Pakistan

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Pakistan at a glance Did you know? The suffix -stan, common to many countries in the region, means 'land of' in Persian. Pakistan means 'land of the pure'. Region South Asia Population 165,803,560 (July 2006 est.) Land Geography: Mountains in north and northwest, plateau in west, flat Indus plain central and in east. Climate: Mostly hot and dry in southeast; temperate in northwest; arctic in north People Religion: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu and other 3% Language: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official), Burushaski, and other 8% Economy GDP per person: $2,400 (2005 est.) GDP by sector: Agriculture 21.6%, Industry 25.1%, Services 53.3% Government Federal republic Land Physical geography Pakistan covers a total area of 796,095 square kilometres. The Great Highlands in the north are part of the Himalayan chain. The highest point K2, 8,611 metres, is the second highest mountain in the world. K2, stands for Karakoram because it is in the Karakoram range and 2 because it was the second peak listed. It is also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, Chogori or Dapsan. In the southwest, the Baluchistan Plateau made up of mountain ranges, desert and dry lakes. In the southeast, the terrain is largely barren desert. The Indus River flows south from the Himalayas to Karachi on the Arabian Sea, forming a vast, fertile and flood plain. Climate Pakistan has three seasons, cool (autumn-winter, October-February), hot (spring, March-June) and wet (summer, July-September). There are large regional climate variations. Snow falls in the mountains during winter and the east of the country receives monsoon rains. Rainfall ranges from 150-200 mm per annum in coastal areas to 475 mm on the plains to 1500 mm in the mountains. The winter to summer average temperatures range from -20°C to 0°C in the north while it ranges from 14C to 35°C in the south. Environment The natural vegetation in Pakistan's lowlands is mostly scattered grassland and stunted woodlands. Forest cover is only about 3% of the total land area. Cooking and heating relies on wood which has lead to deforestation and contributed to the severity of the flooding and erosion. Animal life includes bears, snow leopards, deer and jackals. Sharks, shellfish and sea turtles live in the coastal areas and the marsh crocodile lives in the Indus delta. People The majority of Pakistan's population of 165,803,560 (July 2006 est.) lives along the Indus River valley and along an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad (2.3 million), Lahore (5.9 million), the capital, Islamabad merged with Rawalpindi (3.9 million) and Karachi (10.8 million). With 34% living in urban areas population density varies from 230 people per sq km in Punjab to 13 in Balochistan. There are nearly one million Afghan refugees in scattered camps along the Afghani/Pakistani border. People Culture and identity Pakistan's culture, including dress, food and religion, is very diverse as the country has been invaded and occupied by many different groups. Different ethnic groups tend to live in the geographically distinct areas. The Muslim culture is evident in everyday life from the conservative dress and veiled women to the muezzin's call to prayer from the mosques five times a day. Western influences, especially amongst the affluent, cause tensions, especially with more conservative Muslim groups. The efforts to improve the profile of women with allocated places for women in parliament and business is being challenged. The national dress is the shalwar qamiz, a loose, trousers with a knee-length, long-sleeved, loose over-shirt, although western style clothing is common for upper classes. Music ranges from traditional devotional styles, such as Qawwali, to a modern mix of traditional with western music. The local film industry, known as Lollywood, produces over forty feature-length films a year. Pakistan is famous for its high standard items of glass, silver, wooden furniture, pottery and marble goods. Highly decorated buses are a new form of folk art. The most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket but hockey, football, squash, badminton, and wrestling also attract great interest. Health In 2006 the average life expectancy was 64 years and the infant mortality rate was 70 per 1,000 live births (84 in 2001). 91% of the population uses an improved drinking water source and 59% adequate sanitation facilities (2004). Public spending on health was 1.7% of GDP in 2003 and preventive health care has improved access to immunisation, family planning services and access to safe drinking water and sanitation although progress in poorer rural areas is limited. Religion and beliefs The Five Pillars of Islam consist of: Belief in the oneness of Allah and the prophethood of Mohammed; five daily prayers; the giving of alms to the needy; fasting during the month of Ramadan; and Haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. The main festivals are: Eid-al-Fitr, following Ramadan, Eid-al-Adha, celebrating the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to God and Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, celebrating Mohammad's birthday. On these occasions families and friends visit each other, share gifts and special meals. People dress in their best clothes, money is donated to the poor, and an animal is sacrificed by those who can afford it. Women generally have a much lower status than men, particularly in the lower class, which affects their opportunities for education and work. Christians and Hindus make up most of the remaining 3% of the population. The Hindu caste system and dowry payment have influenced the way Islam is practised in Pakistan. Food and shelter Pakistani food is a mix of northern Indian and Middle Eastern. Chicken, mutton or shrimps are cooked in hot and spicy curry sauces and accompanied by a wide choice of vegetables, rice and baked, flat breads (roti, chapattis, puri, halwa and nan) and followed by milky sweets. Paan, a mixture of tobacco paste, spices and betel nut spread on a betel leaf, is a common way