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Pakistan is a country in Asia. Pakistan is the 36th largest country in the world, with an area covering 307,374 square miles. For such a large country, it comes with a large population as more than 180 million people reside in Pakistan.
Pakistan's current president is Mamnoon Hussain, the current prime minister is Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Pakistan's capital is Islamabad. East Pakistan, which is now an independent country named Bangladesh, became independent from Pakistan in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War (March 1971 – December 16, 1971).
Formation
Pakistan separated from India and became an independent country on 14th August 1947. The main person behind this was Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He was initially supportive of the Hindu-Muslim unity in India, but soon demanded a separate country for Muslims. He is regarded as the 'father' of Pakistan.
This separation, termed as the 'partition' between the 2 nations, became quite violent, killing many.
Incidentally, Mahatma Gandhi was killed because a Hindu (Nathuram Vinayak Godse) did not like Gandhi's views on Hindu-Muslim unity.
Where is Pakistan?
Pakistan lies along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south, bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China in the far northeast.
The Durand Line, which is 1,640 miles long, forms the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was established in an agreement with Mortimer Durand, a British diplomat and civil servant of British India, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Afghan Amir, in 1893. The reason for this is to improve on trade and relationships. Even though the British controlled Afghanistan's foreign affairs and diplomatic relationships, the British saw Afghanistan as a sincere independent state.
How many people live in Pakistan?
Over 180 million people live in Pakistan, and as a result, Pakistan is in 6th place in the list of countries by population. Pakistan's population increased by 3,428,889 in 2013. Pakistan has a more male population (which the percentage for males is 51.24%)- specifically, men's population is 93,572,561. Women's (percentages of the total population in Pakistan is 48.50%)- specifically 88,570,033 women in Pakistan.
What are the most common languages in Pakistan?
The official languages of Pakistan are Urdu and English. There are regional languages, such as Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Kashmiri, Brahui, Shina, Balti, Khowar, Dhatki, Marwari, Wakhi and Burushaski.
The script of Urdu is right-to-left (like Arabic), but a Hindi-speaking person can easily converse with a Urdu-speaking person due to its similarities in spoken.
What is the most common religion in Pakistan?
Islam is the national state religion, and about 98% of Pakistani's are Muslims. Islam has two, major sects, Sunni and Shia. Shia is practiced by 20% of the Muslims, and the rest of the number are Sunni Muslims (so 70% percent are Sunni). Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism are the other 3% percent. There are several mosques (A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims). Some famous mosques of Pakistan are the Faisal Mosque, which is located in Islamabad, and Masjid-e-Tooba in Karachi, Pakistan.
Pakistan is not secular - it identifies itself as the 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan'. Even though the law allows for other religions, brutal killings are common. Also, blasphemy (the action or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things) is immediately treated with death in some way or the other.
What is the sport of Pakistan?
Field Hockey is the National Sport of Pakistan; it has won three gold medals in the Olympic Games held in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Pakistan has also won the Hockey World Cup a record four times, held in 1971, 1978, 1982, and 1994.
Cricket, as of now, is the most popular sport (usually, people in Pakistan start playing cricket from a young age). Pakistan has an official cricket team which plays in the Cricket World Cup. Pakistan won the Cricket World Cup in 1992 (in Melbourne, Australia). Under Imran Khan, Pakistan defeated England by 22 runs in the final.
Pakistan plays many other sports as well, such as field hockey, basketball, and baseball. Pakistan, as with cricket's WC, has won the Hockey World Cup before.
Until 2015 with the touring of Zimbabwe, no country had toured Pakistan since 2009. This is due to a terrorist attack that occurred when several members of Sri Lanka's cricket team were injured when 12 gunmen fired at the moving bus (carrying the team). Pakistan have had to play their 'home' matches in the UAE since then.
What are some important sights?
- Kalash Valley is a historical site in Chitral district of Pakistan, which attracts many tourists for it's history and appearance. Kalash is a very old Greek Civilization, and the people in Kalash Valley are named "The Kelash". This valley belongs to old cultures, with their religions and cultures. The people living here live in small villages, in which they built on hillsides. People here construct their villages with logs. The people here celebrate several festivals, such as the Uchal Festival, Phoo Festival and Chomos Festival.
- Shah Jahan Mosque is a mosque located in Thatta. Why visit here? This mosque is known for the attractive architecture, which was the architecture of the Mughals. The Mosque, by Shah Jahan's command (who has emperor of the Mughal), was built in 1647 AD. The mosque has been decorated with Turkish art work, which is the beautiful mosaic tiles and floorwork. This mosque is a must see because of the beautiful Mughal architecture, and for the Turkish mosaic tiles and floorwork.
- Mohenjodaro is the oldest civilization in the world, being built in 2600 BCE, and the site was discovered in 1922 by R. D. Banerji. "Mohenjodaro" means "mound of the dead". South of Larkana, Mohenjodaro is a popular place because of it's architecture and building designs. There are several big houses and streets. The ruined civilization showed how the ancient people here used to live like. Sadly tho, Mohenjodaro is in danger, due to the carelessness of the government, security issues, and drop of tourism in Pakistan (due to the Taliban and other dangers). A recent survey said that Mohenjodaro will crumble in the next 20 years because of it. Dr. Asma Ibrahim, a Pakistani archaeologist has stated that "There is no department with expertise, no decisions taken for the last two years. The way things are going, it will survive maybe only another 20 years".
- Lahore Fort, also known as Shahi Qila, is a fort located in Lahore (hence the name). Lahore Fort is one of the most popular attractions in Lahore. Lahore Fort resembles (almost) the same style of architecture of Agra Fort, in India. Thought the fort has gone through several revisions, the resemblance of the Mughals is still there. Lahore Fort has a mosque in it as well, known as Moti Masjid. It's near the Alamgiri Gate. Lahore Fort, specifically, is north of Lahore.
- Shalimar Gardens (or Shalamar Gardens) is a Garden located nearly 10 kilometers east from Lahore, this area is one of the most popular attractions in Lahore. The Shalimar Gardens was used as a Royal Pleasure by the Mughals from the 16th century to the 19th century. The Gardens here were strongly influenced by the ones in Kashmir. A canal is used to irrigate Shalimar Garden, which is the Shah Nahar Canal. The Shalimar Garden has five water cascades. Shalimar Gardens was built by the emperor of Mughals, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The Garden was built in 1641 AD, and in a year the gardens was finished. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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