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
• controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and India

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Lahore	13,004,135
Karachi	11,624,219
Peshawar	4,758,762
Faisalabad	3,800,193
Rawalpindi	3,357,612
Gujranwala	2,511,118
Multan	2,169,915
Hyderabad	1,921,275
Quetta	1,565,546
Bannu	1,357,890

Size

• 310,401 square miles
• 803,940 square kilometers
• slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

History

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of modern-day Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The partition in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India created lasting tension between the two countries. They have fought two wars and a limited conflict -- in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999 respectively -- over the Kashmir territory, a dispute that continues to this day. A third war in 1971 -- in which India assisted an indigenous movement reacting to Bengali marginalization 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. Pakistan has been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict with militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant networks that target government institutions and civilians.

Climate

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

Terrain

divided into three major geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain in the center and east, and the Balochistan Plateau in the south and west

Languages

Punjabi 38.8%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 18.2%, Sindhi 14.6%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 12.2%, Urdu 7.1%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2.4%, Brahui 1.2%, other 2.4%major-language sample(s): دنیا کا قاموس، ایک لازمی زریہ بنیادی معلومات کا (Urdu)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: data represent population by mother tongue; English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries)

Religions

Islam (official) 96.5% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.5% (2020 est.)

Government

federal parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times)amendment process: proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universalnote: women and non-Muslims have joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats
• Legal System: common law system with Islamic law influence
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 10 March 2024)head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz SHARIF (since 3 March 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime ministerelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected for a 5-year term (limited to 2 consecutive terms) by the Electoral College, which consists of members of the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies; prime minister elected for a 5-year term by the National Assemblymost recent election date: 9 March 2024election results: 2024: Asif Ali ZARDARI elected president; National Assembly vote - Asif Ali ZARDARI (PPP) 411 votes, Mehmood Khan ACHAKZALI (PMAP) 181 votes; Shehbaz SHARIF elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - Shehbaz SHARIF (PML-N) 201, Omar AYUB (PTI) 922018: Arif ALVI elected president; Electoral College vote - Arif ALVI (PTI) 352, Fazl-ur-REHMAN (MMA) 184, Aitzaz AHSAN (PPP) 124; Imran KHAN elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - Imran KHAN (PTI) 176, Shehbaz SHARIF (PML-N) 96expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Pakistan (consists of the chief justice and 16 judges)judge selection and term of office: justices nominated by an 8-member parliamentary committee on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission, a 9-member body of judges and other judicial professionals, and appointed by the president; justices can serve until age 65subordinate courts: High Courts; Federal Shariat Court; provincial and district civil and criminal courts; specialized courts for issues, such as taxation, banking, and customs
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Majlis-E-Shoora)legislative structure: bicameralnote: in May 2018, the Parliament of Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed a constitutional amendment to merge the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the amendment reduces the Senate from 104 to 96 members - 4 in the 2024 election and 4 in the 2027 election

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• lower middle-income South Asian economy; extremely high debt; endemic corruption; regional disputes with India and Afghanistan hinder investment; falling inflation, IMF relief programs, and strong agricultural output slowly contributing to economic recovery
• Budget: revenues: $40.774 billion (2015 est.)expenditures: $49.558 billion (2015 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
• Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, bison milk, wheat, milk, rice, maize, potatoes, cotton, mangoes/guavas, chicken (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 46.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 39.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.9% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 6.5% (2022 est.)forest: 4.7% (2022 est.)other: 48.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, palm oil, plastics (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 25%, Qatar 11%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Indonesia 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: garments, fabric, refined petroleum, rice, cotton fabric (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 14%, UAE 10%, China 9%, Germany 7%, UK 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports