Name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan

Capital:
Islamabad

Independence:
14 August 1947 (from UK)

Background:
The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved. A third war between these countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan seceding and becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. A dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998.

Constitution:
10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored on 31 December 2002
note: selected provisions of the Constitution pertaining to changes President MUSHARRAF made while the Constitution was suspended, remain contested by political opponents

International Organization Participation:
AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), C (suspended), CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic Representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir QAZI
chancery: 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0484
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York, and Sunnyvale (California)
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6205

Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL
embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200
telephone: [92] (51) 2080-0000
FAX: [92] (51) 2276427
consulate(s): Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar

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

Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

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

Environmental International Agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban

Population:
150,694,740 (July 2003 est.)

Age Structure:
0-14 years: 39.3% (male 30,463,958; female 28,726,776)
15-64 years: 56.5% (male 43,571,093; female 41,651,872)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 3,051,674; female 3,229,367) (2003 est.)

Median Age:
total: 19.8 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20 years (2002)

Population Growth Rate:
2.01% (2003 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate:
total: 76.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 76.95 deaths/1,000 live births

Life Expectancy at Birth:
total population: 62.2 years
male: 61.3 years
female: 63.14 years (2003 est.)

Total Fertility Rate:
4.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

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%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 45.7%
male: 59.8%
female: 30.6% (2003 est.)

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $295.3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP Rate:
4.4% (FY01/02 est.)

GDP per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,000 (FY01/02 est.)

Inflation Rate:
3.9% (2002 est.)

Labor Force:
40.4 million
note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2000)

Industries:
textiles, and apparel, food processing, beverages, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Exports:
$9.8 billion f.o.b. (FY02/03 est.)

Export Partners:
US 24.5%, UAE 8.5%, UK 7.2%, Germany 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.8% (2002)

Imports:
$11.1 billion f.o.b. (FY02/03 est.)

Import Partners:
UAE 11.7%, Saudi Arabia 11.7%, Kuwait 6.7%, US 6.4%, China 6.2%, Japan 6%, Malaysia 4.5%, Germany 4.4% (2002)

Debt:
$32.3 billion (2002 est.)