of ending a meal and is believed to help digestion. The main drinks are: chai, or tea, which is usually boiled with milk, cardamom, nutmeg and sugar; lassi, a yogurt drink; and sugarcane juice. Food must be 'halal' or lawful according to Islam rules. Wealthy families and middle-class families live in single storey houses or large apartment buildings. Poorer people live with their extended families in two or three room houses. Cooking is on a wood or kerosene stove and there may be a tandoor oven, for baking breads. The common household furniture is charpoy a wooden-framed, string-laced bed. An estimated 40% of the urban population lives in slums. Economy Wealth and poverty There is a large gap between the urban rich and rural and slum dwelling poor with the richest 10% sharing nearly one third of the wealth while the poorest 10% shares only about 4%. Almost 32% of the population live below the poverty line. Limited government spending on social services and high population growth have contributed to a persistence of poverty and unequal income distribution. Education and work Primary education is free and compulsory but only about 77% of boys complete five years and 60% of girls complete two and a half years of schooling. Improvements in education focus on the total system, integrating the madrasas (Islamic schools), and developing technical, vocational and university education. The adult illiteracy rate is low and there is a big difference between men and women (61% and 37%). About half the population is employed in agriculture but seasonal work means there is high unemployment, 6%, and extensive underemployment. Many men work in the Middle East for periods up to five years to provide income for their families. Despite efforts to eradicate it, child labour still exists. Industries and products Pakistan is one of the world's largest producers of cotton. Other important crops include wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses, oil seeds, tobacco, fruit and vegetables. Industry, which contributes a quarter of Pakistan's GDP, is concentrated around Karachi-Hyderabad and Lahore. Food processing and clothing manufacture are major industries along with the production of cement, fertiliser, steel and chemicals. Trade Pakistan exports cotton cloth, yarn and clothing, rice, leather, sporting goods, and carpets and rugs worth about $14.85 billion to United States, 22.4%, United Arab Emirates 9%, United Kingdom 5.8% and Germany 5%. It imports petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, transportation equipment, edible oils, pulses, iron an steel, tea worth about $21.26 billion, China 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 10.3%, UAE 8.8%, Japan 6.1%, US 5%, Kuwait 5%, Germany 4.8% (2005). Achievements and challenges Pakistan suffers frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west, flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) and drought in the southeast. Extensive irrigation supports agricultural output but rising population, diminishing plot sizes and environmental problems mean that Pakistan is dependent on food imports to meet its food needs. Low production also limits the growth of agricultural processing industries. Pakistan has extensive energy resources, including natural gas, oil, coal, and large hydropower potential but shortage of investment capital limits development and Pakistan is reliant on oil imports. Although nearly 90% of urban dwellers have access to water, pollution causes environmental and health problems for nearly half the population. Improved political stability and structural reforms are improving the economic situation but there needs to be increased commitment to address health and education issues to make real progress particularly for women and the large population of children. The long-running conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir remains unresolved. Pakistan has hosted up to nearly 3 million Afghani refugees, some for as long as 30 years. Although many have returned home there are still nearly one million in the south-west. Links with Australia Pakistanis were present in Australia around the 1860s. While locally known as Afghans, many came from the southern region of Baluchistan, in what is now Pakistan. Recent Pakistani migrants are mainly educated, professional people from urban areas who speak English. They are predominantly Muslim, while some are Christians (mainly Catholics). In 2001 there were 11,920 Pakistan-born persons in Australia. Most lived in New South Wales (6,650) and Victoria (2,800). In late September 2001, in recognition of Pakistan's key role in the war on terrorism, Australia re-established bilateral defence relations suspended following Pakistan's May 1998 nuclear tests. In 2005-06 Australia exported animal oils and fats, coal, cotton, iron ore, fertilisers and oil seeds and worth $A317 million to Pakistan. It imported mainly textiles and clothing at a value of $A147 million. Commercial links between Australia and Pakistan include by BHP-Billiton's $US100 million investment in Pakistan's Zamzama gas field in the south east. Total Australian aid to Pakistan for 2006-07 was $17 million with the major program focus on providing greater access to quality education for 30,000 primary school girls in Baluchistan, improving agricultural productivity and emergency relief and rehabilitation after the earthquake in the north in October 2005.   Major sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/index.php http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/

Men on their way to clear debris after an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude shook Pakistani-administered Kashmir on October 2005. Over 70,000 people were killed, a further 70,000 injured and 2.3 million were made homeless. The delivery of humanitarian assistance was restricted by the mountainous area, cold weather and damaged or collapsed infrastructure. Sajid Ali (left) from Pakistan, wearing the national dress, shalwar-kameez, with Senator Robert Hill (right) after receiving a Commonwealth Youth Leadership Award. Sajid Ali is undertaking a Master of Education at Monash University.