Travel warning is issued for traveling to Pakistan. For more information please visit U.S. Department of State
Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Pakistan
- Time Zone: GMT/UTC +5
- Electricity: 230V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellullar phone etc.)
- Currency: Pakistani Rupee (Rs)
- Country Dialing Code: 92
Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List by
- Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro
- Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol
- Taxila
- Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore
- Historical Monuments of Thatta
- Rohtas Fort
Pakistan
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Capital
Islamabad
Population
162,419,946 (July 2005 est.)
Regions
4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh
note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consist of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas
Climate
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Ethnic groups
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants)
Religions
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
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%
Government type
federal republic
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.
Visitor's Impressions
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