Snapshot – Pakistan overview
28/12/05
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Area
total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km
Land boundaries
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline
1,046 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate
Mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in nor
Terrain
Flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Elevation extremes
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Natural resources
Land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use
Arable land: 27.87%
permanent crops: 0.87%
other: 71.26% (2001)
Irrigated land
180,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
Frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Environment - current issues
Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
Geography - note
Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
| Population: | 162,419,946 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 39.6% (male 33,104,311/female 31,244,297) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 46,759,333/female 44,685,828) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,189,122/female 3,437,055) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 19.58 years male: 19.44 years female: 19.74 years (2005 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.03% (2005 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 30.42 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.45 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 72.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 72.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 63 years male: 62.04 years female: 64.01 years (2005 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.14 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: |
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location animal contact disease: rabies (2004) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani |
| Ethnic groups: | Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants) |
| 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 (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8% |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.7% male: 61.7% female: 35.2% (2004 est.) |
| Telephones main lines in use: | 3,982,800 (2003) |
| Telephones mobile cellular: | 2,624,800 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks. international: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .pk |
| Internet hosts: | 15,124 (2003) |
| Internet users: | 1.5 million (2002) |
| Railways: |
total: 8,163 km broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified) narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) |
| Highways: |
total: 257,683 km paved: 152,033 km (including 339 km of expressways) unpaved: 105,650 km (2001) |
| Pipelines: | gas 9,945 km; oil 1,821 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 329,486 GRT/512,506 DWT by type: cargo 10, petroleum tanker 3 registered in other countries: 14 (2005) |
| Airports: | 131 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 92 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 39 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 15 (2004 est.) |
Source:
CIA. “Pakistan”. The World Fact Book. (2005), http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
For corrections or input, please contact
UNJLC at infoteam.pakistan@unjlc.org