Getting acquainted

Pakistan. For an average Indian, the immediate images that are conjured up in his or her mind are fairly predictable. But with over five decades after the painful divide of the subcontinent, the mental image is slowly showing signs of change. Softer, friendlier hues are making their appearances as the basic understanding of the land increases.

Pakistan. For an average Indian, the immediate images that are conjured up in his or her mind are fairly predictable. But with over five decades after the painful divide of the subcontinent, the mental image is slowly showing signs of change. Softer, friendlier hues are making their appearances as the basic understanding of the land increases. The familiar names are no longer just Mohnejo-Daro, Harappa, Taxila and Lahore but increasingly Quetta, Haripur, Loralei, Zhob.

A quick look at the what constitutes Pakistan, away from politics, the army, cricket, the tired cliches.

HT Image

Area: 803,940 sq km
Land boundaries: 6,774 km Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline: 1,046 km
Topography: Flat Indus plain in east, mountains in north and northwest, plateau in west merging into ranges in the northwest, desert in south west
Climate: Mostly hot, dry desert, temperate in northwest, arctic in north
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Provinces: Sind, Baluchistan, North West Frontier Province, Punjab

Population: 150,694,740 (2003 estimates)
Population growth rate: 2.01% (2003 estimates)
Birth rate: 29.6 births
Death rate: 8.7 deaths
Life expectancy: 62.2 years
Infant mortality rate: 76.53 deaths
Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun, Baloch
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, Burushaski, and other 8%

(Source: The World Factbook 2003)