Islamic countries

Islamic countries

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN
ISLAM-I JAMHURIYA-E PAKISTAN

General Information

Total Land Area:	796,096 km²
Land boundaries:	6,774 km
Coastline:	1,046 km
Capital:	Islamabad
Other Large Cities:	Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad
Official Language:	English, Urdu
National Currency Unit:	Pakistan Rupee (PKR)
National Day:	March 23

Location and Geography

Pakistan is situated at the crossroads of the Middle East and South Asia. It is bordered by Iran and Afghanistan in the West, China in the North-east, India in the East, and the Indian Ocean in the South. There are six major regions: the North High Mountainous Region, the West Low Mountainous Region, the Balochistan Plateau, the Potohar Uplands, the Punjab and the Sindh Plains. As the country is located on a great landmass in the North of the Tropic of Cancer, it has a continental type of climate characterised by extreme variations of temperature, both seasonally and daily. Very high altitudes moderate the climate in the snow-covered Northern mountains.

Demography

Population:	144.90 million (2002)
Crude Birth Rate:	33 per thousand people (2002)
Crude Death Rate:	8 per thousand people (2002)
Infant Mortality Rate:	76 per thousand (2002)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 63 years, Female: 65 years (2002)
Urban Population:	34.0 percent (2002)
Adult Literacy:	51.60 percent (2002)

Economy

Pakistan’s economy relies heavily on agriculture which employs half of the workforce and generates, directly or indirectly, more than half of the export revenues. The main agricultural products are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, milk, beef, and eggs. Husbandry provides both domestically consumed and exported goods such as meat and dairy products, wool for the carpet industry, and hides and skins for the leather industry. Pakistan is one of the major cotton exporters in Asia. Natural resources include land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited crude oil, coal, iron ore, copper, salt and limestone. Coal mining is one of the country’s oldest industries. Major manufacturing industries include textiles, food processing, cement, sugar, electrical appliances, fertilisers, sports equipment and tobacco.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	60864 million US$ (2002)
Per Capita GDP:	420 US$ (2002)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	23.0% Agriculture, 23.0% Industry, 54.0% Services, (2002)
Total Exports:	9886 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	11238 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Cotton, cotton textiles, rice, leather and carpets
Major Imports Items:	Beverages, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment
Major Trading Partners:	US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, China and Kuwait