Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area اسلام آباد-راولپنڈی میٹروپولیٹن علاقہ | |
|---|---|
 Skyline of Islamabad | |
 Interactive map of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area | |
| Coordinates:33°38′54″N73°03′59″E / 33.64835585418554°N 73.06637710972826°E /33.64835585418554; 73.06637710972826 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Region | Punjab[a] |
| Subdivisions | |
| Districts |
|
| Cities | |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,385.5 km2 (534.9 sq mi) |
| Rawalpindi: 479 km2 Islamabad: 906.5 km2 | |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,721,475 |
| • Density | 4,129.5/km2 (10,695/sq mi) |
| Rawalpindi Metropolitan: 3,357,612 Islamabad Metropolitan: 2,363,863[4] | |
| Time zone | Pakistan Standard Time |
TheIslamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area,[b] commonly referred to asIslamabad–Rawalpindi or theTwin Cities, is the fourth-largest metropolitan area ofPakistan, afterKarachi,Lahore, andFaisalabad. With a population of over 5.7 million, it is the third-most populous metropolitan area in thePunjab region, the largest innorthern Punjab, andfourth in the entire country. It consists of thetwin cities ofIslamabad andRawalpindi; administratively within theIslamabad Capital Territory and theprovince of Punjab.[5]
The area includes thePothohar Plateau in northern Punjab, with and the colonial-era city of Rawalpindi, as well as the modernplanned city of Islamabad.[6] The region received a major boom with the construction of Islamabad as the capital city of Pakistan in the 1960s.[7]
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are located in the Potohar Plateau in the north ofPunjab, against the backdrop of theMargalla Hills.[8]
Islamabad contributes 1% to the gross domestic product of the nation, despite comprising only 0.8% of the total population.[9]Islamabad Stock Exchange was founded in 1989 and is the third-ranked stock exchange in Pakistan after theKarachi Stock Exchange andLahore Stock Exchange.[10] The exchange had 118 members with 104corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The stock exchange averages a daily turnover of over a million shares.[11]
As of 2012[update], Islamabad LTU (Large Tax Unit) was responsible for Rs 371 billion in tax revenue, which amounts to 20% of all the revenue collected by Federal Board of Revenue.[12] Islamabad has seen an expansion ininformation and communications technology with the addition twoSoftware Technology Parks, which house numerous national and foreign technological and information technology companies. The tech parks are located in Evacuee Trust Complex and Awami Markaz. Awami Markaz houses 36IT companies while Evacuee Trust houses 29 companies.[13]
The economy of Rawalpindi and thesurrounding district has a diverseindustrial base, but remains mainly service based. According to the general survey of industry conducted by the Directorate of Industries and Mineral Development Punjab, there are 939 industrial units operating in the district. This district is not famous for industrial goods like other districts. The progress has been mostly in the private sector. The existing industrial units provide employment to about 35,000 people, i.e., about 1.6% of the district's population is directly employed in large, medium, and small industrial units. The Technical/Vocational Training Institute operating in the district turns out about 1,974 technicians/artisans annually, trained in engineering, air conditioning, drafting, metallurgy, welding, automated knitting, telecom and commerce, etc. Jinnah Road, formerly known as City Saddar Road, is one of the busiest business markets. It could be considered as the business headquarters of northern Pakistan; including retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. There are more than nine banks on the road, and more are expected to open soon. This shows how important Jinnah Road is to the country.[14] Being an expensive city, the prices of most fruits, vegetable, and poultry items increased in Islamabad during the years 2015–2020.[15]
The metropolitan area is connected by a network of highways to the rest of the country. Within the area, theIslamabad Highway andSrinagar Highway provide the primary link between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The area is divided by theGrand Trunk Road, which connects the region withLahore andPeshawar. The area is connected to the rest of the country via thefreeway network of Pakistan. TheM-1 freeway connects in the north to Peshawar, while theM-2 freeway connects it southwards toLahore, from where the network eventually connects it to the port city ofKarachi.[16]
The area is also connected to thePakistan Railways' national railway network. The area is served byIslamabad International Airport, which is one of the largest airports in Pakistan. It has a capacity of serving 9 million passengers per year,[17] which can be increased to up to 25 million if required.[18] TheCivil Aviation Authority has plans to acquire more land for the development of a third runway. It is one of the two airports in Pakistan capable of landing theAirbus A380 along with theNew Gwadar International Airport which is also capable of landing theAirbus A380
TheRawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 24 km (14.9 mi)bus rapid transit system that serves the twin cities ofRawalpindi and Islamabad within the larger metropolitan area. It uses dedicated bus lanes for all of its routes, covering 24 bus stations.
Thecapital of Pakistan is Islamabad, which serves as the seat of the federal government and is the countries political center. Pakistan'smilitaryheadquarters are located in Rawalpindi, which has been important historically.[19] Rawalpindi also temporarily served as the federal capital when Islamabad was being built in the 1960s, to replace Karachi as the capital.[20]
| Urban Area | Province | Population | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | Islamabad Capital Territory | 1,014,825[21] | Capital city |
| Golra Sharif | Islamabad Capital Territory | 143,000 | Town |
| Nilore | Islamabad Capital Territory | 132,000 | Town |
| Defence | Islamabad Capital Territory (part),Punjab (part) | - | Gated community |
| Rawalpindi | Punjab | 2,098,231[21] | Major city |
| Bahria Town | Punjab | 120,000[22] | Gated community |
| Wah Cantonment | Punjab | 350,000[23] | Garrison Town /Cantonment Board |
| Taxila | Punjab | 677,951[24] | Town |
| Gujar Khan | Punjab | 678,503[24] | Town |
| Murree | Punjab | 233,471[24] | Hill station |
| Kahuta | Punjab | 220,000[24] | Town |
Public transport in Rawalpindi-Islamabad | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rawalpindi |
| ||||
| Islamabad |
| ||||
