Pakistan: Basic Facts

Official Name

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Father of the Nation

Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948)

National Poet

Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938)

Head of the State

Dr. Arif Alvi

Head of Government 

Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif

Capital

Islamabad

Area

Total  803, 940 Sq. km. 
Punjab  205,344   Sq. km. 
Sindh  140,914    Sq. km.
Khyber Pakhtonnkhwa   74,521   Sq. km. 
Balochistan  347,190 Sq. km. 
Federally Administered Tribal Areas  27,220   Sq. km. 
Islamabad (Capital)  906 Sq. km.

Population

170,064,500 ( 2010)

Administrative Setup

Pakistan is divided into four provinces viz., North West Frontier Province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. The tribal belt adjoining (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) is managed by the Federal Government and is named FATA i.e., Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have their own respective political and administrative machinery, yet certain of their subjects are taken care of by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. Provinces of Pakistan are further divided into Divisions and Districts
  Divisions Districts
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  7 24
Punjab  8   34
Sindh  5 21
Balochistan  6 22

While FATA consist of 13 Areas/Agencies and Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have 7 and 5 Districts respectively.

Religion

97% Muslims, (77 % Sunni, 20% Shi'a) Christian, Hindu 3%

Currency

Pak. Rupee.

Imports

Industrial equipment, chemicals, vehicles, steel, iron ore,  petroleum, edible oil, pulses, tea.

Exports

Cotton, textile goods, rice, leather items  carpets, sports goods, handi-crafts, fish and fish prep. and fruit

Languages

Urdu (National)   and English (Official)

Literacy rate

53%

Government 

Parliamentary form

Parliament

Parliament consists of two Houses i.e., the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House).    The Senate is a permanent legislative body and symbolises a process of continuity in the national affairs. It consists of 100 members. The four Provincial Assemblies, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Federal Capital form its electoral college.   The National Assembly has a total membership of 342 elected through adult suffrage (272 general seats, 60 women seats and 10 non-Muslim seats).

 

Pakistan National Flag

 

Dark green with a white vertical bar, a white crescent and a five-pointed star in the middle. The Flag symbolizes Pakistan's profound commitment to Islam, the Islamic world and the rights of religious minorities.

National Anthem

Approved in August, 1954 Verses Composed by: Abssul Asar Hafeez Jullundhri   Tune Composed by: Ahmed G. Chagla Duration: 80 seconds

State Emblem

 

The State Emblem consists of:  

  1. The crescent and star which are symbols of Islam  
  2. The shield in the centre shows four major crops  
  3. Wreath surrounding the shield represents cultural heritage and
  4. 4. Scroll contains Quaid's motto: Unity Faith, Discipline

Pakistan's Official Map

Drawn by Mian Mahmood Alam Suhrawardy (1920-1999)

National Flower

Jasmine.

National Tree

Deodar (Cedrus Deodara).

National Animal

Markhor.

National Bird

Chakor (Red-legged partridge)

Flora

Pine, Oak, Poplar, Deodar, Maple, Mulberry

Fauna

The Pheasant, Leopard, Deer, Ibex, Chinkara, Black buck, Neelgai, Markhor, Marco-Polo sheep, Green turtles, River & Sea fish, Crocodile, Waterfowls

Popular Games

Cricket, Hockey, Football, Squash, Boxing, Athletics, Swimming, Shooting, Golf

Tourist's Resorts

Murree, Quetta, Hunza, Ziarat, Swat, Kaghan, Chitral, Gilgit, Malam Jabba

Archaeological Sites

Moenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Diji, Mehr Garh, Takht Bhai, Juniper Shaft Cave, the Murghagull Gharra cave, Mughall saa cave

Major Cities

Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot

Major Crops

Cotton, Wheat, Rice and Sugarcane

Total cropped area

22.94 million hectares

Industry

Textiles, Cement, Fertiliser, Steel, Sugar, Electric Goods, Shipbuilding

Energy

Major sources Electricity ( Hydel, Thermal, Nuclear) Oil, Coal,  and Liquid Petroleum Gas  
Power Generating Capacity  19,389 MW

Health

Hospitals  916
Dispensaries  4,600
Basic Health Units (BHUs)  5,301
Maternity & Child Health Centres  906
Rural Health Centres (RHCs)  552
Tuberculosis (TB) Centres  289
Hospital Beds  99,908 
Doctors (registered)  113,206 
Dentists (registered)  6,127 
Nurses (registered  48,446
Paramedics  23,559
Lady Health Workers  6,741

