Nearly
twice the size of California, Pakistan is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China, India,
and the Arabian Sea. Islamabad, Pakistan's youngest and
most modern city is the capital, and Karachi is
the country's largest
city.
The area we call Pakistan today was known as part of the Indus Valley from around 2500 to 1700 B.C. Several groups invaded the area and ruled for thousands of years, including the Aryans, Turks, Arabs, and Greeks. By 1857, the British had gained control. In the years that followed, Muslim and Hindu groups fought for more power. In 1947, in response to Muslims' support of the British in the second World War, Britain agreed to the establishment of Pakistan as a territory separate from India. This division led to the largest migration in history, as over 17 million people crossed borders to avoid the religious turmoil that would follow. Pakistan and India continue to disagree over the ownership of nearby Kashmir.
In October 1999, the military seized control of the government. In June 2001, military leader Pervez Musharraf declared himself president. He resigned the presidency in 2008.
An estimated 165.8 million people live in Pakistan. Urdu is the official language, and English is the language spoken in government, higher education, military, and business relations. A large number of the population speaks Punjabi.
About 97 percent of the population follows the Muslim religion. Other religions practiced are Christianity and Hinduism.
The basic monetary unit is the Pakistan rupee.
Web Sites
Catalog
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Databases
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