Pakistan, "Land of the Pure", officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia that overlaps with the Greater Middle East. It has a thousand-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south and borders Afghanistan and Iran to the west, India to the east and the People's Republic of China in the far northeast.
Pakistan was established as a modern state in 1947, as one of the two parts of the partitioned British India, but the region has a long history of settlement and civilisation including the Indus Valley Civilisation. The region was invaded by Afghans, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, and was incorporated into British Raj in the nineteenth century. Since independence, Pakistan has experienced times of significant military and economic growth, and times of instability, with the loss of East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh).
Pakistan has an extensive ancient history that overlaps with the histories of Ancient India, Iran and Afghanistan. The region was a crossroads of historic trade routes, including the Silk Road, and was settled over thousands of years by many groups including Dravidians, Indo-Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Parthians Kushans, White Huns, Afghans, Turks, Mongols and Arabs.
Pakistan is divided into four provinces viz., North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. The tribal belt adjoining NWFP is managed by the Federal Government and is named FATA i.e., Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have their own respective political and administrative machinery, yet certain of their subjects are taken care of by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas.
Pakistan has an estimated population of 165,803,560, as of April 2006, which is the world's sixth largest population . Census data indicates that 96% of the population are Muslims of whom nearly 80% are Sunni Muslims and 19% are Shi'a Muslims. The remainder comprises of Christians and Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Ahmadis, and Animists (mainly the Kalash in Chitral). Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, but English is the official language used in the Constitution and widely used by corporate businesses, the educated urban elite and most universities. Punjabi is spoken by over 60 million people, but has no official recognition in the country. The population comprises several main ethnic groups, most of whom speak Indo-Iranian languages - Punjabis, Pakhtuns, Sindhis, Seraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis and others.
The different types of natural features in Pakistan range from the sandy beaches, lagoons, and mangrove swamps of the southern coast to preserved moist temperate forests and the icy peaks of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains in the north. There are an estimated 108 peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) high that are covered in snow and glaciers. Five of the mountains in Pakistan (including the majestic famous Karakoram Range peak of K2 the official declared National Mountain and Nanga Parbat) are over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft). Linking Indian-occupied Kashmir to the Northern Areas of Pakistan and running the length of the country is the Indus River with its many tributaries. To the west of the Indus are the dry, hilly deserts of Balochistan; to the east are the rolling sand dunes of the Thar Desert. Most areas of Punjab and parts of Sindh are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance. The climate varies as much as the scenery with cold winters and hot summers in the north and a mild climate in the south, moderated by the influence of the ocean. The central parts have extremely hot summers with temperatures rising to 45 ºC (113 ºF), followed by very cold winters, often falling below freezing.
Many cultural practices, foods, monuments, and shrines in Pakistan were inherited from the rule of Muslim Mughal and Afghan emperors. The rich variety of Pakistani music ranges from diverse provincial folk music and traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghaza Gayaki to modern forms fusing traditional and western music, such as the synchronisation of Qawwali and western music by the renowned Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Tourism is a growing industry in Pakistan, based on its diverse cultures, peoples and landscapes. Examples include ancient civilization ruins such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Taxila, to the Himalayan hill stations that attract those interested in field sports and winter sports. Pakistan is home to several mountain peaks over 7000m, which attracts adventurers and mountaineers from the around the world, especially to K2. The northern parts of Pakistan have many old fortresses, towers and other architecture as well as the Hunza and Chitral valleys, the latter being home to the small pre-Islamic animist Kalasha community who claim descent from the army of Alexander the Great. Punjab is the site of Alexander's battle on the Jhelum River and the historic city Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital with many examples of Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Masjid and the Shalimar Gardens.
Pakistan is growing up a bit slowly in telecommunication. Though a few multinational companies started operating there, calling Pakistan from other countries and through VOIP is not that cheap. Most services started their Pakistan phone card rate from 12 cents. Pakistan calling card is available in various pc2phone service websites based on Pakistan and other countries. Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from Pakistan.
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