The Guinness Encyclopedia

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ The Guinness Encyclopedia / The Guinness Encyclopedia - Wayzata Technology (3221-1B) (Disc 2) (1995).iso / countrie / 16in_cou.ntr / card_37193.xml < prev next >

Wrap

Extensible Markup Language | 1995-06-13 | 8KB | 19 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>37193</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>5472</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>31</id> <text>PAKISTANOfficial name: Islami Jamhuria-e-Pakistan (Islamic Republic of Pakistan)Member of: UN, CommonwealthArea: 796095 km2 (307374 sq mi), excluding Pakistani-held areas of Kashmir (known as Azad Kashmir) and the disputed Northern Areas (Gilgit, Baltistan and Diamir) ΓÇô these Pakistani-occupied territories comprise 83716 km2 (33323 sq mi)Population: 127960000 (1993 est; excluding Pakistani-held areas of Kashmir (known as Azad Kashmir) and the disputed Northern Areas (Gilgit, Baltistan and Diamir) ΓÇô these Pakistani- occupied territories had an estimated population of 3330000 in 1990Capital: Islamabad 266000 (including suburbs; 1991 est)Other major cities: Karachi 8070000 (including suburbs; 1995 est), Lahore 3850000, Faisalabad 1435000, Rawalpindi 1100000, Hyderabad 1041000, Multan 999000, Gujranwala 912000 (all including suburbs; 1991 est)Languages: Urdu (national; 20%), Punjabi (60%), Sindhi (12%), English, Pushto, BaluchiReligions: Sunni Islam (official; 92%), Shia Islam (5%), with Ismaili Muslim, Ahmadi and Christian minorities.GOVERNMENTThe 87-member Senate (the upper house) comprises 19 senators elected for six years by each of the four provinces, plus 8 senators elected from the federally administered Tribal Areas and 3 senators chosen to represent the federal capital. The 237-member National Assembly comprises 207 members elected by universal adult suffrage for five years, 20 seats reserved for women and 10 members representing non-Islamic minorities. The President ΓÇô who is chosen by the Federal Legislature ΓÇô appoints a Prime Minister who commands a majority in the National Assembly. The PM, in turn, appoints a Cabinet of Ministers, responsible to the Assembly. The four provinces, Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas have their own legislatures.GEOGRAPHYThe Indus Valley divides Pakistan into a highland region in the west and a lowland region in the east. In Baluchistan ΓÇô in the south ΓÇô the highlands consist of ridges of hills and low mountains running northeast to southwest. In the north ΓÇô in the North-West Frontier Province and the disputed territories ΓÇô the mountain chains rise to over 7000 m (21300 ft) and include the Karakoram, parts of the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush. K2 (Mount Godwin Austen), at 8607 m (28238 ft) the second highest peak in the world, is in the disputed territories. The Indus Valley ΓÇô and the valleys of its tributaries ΓÇô form a major agricultural region and contain the majority of PakistanΓÇÖs population. A continuation of the Indian Thar Desert occupies the east. Principal rivers: Indus 2880 km (1790 mi), Sutlej 1450 km (900 mi). Climate: The north and west of Pakistan are arid; the south and much of the east experience a form of the tropical monsoon. Temperatures vary dramatically by season and with altitude, from the hot tropical coast to the cold mountains of the far north.ECONOMYMore than one half of the labor force is involved in subsistence farming, with wheat and rice as the main crops. Cotton is the main foreign-currency earner. The government is encouraging irrigation schemes, but over one half of the cultivated land is subject to either waterlogging or salinity. Although there is a wide range of mineral reserves ΓÇô including coal, gold and copper ΓÇô these resources have not been extensively developed. Manufacturing is dominated by food processing, textiles and consumer goods. Unemployment and underemployment are major problems, and the country relies heavily upon foreign aid and money sent back by Pakistanis working abroad. Currency: Pakistan rupee.HISTORYThe Indus Valley was the seat of the ancient Harappan civilization (2300ΓÇô1700 bc; see p. 384), but by 1500 bc the Ganges Basin had become the driving force in the subcontinent. The area was ruled by a succession of kingdoms and empires before the colonial age, and from the 8th century Pakistan was converted to Islam. From the 18th century the region came under British rule.Pakistan as a nation was born in August 1947 when British India was partitioned as a result of demands by the Muslim League for an Islamic state in which Hindus would not be in a majority. Large numbers of Muslims moved to the new state and up to one million people died in the bloodshed that accompanied partition. Pakistan had two ΓÇÿwingsΓÇÖ ΓÇô West Pakistan (the present country) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) ΓÇô separated by 1600 km (1000 mi) of Indian territory. A number of areas were disputed with India. Kashmir ΓÇô the principal bone of contention ΓÇô was effectively partitioned between the two nations, and in 1947ΓÇô49 and 1965 tension over Kashmir led to war between India and Pakistan. The problem of Kashmir is unsolved with fighting continuing intermittently along parts of the ceasefire line.The Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876ΓÇô1949) was the first Governor General, but Jinnah, who was regarded as ΓÇÿfather of the nationΓÇÖ, died soon after independence. Pakistan ΓÇô which became a republic in 1956 ΓÇô suffered political instability and periods of military rule, including the administrations of General Muhammad Ayub Khan (from 1958 to 1969) and General Muhammad Yahya Khan (from 1969 to 1971). Although East Pakistan contained the majority of the population, from the beginning West Pakistan held political and military dominance. In elections in 1970, Shaikh Mujibur RahmanΓÇÖs Awami League won an overwhelming majority in East Pakistan, while the Pakistan PeopleΓÇÖs Party (PPP) won most of the seats in West Pakistan. Mujibur Rahman seemed less interested in leading a new Pakistani government than in winning autonomy for the East. In 1971, after abortive negotiations, the Pakistani army was sent from the West to East Pakistan, which promptly declared its independence as Bangladesh. Civil war broke out and India supported the new state, forcing the Pakistani army to surrender by the end of the year.The leader of the PPP, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (PM 1972ΓÇô77), was deposed in a military coup led by the Army Chief of Staff, Muhammad Zia al-Haq. Bhutto was imprisoned (1977) for allegedly ordering the murder of the father of a former political opponent, sentenced to death (1978) and, despite international protests, hanged (1979). In 1985 Zia lifted martial law and began to return Pakistan to civilian life. Zia was killed in a plane crash (1988). Following elections in 1988, BhuttoΓÇÖs daughter and the PPPΓÇÖs new leader, Benazir, became the first woman Prime Minister of an Islamic state. Since then ΓÇô although both Benazir Bhutto and and her successor were dismissed by the President ΓÇô constitutional rule has been in force. Benazir Bhutto returned to power in 1993.</text> </content> <name>Pakistan</name> <script></script> </card>