History of Pakistan

 Pakistan has a rich and diverse history shaped by some of the world’s earliest civilizations, ancient kingdoms, Islamic dynasties, the Mughal Empire, British Colonial rule and the Pakistan Movement. From the ancient cities of the Indus Valley Civilization to the cultural heritage of Gandhara and the events that led to independence in 1947, the history of Pakistan reflects centuries of cultural, religious and political change.

Ancient Civilizations of Pakistan

Islam reached the region that is now Pakistan in the early 8th century. In 711CE, Muhammad Bin Qasim led the Umayyad conquest of Sindh, establishing

kunhar river view, kaghan valley
History of Pakistan, kahu jo daro




 

Below is some of the useful basic travel information and the history of Pakistan.

Historically, the region has been ruled by several empires and Dynasties, including the Alexander, the Seleucid, the Guptas, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, Persians, Ghaznavids, the Ghurid Sultanate, Mughals, Afghans, the Maurya Empire of India, the Kushan Empire, Sikhs and, more recently, the British Empire.

Useful and basic travel information about Pakistan

Meaning of Pakistan

Derived from a pair of words i.e. Pak & istan.

Pak means that “Pure”, whereas the Persian suffix -istan means that “place or Land”.

Hence the “Land of the Pure”.

Neighboring Countries

  • