Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is situated in South Asia. Its neighbours are India in the East, Afghanistan and Iran to the West, and the People's Republic of China to the North -East, and the Arabian Sea to the South. It is the sixth most populous country in the World and is divided into four principal provinces Punjab, Sind, Balochistan and the North-East Frontier Province.

Pakistan was a part of the Indian Territory and during the division of India in 1947 it was created. Pakistan is an ancient city which has withstood many invasions from the western parts. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. Pakistan has a Muslim dominated population with 95% of it population following Islam. Some of its major cities are Islamabad. Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Multan, Fiaslabad, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi and Quetta.

Pakistan is the seat of the earliest civilizations of the world, the Mohenjodaro and the Harrapa civilizations. The ancient Gandhara civilizations were also based here. The ruins of these ancient civilizations are still present and the ancient Moghul architecture is still maintained and has great historical importance. Pakistan has been declared a nuclear state and is a vibrant developing country that is making rapid progress. It is an Islamic country and Islam is its main religion.

There are many places of visit in Pakistan. There are many architecturally significant places built by the Mughals. The majestic looking buildings and tombs and other historical places make for great tourism. Badshai Masjid, built in the 17th century by Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor in Lahore is a standing testimony of the great Mughal architecture. When Pakistan was born on 14th August, 1947, it had a wing in East Bengal, known as East Pakistan. However, East Pakistan separated from it in 1970 and came to be known as Bangladesh.

There were fierce riots at the time of separation of Pakistan from India. India became a Hindu majority state and Pakistan became a Muslim majority state. People were supposed to cross over to their respective countries and this let to fierce communal riots in both the countries. Pakistan has strained relations with its neighbour India, but due to continuous efforts of leaders from both the sides, the relationship is gradually improving. Pakistan has a close political, economic and military relationship with china.

The climate and scenery of Pakistan keeps varying. The long sea beach influences the climate and there is a varied scenic beauty all over Pakistan. There is the Thar Desert, the snow capped Himalayas which have the second highest mountain range, K2 and the long coastline. The central part of Pakistan has very hot summers and very cold winters; there is extreme type of climate. The rainfall is not much in Pakistan and is unpredictable. Hence to ease the water situation many dams and water wells have been drilled. In northern Pakistan the Hunza valley is a scenic valley which attracts hordes of tourists.