Geography

Physical geography

Pakistan covers a total area of 796,095 square kilometres. The Great Highlands in the north are part of the Himalayan chain. The highest point K2, 8,611 metres, is the second highest mountain in the world. ‘K’ stands for Karakoram because it is in the Karakoram Range and ‘2’ signifies that it was the second peak listed. It is also known as Mount Godwin Austen, Chogori or Dapsang. In the south-west, the Baluchistan Plateau is made up of mountain ranges, desert and dry lakes. In the south-east, the terrain is largely barren desert. The Indus River flows south from the Himalayas to Karachi on the Arabian Sea, forming a vast, fertile floodplain.

Climate

Pakistan has three seasons, cool (October–February), hot (March–June), and wet (July–September). There are large regional climate variations. Snow falls in the mountains during winter and the east of the country receives monsoon rains. Rainfall ranges from 150 to 200 millimetres per annum in coastal areas to 475 millimetres on the plains to 1,500 millimetres in the mountains. Average temperatures range from –20 °C to 0 °C in the north, while in the south they range from 14 °C to 35 °C.

Environment

The natural vegetation in Pakistan’s lowlands is mostly scattered grassland and stunted woodlands. Forest covers only 2.2% of the total land area. Cooking and heating relies on wood, which has led to deforestation and contributed to the severity of flooding and erosion.

Animal life includes bears, snow leopards, deer and jackals. Sharks, shellfish and sea-turtles live in the coastal areas and the marsh crocodile lives in the Indus delta.

Population

The majority of Pakistan’s population lives along the Indus River valley and along an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad, Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. More than half of the people live in urban areas.

There are also nearly one million Afghan refugees in scattered camps along the Afghani/Pakistani border.

People

Culture and identity

Pakistan’s culture is very diverse as throughout its history the country has been invaded and occupied by many different groups.

However, the Muslim culture is evident in everyday life from the conservative dress and veiled women to the muezzin’s call to prayer five times a day. Western influences, especially among the affluent, cause tensions, in particular within more conservative groups.

The national dress for both men and women is the salwar kameez. It consists of baggy trousers with a loose, knee-length, long-sleeved tunic and a scarf, although western-style clothing is common for the upper classes.

Music ranges from traditional devotional styles, such as qawali, to a modern mix of traditional and western music. The local film industry, known colloquially as Lollywood, produces over 40 feature-length films a year.

Pakistan is famous for its glass, silver, wooden furniture, pottery and marble goods. Highly decorated buses are a new form of folk art.

The most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket but hockey, football, squash, badminton and wrestling also attract great interest.

Pakistan has a number of cultural sites that are World Heritage listed. The archaeological ruins at Moenjodaro date back to the third millennium BCE and as well as being an important Buddhist learning centre, the city of Taxila experienced influences from Persia, Greece and Central Asia as it developed between the fifth century BCE and the second century CE.

Health

In 2009 the average life expectancy was 65 years and in 2010 the infant mortality rate was 70 per 1,000 live births. Most of the population uses an improved drinking water source.

Preventive healthcare has improved access to immunisation, family planning service, safe drinking water and sanitation, although progress in poorer rural areas is limited.

Religion and beliefs

The majority of the population is Muslim and there are a small number of Christians and Hindus. The Hindu caste system and dowry payment have had some influence on the way Islam is practised in Pakistan.

Food and shelter

Pakistani food is a mix of northern Indian and Middle Eastern. Chicken, mutton or shrimps are cooked in hot and spicy curry sauces and accompanied by a wide choice of vegetables, rice and baked flat breads (roti, chapattis, puri, halwa and nan). The main course may be followed by milky sweets. Paan, a mixture of tobacco paste, spices and betel nut spread on a betel leaf, is a common way of ending a meal and is believed to help digestion. The main drinks are chai, or tea, which is usually boiled with milk, cardamom, nutmeg and sugar; lassi, a yogurt drink, and sugarcane juice. Food must be halal or lawful according to Islam rules.

Wealthy and middle-class families live in single-storey houses or large apartment buildings. Poorer people live with their extended families in two- or three-room houses. Wood or kerosene stoves are commonly used for cooking and tandoor ovens are used for baking breads. The common household furniture is charpoy, a wooden-framed, string-laced bed.

Economy

Wealth and poverty

There is a large gap between the urban rich and rural and slum-dwelling poor with the richest 10% sharing nearly one-third of the wealth while the poorest 10% shares only 4%. Almost a quarter of the population live below the poverty line. Limited government spending on social services and high population growth have contributed to a persistence of poverty and unequal income distribution.

Education and work

Primary education is free and compulsory but only about 61% of children complete primary school. Improvements in education focus on the total system, integrating the madrasahs (Islamic schools), and developing technical, vocational and university education. Limited access to schooling in remote areas, inadequate infrastructure, and poor quality of teaching and teaching materials present great challenges for the education sector. The adult literacy rate is low and there is a big difference between the literacy levels of men (69%) and women (40%).

Almost 45% of the population is employed in agriculture but seasonal work means employment is not all year round. Many men work in the Middle East for periods of up to five years to provide income for their families. Despite efforts to eradicate it, child labour still exists.

Industries and products

Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers of cotton. Other important crops include wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses, oil seeds, tobacco, fruit and vegetables. Industry, which contributes a quarter of Pakistan’s GDP, is concentrated around Karachi-Hyderabad and Lahore. Food processing and clothing manufacture are major industries along with the production of cement, fertiliser, steel and chemicals.

Trade

Pakistan exports cotton cloth, linen, rice and petroleum and vegetable oils worth about US$21.4 billion to the USA (17%), the United Arab Emirates (9%) and Afghanistan (8%).

It imports petroleum and petroleum products and palm oil worth US$37.5 billion from the United Arab Emirates (14%), China (14%) and Saudi Arabia (10%).

Government

Pakistan has a federal system of government with a bicameral parliament made up of a lower house (the National Assembly) and an upper house (the Senate). At least 60 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly are reserved for female members and 10 for members from non-Muslim minorities.

In March 2011 the Pakistan Government ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Convention Against Torture; however freedom of expression, particularly for journalists, and protection for religious minorities remain issues for the country.

Achievements and challenges

Major floods in July 2010 have had a huge impact on all aspects of Pakistan’s development. Approximately 20 million people were directly affected, over two million hectares of crops were swept away and millions of livestock perished. The effect on Pakistan’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goals has been significant and Pakistan will struggle to meet the Goals by 2015.

Pakistan has hosted up to nearly three million Afghani refugees, some for as long as 30 years. Although many have returned home there are still nearly one million in the south-west.

The long-running conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir remains unresolved and there is ongoing conflict in the northern tribal areas.

Links with Australia

Pakistanis were present in Australia around the 1860s. While locally known as Afghans, many came from the southern region of Baluchistan, in what is now Pakistan. Recent Pakistani migrants are mainly educated, professional people from urban areas. The 2006 census recorded 16,990 Pakistan-born persons in Australia, an increase of 42.5% since 2001. Most lived in New South Wales (8,640) and Victoria (4,710).

In 2010–11 Australia exported vegetables, cotton and animal oils and fats worth AUD382 million to Pakistan. It imported mainly textiles and clothing and rice to a value of AUD175 million. In 2011–12 Australia will provide a total of AUD92.8 million to Pakistan. The major aid program focuses on providing greater access to quality education and healthcare. Australia also continues to provide assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction after the 2010 floods.