1,037 km broad-gauge double track; 286 km electrified; all
government owned (1985)
Highways:
total
110,677 km
paved 58,677 km
unpaved gravel
23,000 km; improved earth 29,000 km (1988)
Pipelines:
crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas 4,044 km (1987)
Ports: Gwadar, Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
352,189 GRT/532,782 DWT, bulk 1, cargo 25, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo
3
Airports:
total 110
usable 104
with permanent-surface runways 75
with runways over 3,659 m 1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
30
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 43
Telecommunications: the domestic telephone system is poor,
adequate only for government and business use; about 7 telephones per
1,000 persons; the system for international traffic is better and
employs both microwave radio relay and satellites; satellite ground
stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT;
broadcast stations - 19 AM, 8 FM, 29 TV
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil
Armed Forces, National Guard, paramilitary/security forces
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 29,548,746; fit for
military service 18,134,013; reach military age (17) annually 1,391,258
(1994 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate
conversion - $3.0 billion, 5.7% of GNP (FY93/94)