Education

Primary Schools 155,000
Middle Schools 28,728 
High Schools 16,100
Secondary Vocational Institutions 636
Arts & Science Colleges 1,066
Professional Colleges 382
Universities 132

Transport & Communication

Total length of roads  259, 758 km 
Pakistan Railway network  7,791 km 
Locomotives 580
Railway stations  781 
Pakistan International Airlines Covers 38 international and 24 domestic stations with a fleet of 49 planes.
Major Airports  8 (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Gwadar)

Seaports

International  2 (Karachi and Bin Qasim) Gwadar deep sear port is under construction
Fish Harbors -Cum-Mini Ports  3 (Minora, Gawadar, and Keti Bandar)

Communications

Post Offices  12,170
Telephone connections  5,052,000
Public Call Offices  217,597
Telegraph offices  299
Internet Connections 2 million
Mobile Phones 10,542,641

Employment

Total Labour force  46.84 million
Employed Labour Force  43.22 million
Agriculture Sector  18.60 million
Manufacturing & Mining sector  5.96 million
Construction  2.52 million
Trade  6.39 million
Transport  2.48 million 
Others  6.98 million

Media          

Print Media (In accordance with Central Media List)
Dailies  540
Weeklies 444 
Fortnightlies 55
Monthlies 268

 

News Agencies
Official  APP
Private PPI, NNI, On Line and Sana.
TV Channels State Owned Pakistan Television Network (PTV) is a state owned television station which operates on both terrestrial & satellite. PTV offers six channels: 
  • PTV
  • PTV World
  • PTV National - Regional Languages Channel
  • PTV Bolan - Baluchi Language Channel
  • AJK TV - Azad & Jammu Kashmir TV

Educational

  • Virtual University is also state owned and operate two channels.
    • Virtual Television 1 (VTV 1)
    • Virtual Television 2 (VTV 2)

Private

  • Aaj TV
  • ARY Digital
  • ARY One World
  • ATV
  • Business Plus
  • Channel G - Music Channel
  • Dhoom TV
  • Filmazia - Pakistani Movies Channel
  • Fortune TV
  • Geo TV
  • Hum TV
  • Indus Music
  • Indus Plus/Indus News
  • Indus Vision
  • Labbaik TV
  • Mashriq TV
  • nVibe
  • TV One
  • QTV
  • Roshni TV
  • Rung TV
  • Sun Biz - Business Channel
  • TV 2 Day
  • The City Channel
  • The Musik
  • Uni Plus
  • Dawn TV
  • Dhoom TV
  • APNA
  • Vection TV
  • Busines Plus
  • Asian TV
  • Khyber TV
  • KTN
  • Sindh TV
  • CNBC
  • Royal
  • Vibe TV

Regional

  • KTN - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Sindh TV - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Kashish TV - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Apna Channel - Punjabi Language Channel
  • Ravi TV - Punjabi Language Channel
  • Punjab TV - Punjabi Language Channel
  • AVT Khyber - Pushto Language Channel

International

  • HBO - Part of ARY Digital Network
  • Fashion TV Pakistan
  • Al-Jazeera Urdu
  • CNBC Pakistan
  • Cartoon Network
  • STAR Plus
  • Ten Sports
  • B4U
  • B4U Movies
  • STAR Movies

  Pakistani radio channels Following are radio channels in Pakistan . Sindh

  • Radio Pakistan AM820 Karachi
  • Radio Pakistan AM1000 Hyderabad
  • Radio Pakistan AM1000 Larkana
  • Radio Pakistan AM920 Khairpur
  • City FM89 Karachi
  • RadioActive FM96 Karachi
  • FM100 Karachi
  • FM101 Karachi
  • FM101 Hyderabad
  • APNA Radio FM107 Karachi
  • HUM FM106 Karachi
  • HUM FM106 Sukkar
  • FM106.2
  • FM89

Punjab

  • Radio Pakistan AM630 Lahore
  • Radio Pakistan AM1080 Lahore
  • Radio Pakistan AM1260 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan AM792 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan FM92 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan AM1030 Multan
  • Radio Pakistan AM1320 Bahawalpur
  • Radio Pakistan AM1476 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • City FM89 Lahore
  • City FM89 Rawalpindi
  • City FM89 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • FM100 Lahore
  • FM101 Lahore
  • FM101 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • FM101 Sialkot
  • FM101 Sargodha
  • FM95 Mianwali
  • MAST FM103 Lahore
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Sialkot
  • AWAZ Radio FM105 Gujrat
  • AWAZ Radio FM106 Gujranwala
  • HUM FM106.2 Lahore

