2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

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 includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.6% (male 33,104,311/female 31,244,297) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 46,759,333/female 44,685,828) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,189,122/female 3,437,055) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs

Airports

131 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

92 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

39 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Area

land

778,720 sq km

total

803,940 sq km

water

25,220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of California

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 have 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 recent discussions and confidence-building measures may be a start toward lessened tensions. Geography Pakistan

Birth rate

30.42 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$16.51 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$13.45 billion

Capital

Islamabad

Climate

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Coastline

1,046 km

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form

Pakistan

former

West Pakistan

Currency (code)

Pakistani rupee (PKR)

Currency code

PKR

Current account balance

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

8.45 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$33.97 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Ryan CROCKER

consulate(s)

Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar

embassy

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

FAX

[92] (51) 2276427

mailing address

P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200

telephone

[92] (51) 2080-0000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jehangir KARAMAT

consulate(s)

Chicago, Houston

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)

FAX

[1] (202) 686-1534

telephone

[1] (202) 243-3277

Disputes - international

recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, 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; in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration and in general the two states still dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in 2004; Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan with UN assistance had repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and has undertaken a census to count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan maintains troops in remote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan and root out organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments

Distribution of family income - Gini index

41 (FY98/99)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.4 billion (FY01/02)

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 three years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, although progress on more politically sensitive reforms has slowed. For example, in the third and final year of its $1.3 billion IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, Islamabad has continued to require waivers for energy sector reforms. 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 nearly 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. Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2004, supported by robust export growth and steady worker remittances.

Electricity - consumption

52.66 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

75.27 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

68.8%

hydro

28.2%

nuclear

3%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

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

Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003), 59.724 (2002), 61.927 (2001), 53.648 (2000)

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

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)

election results

AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004 with 191 of the votes

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 NA 2007); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (next to be held NA 2007)

head of government

Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)

Exports

$15.07 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs

Exports - partners

US 23.5%, UAE 7.4%, UK 7.3%, Germany 5%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2004)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Pakistan

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 Pakistan

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

22.6%

industry

24.1%

services

53.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.1% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$347.3 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

30 00 N, 70 00 E

Geography - note

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent People Pakistan

Government type

federal republic

Heliports

15 (2004 est.) Military Pakistan

Highways

paved

152,033 km (including 339 km of expressways)

total

257,683 km

unpaved

105,650 km (2001)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

4,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

74,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97)

Illicit drugs

opium poppy in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, North-West Frontier Province, and Balochistan Province has rebounded since it was nearly eliminated in 2001; 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 This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$14.01 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea

Imports - partners

Saudi Arabia 11.6%, UAE 10%, US 9.7%, China 8.4%, Japan 6.5%, Kuwait 5.6% (2004)

Independence

14 August 1947 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

13.1% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

72.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

72.84 deaths/1,000 live births

total

72.44 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.8% (FY03/04 est.)

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, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.pk

Internet hosts

15,124 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

30 (2000)

Internet users

1.5 million (2002) Transportation Pakistan

Investment (gross fixed)

16.4% of GDP (FY03/04 est.)

Irrigated land

180,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

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

Labor force

45.43 million note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 42%, industry 20%, services 38% (2004 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km

total

6,774 km

Land use

arable land

27.87%

other

71.26% (2001)

permanent crops

0.87%

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%

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve four-year terms; and the National Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10 seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results

Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PML/Q 40, PPPP 11, MMA 21, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, NA 3, PML/F 1, PkMAP 2, ANP 2, PPP/S 2, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNM/H 1, independents 4; 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

elections

Senate - last held 24 and 27 February 2003 (next to be held by February 2007); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female

64.01 years (2005 est.)

male

62.04 years

total population

63 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

35.2% (2004 est.) Government Pakistan

male

61.7%

total population

48.7%

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies (2004)

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

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 39,028,014 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 29,428,747 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

1,969,055 (2005 est.)

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

19.74 years (2005 est.)

male

19.44 years

total

19.58 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 10, petroleum tanker 3

registered in other countries

14 (2005)

total

13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 329,486 GRT/512,506 DWT

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$3.848 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

4.9% (2004) Transnational Issues Pakistan

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18 (2001)

National holiday

Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Nationality

adjective

Pakistani

noun

Pakistani(s)

Natural gas - consumption

23.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

23.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

695.6 billion cu m (2004)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Net migration rate

-1.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

365,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

61,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

325.5 million bbl (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 9,945 km; oil 1,821 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Awami National Party or ANP [Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Movement/Hayee Group or BNM/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Akbar Khan BUGTI]; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Millat Party or MP [Farooq LEGHARI]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN]; Muttahida Quami Movement, Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD]; National People's Party or NPP [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI]; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Democratic Party or PDP [Mehbooba Mufti SAYEED]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA; Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan People's Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]; Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI] note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Political pressure groups and leaders

military remains most important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential

Population

162,419,946 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

32% (FY00/01 est.)

Population growth rate

2.03% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim

Public debt

71.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998)

Radios

13.5 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge

445 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

total

8,163 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan) (2004)

refugees (country of origin)

1,064,230 (Afghanistan)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$12.58 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

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

Telephone system

domestic

microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks

general assessment

the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population

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 (1999)

Telephones - main lines in use

3,982,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2,624,800 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

3.1 million (1997)

Terrain

flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west

Total fertility rate

4.14 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

8.3% plus substantial underemployment (2004 est.)