customs, trends, culture & people of PAKISTAN

Population:

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Population:
176,242,949 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 33,739,547/female 31,868,065) 15-64 years: 58.6% (male 52,849,607/female 50,378,198) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 3,475,927/female 3,931,605) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.8 years male: 20.6 years female: 21 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.947% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Birth rate:
27.62 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 57

Death rate:
7.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 119

Net migration rate:
-0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Urbanization:
urban population: 36% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 65.14 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 32 male: 65.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 65.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.49 years country comparison to the world: 167 male: 63.4 years female: 65.64 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.6 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 128

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
96,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 47

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Nationality:
noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups:
Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Sariaki 8.38%, Muhagirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%

Religions:
Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shia 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%

Languages:
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; 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: 49.9% male: 63% female: 36% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years male: 7 years female: 6 years (2006)

Education expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 155

Location:

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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: 796,095 sq km country comparison to the world: 43 land: 770,875 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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: 24.44% permanent crops: 0.84% other: 74.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
182,300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:
233.8 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 169.39 cu km/yr (2%/2%/96%) per capita: 1,072 cu m/yr (2000)

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; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

Geography - note:
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

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www.only1google.blogspot.com

Background

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The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Mounting public dissatisfaction with President MUSHARRAF, coupled with the assassination of the prominent and popular political leader, Benazir BHUTTO, in late 2007, and MUSHARRAF's resignation in August 2008, led to the September presidential election of Asif ZARDARI, BHUTTO's widower. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control Islamist militants, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. The November 2008 Mumbai attacks again inflamed Indo-Pakistan relations. The Pakistani Government is also faced with a deteriorating economy as foreign exchange reserves decline, the currency depreciates, and the current account deficit widens.

History of My Pakistan

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The first known inhabitants of the modern-day Pakistan are believed to have been the Soanian - Homo erectus which setteled in the Soan Valley and Riwat almost 2 million years ago. Over the next several thousand years, the region would develop into various civilizations like Mehrgarh and the Indus Valley Civilization. Throughout it's history, the region has also been apart of various Greek, Persian, Islamic and British empires. The region's ancient history also includes some of the oldest empires from the Indian Subcontinent^[1] and some of its major civilizations.^[2]^[3]. Modern-day Pakistan began with independence from British India on August 14th, 1947.^[4]^[5] The political history of eventual birth of the country began in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which culminated in 90 years of direct rule by the British Crown and subsequently, spawned a successful freedom struggle led by the Indian National Congress and later by the All India Muslim League. The latter was founded in 1906 to protect Muslim interests and rose to popularity in the late 1930s amid fears of neglect and under-representation of Muslims in politics. On the December 29th, 1930, Muhammad Iqbal called for an autonomous state in "northwestern India for Indian Muslims".^[6] Muhammad Ali Jinnah espoused the Two Nation Theory and led the Muslim League to adopt the Lahore Resolution^[7] of 1940, demanding the formation of an independent Pakistan.

Pakistan became independent from British India as a Muslim-majority state with two wings - West Pakistan and East Pakistan. Independence resulted in communal riots across India and Pakistan while millions of Muslims were migrating to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs were migrating to India. Disputes arose over several princely states including Kashmir and Jammu whose ruler had illegally acceded to India following an invasion by Pashtun tribesmen from Pakistan. This led to the First Kashmir War in 1948 which ended in Pakistan administrating one-third of the state.

Pakistan declared itself a Islamic republic in 1956, but was stalled by the 1956 military coup d'etat by Ayub Khan, who ruled during a period of internal instability and a second war with India in 1965. Economic grievances and political dissent in East Pakistan led to violent political tensions and army repression, escalating into civil war^[8] followed by the third war with India. This ultimately led to the secession of East Pakistan and the brith of Bangladesh.^[9]

Civilian rule resumed from 1972 to 1977 under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, until he was deposed by General Zia-ul-Haq, who became the country's third military president. Pakistan's secular policies were replaced by the Islamic Shariah legal code, which increased religious influences on the civil service and the military. With the death of Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. Over the next decade, she alternated power with Nawaz Sharif, as the country's political and economic situation worsened. Military tensions in the Kargil conflict^[10] with India were followed by a 1999 coup d'état in which General Pervez Musharraf assumed executive powers.^[11]

In 2001, Musharraf named himself President after the resignation of Rafiq Tarar. In the 2002 Parliamentary Elections, Musharraf transferred executive powers to newly elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who was succeeded in the 2004 by Shaukat Aziz. On November 15th, 2007 the National Assembly completed its term and a caretaker government was appointed with the former Chairman of The Senate, Muhammad Mian Soomro as Prime Minister. Following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, resulted in a series of important political developments. Asif Ali Zardari was eventually elected as the new President.