Pakistan, officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is located in South Asia, spread at an area of 340,403 square miles with the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south. Influenced by many ancient civilizations and cultures like Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic, Persian, Indo-Greek and Islamic cultures, this sixth most populous country in the world is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. Repeated invasions and settlement by the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Mongols and later by the British Raj finally led to the creation of the state of Pakistan in 1947. In 1971, a civil war in East Pakistan led to the formation of Bangladesh.
The nuclear state is a member of several international prestigious organizations like United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, World Trade Organization, G33 developing countries, Group of 77 developing nations, major non-NATO ally of the United States. With the second largest Muslim population in the world, Pakistan is a semi-presidential federal democratic republic with Islam as the state religion. Yousaf Raza Gilani is Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Government is run by an alliance between the Pakistan Peoples Party, who won the majority of the votes the Pakistan Muslim League (N) followed by the resignation of President Musharraf resigned as President of Pakistan on 18 August 2008.
Landscape & Climatic Conditions
Pakistan's landscape covers coastal areas, the Indian tectonic plate, Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. This combination has bestowed the region with sandy beaches, lagoons, mangrove swamps including moist temperate forests. One can also view the icy peaks of the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains in the north.
Pakistan has around 108 peaks, which are above 7,000 metres high and all these peaks are covered in snow and glaciers. The Indus River with its many tributaries mark the inner waterscape of this beautiful country having a wide variety of wild animals and birds. Pakistan houses the Tharparkar desert, which is the only fertile desert in the world. The northern parts of Pakistan attract many tourists; in the west of the Indus are the hilly deserts of Balochistan and the Thar Desert in the east.
Pakistan has a mixed climate caused by the influence of the ocean. The north of Pakistan has cold winters and hot summers and the south has a mild climate. The central parts have extremely hot summers; temperatures rising up to 50.55 °C and very cold winters, sometimes falling below freezing. During the late summer, one can witness very little rainfall ranging from less than 250 millimetres to more than 1,250 millimetres that is brought by the south-westerly monsoon winds.
Culture
A rich and unique culture is the hallmark of Pakistan, which is attributed to the preservation of established traditions followed over the ages. Most of the cultural customs find their roots to the rule of Muslim Mughal and Afghan emperors. The multilingual Pakistani society has changed pace with globalization, thus making the country rank 46th in the world on the A.T. Kearney/FP Globalization Index.
Pakistani music has been a rage worldwide, especially its provincial folk music, Qawwali and Ghazal Gayaki including modern forms fusing traditional and western music. Most of the renowned singers of the world like late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, late Alam Lohar, amongst others hail from Pakistan.
Tourist Attractions
The diverse cultures, peoples and landscapes are a source of major tourist attraction. Whether it is the ruins of ancient civilization such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Taxila, or scenic views of hill stations, the country attracts many a foreign tourist. Major tourist attractions include the following:
108 mountain peaks, which are above 7,000 metres high
Old fortresses, towers and other architecture in various regions
The Hunza and Chitral valleys
The site of Alexander's battle on the Jhelum River