  Islamabad Capital Territory

  • Radio Pakistan AM585 Islamabad
  • City FM89 Islamabad
  • FM99 Power Radio Islamabad
  • FM100 Islamabad
  • FM101 Islamabad
  • HUM FM106.2 Islamabad

Northwest Frontier Province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

  • Radio Pakistan AM540 Peshawar
  • Radio Pakistan AM1400 Dera Ismail Khan
  • Radio Pakistan AM1600 Abbottabad
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Chitral
  • UPesh Radio FM107 Peshawar
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Peshawar
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Mardan
  • FM101 Peshawar
  • FM101 Bannu
  • FM101 Kohat

Balochistan

  • Radio Pakistan AM750 Quetta
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Sibi
  • Radio Pakistan AM560 Khuzdar
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Turbat
  • FM101 Quetta
  • FM101 Gwadar

Banks

Central Bank   State Bank of Pakistan    
Nationalized Scheduled Banks First Woman Bank Ltd.  
  National Bank of Pakistan  
Specialized Banks Zari Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Ltd  
Private Scheduled Banks Askari Commercial Bank Limited
  Bank Al-Falah Limited
  Bolan Bank Limited
  Faysal Bank Limited
  Bank Al-Habib Limited
  Metropolitan Bank Limited
  KASB Commercial Bank Limited
  Prime Commercial Bank Limited
  PICIC Commercial Bank Limited
  Soneri Bank Limited
  Union Bank Limited
  Meezan Bank Limited
  Saudi-Pak Commercial Bank Limited
  Crescent Commercial Bank Limited
  Dawood Bank Limited
  NDLC-IFIC Bank Limited (NIB)
  Allied Bank of Pakistan Limited
  United Bank Limited
  Habib Bank Limited
  SME Banks  
Foreign Banks ABN Amro Bank N.V
  Albaraka Islamic Bank BSC (EC)
  American Expresss Bank Limited
  Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi Limited
  Citibank N.A
  Deutsche Bank A.G.
  Habib Bank A.G. Zurich
  Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp Limited
  Oman International Bank S.O.A.G
  Rupali Bank Limited
  Standard Chartered Bank Limited  
Development Financial Institutions Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corp. Limited
  Pak Kuwait Investment Company (Pvt) Limited
  Pak Libya Holding Company (Pvt) Limited  
Investment Banks Crescent Investment Bank Limited
  First International Investment Bank Limited
  Atlas Investment Bank Limited
  Security Investment Bank Limited
  Fidelity Investment Bank Limited
  Prudential Investment Bank Limited
  Islamic Investment Bank Limited
  Asset Investment Bank Limited
  Al-Towfeek Investment Bank imited
  Jahangir Siddiqui Investment Bank Limited
  Franklin Investment Bank Limited
  Orix Investment Bank (Pak) Limited

Famous Mountain Peaks

Peak Height World Rating
K-2 (Chagori)  8616 m 2nd
Nanga Parbat 8125 m 8th
Gasherbrum-I 8068 m 11th
Broad Peak 8065 m 12th
Gasherbrum-II 8047 m 14th
Gasherbrum-III 7952 m 15th
Gasherbrum-IV 7925 m 16th
Disteghil Sar 7885 m 20th
Kunyang Kish 7852 m 22nd
Masherbrum (NE) 7821 m 24th
Rakaposhi 7788 m 27th
Batura I 7785 m 28th
Kanjut  Sar 7760 m 29th
Saltoro Kangri 7742 m 33rd
Trivor 7720 m 36th
Tirich Mir 7708 m 41st

Famous Mountain Passes

Location Province
The Khyber Pass  (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
The Kurram Pass  FATA 
The Tochi Pass  FATA 
The Gomal Pass (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 
The Bolan Pass  Balochistan 
The Lowari Pass  Chitral (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 
The Khunjrab Pass  Northern Areas 

 

 

Rivers

River Name  Length
The Indus 2,896 km
Jhelum 825 km
Chenab 1,242 km
Ravi 901 km
Sutlej 1,551 km
Beas (tributary of Sutlej) 398 km

Famous Glaciers

Glacier Name Length
Siachin 75 km
Batura 55 km
Baltoro 65 km

Deserts

Name Location/Province
Thar  Sindh 
Cholistan  Punjab 
Thal  Punjab

Lakes

Name Location/Province
Manchar Sindh
Keenjar Sindh
Hanna Balochistan
Saif-ul-Maluk (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Satpara Northern Areas
Kachura Northern Areas

 

 

Major Dams

Name  Location/Province
Mangla Dam  Punjab
Tarbela Dam  (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Warsak Dam  (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)