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Pakistan
When did Pakistan gain independence from British rule?
Pakistan gainedindependence fromBritish rule on August 14, 1947.
What are the major ethnic groups in Pakistan?
The major ethnic groups in Pakistan include Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Balochs, Saraikis, and muhajirs.
What is the significance of the Indus River in Pakistan?
TheIndus River is crucial for Pakistan’s agriculture, providing fertile land in the Indus River plain, and is a vital water source for irrigation.
What was the impact of the partition of British India on Pakistan?
What was the outcome of the 1971 civil war in Pakistan?
The 1971 civil war resulted in East Pakistan becoming the independent country ofBangladesh.
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Pakistan, populous multiethniccountry ofSouth Asia. Having a predominately Indo-Iranian speaking population, Pakistan has historically and culturally been associated with its neighborsIran,Afghanistan, andIndia. Since Pakistan and India achieved independence fromBritish rule on August 14–15, 1947, celebrated asIndependence Day, Pakistan has been distinguished from its larger southeastern neighbor by its overwhelminglyMuslim population (as opposed to the predominance ofHindus in India). Pakistan has struggled throughout its existence to attain political stability and sustainedsocial development. Its capital isIslamabad, in the foothills of theHimalayas in the northern part of the country, and its largest city isKarachi, in the south on the coast of theArabian Sea.
Pakistan was brought into being at the time of thepartition of British India, in response to the demands of Islamic nationalists: asarticulated by the All IndiaMuslim League under the leadership ofMohammed Ali Jinnah, India’s Muslims would receive just representation only in their own country. From independence until 1971, Pakistan (bothde facto and in law) consisted of two regions—West Pakistan, in the Indus River basin in the northwestern portion of theIndian subcontinent, and East Pakistan, located more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the east in the vast delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system. In response to grave internal political problems that erupted in civil war in 1971, East Pakistan was proclaimed the independent country ofBangladesh.
- Head Of Government:
- Prime Minister:Shehbaz Sharif
- Capital:
- Islamabad
- Population:
- (2026 est.) 262,034,000
- Currency Exchange Rate:
- 1 USD equals 279.564 Pakistani rupee
- Head Of State:
- President:Asif Ali Zardari
- Form Of Government:
- federal republic with two legislative houses (Senate [100]; National Assembly [336])
- Official Languages:
- English; Urdu
- Official Religion:
- Islam
- Official Name:
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 796,096
- Total Area (Sq Mi):
- 307,374
- Monetary Unit:
- Pakistani rupee (PKR)
- Population Rank:
- (2026) 5
- Population Projection 2030:
- 242,564,000
- Density: Persons Per Sq Mi:
- (2026) 852.5
- Density: Persons Per Sq Km:
- (2026) 329.1
- Urban-Rural Population:
- Urban: (2020) 36.8%
- Rural: (2020) 63.2%
- Life Expectancy At Birth:
- Male: (2023) 68 years
- Female: (2023) 52.8 years
- Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000):
- (2024) 358,343
- Gni Per Capita (U.S.$):
- (2024) 1,430
- Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 10 And Over Literate:
- Male: (2023) 68%
- Female: (2023) 52.8%
Pakistanencompasses a richdiversity of landscapes, starting in the northwest, from the soaringPamirs and theKarakoram Range through a maze of mountain ranges, a complex of valleys, and inhospitable plateaus, down to the remarkably even surface of the fertileIndus River plain, which drains southward into the Arabian Sea. It contains a section of the ancientSilk Road and theKhyber Pass, the famous passageway that has brought outside influences into the otherwise isolated subcontinent. Lofty peaks such asK2 andNanga Parbat, in the Pakistani-administered region ofKashmir, present a challenging lure to mountain climbers. Along the Indus River, the artery of the country, the ancient site ofMohenjo-daro marks one of thecradles of civilization.
Yet, politically and culturally, Pakistan has struggled to define itself. Established as aparliamentary democracy that espousedsecular ideas, the country has experienced repeated military coups, and religion—that is to say,adherence to the values ofSunni Islam—has increasingly become a standard by which political leaders are measured. In addition, parts of northern Pakistan—particularly the areas ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa formerly designated asFederally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)—have become a haven for members of several militant Islamist groups, including theTaliban of neighboringAfghanistan since the 2001U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. In various parts of the country, instances of ethnic, religious, and social conflict have flared up from time to time, often rendering those areas virtually ungovernable by the central authorities, and acts of violence against religious minorities have increased.
At the time of partition in 1947, as many as 10 million Muslim refugees fled their homes in India and sought refuge in Pakistan—about 8 million in West Pakistan. An approximately equal number of Hindus and Sikhs were uprooted from their land and familiar surroundings in what became Pakistan, and they fled to India. Unlike the earlier migrations, which took centuries to unfold, thesechaotic population transfers took hardly one year. The resulting impact on the life of the subcontinent has reverberated ever since in the rivalries between the two countries, and each has continued to seek a lasting modus vivendi with the other. Pakistan and India have fought four wars, three of which (1948–49, 1965, and 1999) were over Kashmir. Since 1998 both countries have also possessed nuclear weapons, further heightening tensions between them.
Land
Pakistan is bounded byIran to the west,Afghanistan to the northwest and north,China to the northeast, andIndia to the east and southeast. The coast of theArabian Sea forms its southern border.
Since 1947 the Kashmir region, along the western Himalayas, has been disputed, with Pakistan, India, and China each controlling sections of the territory. Part of the Pakistani-administered territorycomprises the so-calledAzad Kashmir (“Free Kashmir”) region—which Pakistan nonetheless considers an independent state, with its capital at Muzaffarabad. The remainder of Pakistani-administered Kashmir consists ofGilgit and Baltistan, known collectively after 2009 as Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly the Northern Areas).
Relief and drainage
Pakistan is situated at the western end of the greatIndo-Gangetic Plain. Of the total area of the country, about three-fifths consists of rough mountainous terrain and plateaus, and the remaining two-fifthsconstitutes a wide expanse of level plain. The land can be divided into five major regions: the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges and their subranges; theHindu Kush and western mountains; theBalochistan plateau; the submontane plateau (Potwar Plateau,Salt Range, trans-Indus plain, andSialkot area); and the Indus River plain. Within each major division there are further subdivisions, including a number of desert areas.