Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) 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.

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 N 70 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 803,940 km²
Land: 778,720 km²
Water: 25,220 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 6,774 km
Border countries: (4) Afghanistan 2,430 km; , China 523 km; , India 2,912 km; , Iran 909 km

Coastline: 1046 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
Extremes 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 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

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

Population: 165,803,560 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.09% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 32% (FY00/01 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Pakistani
Adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups: Punjabi Sindhi Pashtun (Pathan) Baloch Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants)

Languages: Punjabi 48% Sindhi 12% Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10% Pashtu 8% Urdu (official) 8% Balochi 3% Hindko 2% Brahui 1% English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries) Burushaski and other 8%

Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77% Shi'a 20%) Christian Hindu and other 3%

Age structure
0-14 years: 39% (male 33,293,428/female 31,434,314)
15-64 years: 56.9% (male 48,214,298/female 46,062,933)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,256,065/female 3,542,522) (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.8 years
Male: 19.7 years
Female: 20 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.09% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 29.74 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 8.23 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.59 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from raw sewage industrial wastes and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 70.45 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 70.84 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 70.04 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.39 years
Male: 62.4 years
Female: 64.44 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 74,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 4,900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location
Animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 48.7%
Male: 61.7%
Female: 35.2% (2004 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Conventional short form: Pakistan
Local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan
Local short form: Pakistan
Former: West Pakistan

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Islamabad
Geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E
Time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions
Note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas

Independence: 14 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic Day 23 March (1956)

Constitution: 12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977 restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999 restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003

Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Executive branch
Note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Pervez MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date; on 20 June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself as president and was sworn in, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years; on 1 January 2004, MUSHARRAF won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National Assembly, and four provincial assemblies
Chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Elections: the president is elected by Parliament for a five-year term; note - in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years (next to be held in 2006); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly (next to be held in 2006)
Election results: AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004 with 191 of the votes

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held in 2006)
Election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 47, PPPP 9, MMA 20, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, PML/F 1, PkMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP 3, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNP/H 1, independents 1; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H 1, PkMAP 1, independents 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court

Political parties and leaders
Note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

International organization participation: ARF AsDB C (reinstated 2004) CP ECO FAO G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU MIGA MINURSO MINUSTAH MONUC NAM OAS (observer) OIC ONUB OPCW PCA SAARC SACEP SCO (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNITAR UNMIL UNMIS UNOCI UNOMIG UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmud Ali DURRANI
In the us chancery: 3,517 International Court, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 243-6,500
In the us fax: [1] (202) 686-1544
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER
From the us embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62,200, APO AE 9,812-2,200
From the us telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000
From the us fax: [92] (51) 2,276,427
From the us consulates general: Karachi
From the us consulates: Lahore, Peshawar

Flag description: green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent star and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy overview: Pakistan an impoverished and underdeveloped country has suffered from decades of internal political disputes low levels of foreign investment and a costly ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However IMF-approved government policies bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets since 2001 have generated solid macroeconomic recovery the last four years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000 although progress on more politically sensitive reforms has slowed. For example in the budget for fiscal year 2006 Islamabad did not impose taxes on the agriculture or real estate sectors despite Pakistan's chronically low tax-to-GDP ratio. While long-term prospects remain uncertain given Pakistan's low level of development medium-term prospects for job creation and poverty reduction are the best in more than a decade. Islamabad has raised development spending from about 2% of GDP in the 1990s to 4% in 2003 a necessary step towards reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. GDP growth spurred by double-digit gains in industrial production over the past year has become less dependent on agriculture and remained above 7% in 2004 and 2005. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy jumping to more than 9% in 2005. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank announced that they would provide US $1 billion each in aid to help Pakistan rebuild areas hit by the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2005 supported by steady worker remittances. In the near term growth probably cannot be sustained at the 7% level; however massive international aid increased government spending lower taxes and pay increases for government workers will help Pakistan maintain strong GDP growth over the longer term.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $395.2 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.6% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,400 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21.6%
Industry: 25.1%
Services: 53.3% (2005 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton wheat rice sugarcane fruits vegetables; milk beef mutton eggs

Industries: textiles and apparel food processing pharmaceuticals construction materials paper products fertilizer shrimp

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2006 est.)

Labor force
Note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 42%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 38% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 6.6% plus substantial underemployment (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line: 32% (FY00/01 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 27.6% (FY96/97)

Distribution of family income gini index: 41 (FY98/99)

Budget
Revenues: $15.45 billion
Expenditures: $20.07 billion; including capital expenditures of $N/A (2005 est.)

Public debt: 53.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 9.1% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $45.52 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $-6.795 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $17 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: textiles (garments bed linen cotton cloth yarn) rice leather goods sports goods chemicals manufactures carpets and rugs
Partners: US 21% UAE 9% Afghanistan 7.7% China 5.3% UK 5.1% (2006)

Imports: $26.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: petroleum petroleum products machinery plastics transportation equipment edible oils paper and paperboard iron and steel tea
Partners: China 13.8% Saudi Arabia 10.5% UAE 9.7% US 6.5% Japan 5.7% Kuwait 4.7% Germany 4.1% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12.82 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $36.24 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $14.67 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $885 million (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 60.35 (2006) 59.515 (2005) 58.258 (2004) 57.752 (2003) 59.724 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 89.82 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 67.06 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 29.54 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 29.54 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 764.6 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 5.24 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 63.16 million (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: the telecom infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, approaching 50 million in late 2006, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas.
Domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks
International: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2006)

Internet
Country code: .pk
Hosts: 164,067 (2006)
Users: 12 million (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 3.2% (2006; 3% 2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors (2006)

Airports: 146 (2006)
With paved runways total: 92
With paved runways over 3047 m: 16
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 19
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 29
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 18
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 54
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 24 (2006)

Heliports: 18 (2006)

Pipelines: gas 10,257 km; oil 2001 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 8,163 km
Broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 258,340 km
Paved: 167,146 km (includes 711 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 91,194 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 14 ships (1000 GRT or over) 325,254 GRT/536,876 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 3
Registered in other countries: 12 (Comoros 2, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 1, Malta 2, Panama 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Karachi Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

Disputes international: various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin) India (Jammu and Kashmir) and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005 Pakistan with UN assistance repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 1,084,208 (Afghanistan)
Idps: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan), 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006) (2006)

Illicit drugs: opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 800 hectares in 2005 yielding a potential production of 4 metric tons of pure heroin; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force eradication - fines and arrests will take place if the ban on poppy cultivation is not observed; key transit point for Afghan drugs including heroin opium morphine and hashish bound for Western markets the Gulf States and Africa; financial crimes related to drug trafficking terrorism corruption and smuggling remain problems