Pakistan - Tourism and Travel

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is located in Southern Asia, on the Arabian Sea, in the Northwest Part of the Indian subcontinent.

It has an area of 310,403 square miles (803,940 square kilometers) and a population of 180 million.

The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad.

Northern Pakistan is mountainous. The Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges all meet here, in what are known as the Great Himalayas.

Mount Godwin Austen, also known as K2, the second highest mountain in the world, lies in the Karakoram Mountains, on the border between Pakistan and China.

The Karakoram range contains some of the largest glaciers outside the polar regions.

Siachen Glacier is 40 miles (72 kilometers) long.

The Karakoram Highway, which was completed in 1978, provides a route between China and Pakistan through the Karakoram Mountains.

Western Pakistan consists of mountain ranges and semi-desert plateaus.

The Indus River Basin dominates the eastern and southern parts of the country. The Indus River Basin is part of the Indus-Ganges Lowland. This is a huge depression filled with deposits of sediment that are believed to be more then three miles (five kilometers) deep and to have been piling up for 50 million years.

At the head of the Indus Basin is the Punjab region, where most of the people live. The majority work in agriculture. Sediment carried from the Himalayas through the Indus' five tributaries enrich the soil here.

The climate in Pakistan is variable, ranging from dry desert to arctic tundra on the tops of mountains.

Fifty six percent of the people of Pakistan are Punjabi. Other ethnic groups include Pathan, Sindhi, Mohajir and Baluchi.

The official language is Urdu. Other languages spoken are Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baluchi and Brahui.

Seventy seven percent of Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims. There are also Shi'a Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

Pakistan is one the world's major producers of cotton.

Important industries in Pakistan are textiles, clothing manufacture and food processing.

The main exports are fabrics and ready-made clothing.

Rice is also an important export.

Tourism is a blossoming industry.

There are six UNESCO world Heritage Sites in Pakistan. These are the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore; the Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta; Rhotas Fort; Taxila; the Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and the Neighboring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol; and the Archeological Ruins at Moenjodaro.

The capital city of Islamabad has many tourist attractions, including the Museum of National History, Shah Faisal Mosque, the National Art Gallery, the National Monument and the National Herbarium.

The area that is now Pakistan was once part of the Persian Empire.

Pakistan was formed in 1947, when British India was partitioned. The northwestern and northeastern sections of India became a new state for Indian Muslims. In 1971, Bengal, the eastern sector, seceded and became the independent country of Bangladesh, leaving the western sector as Pakistan.

Pakistan is an Islamic republic with a presidential system.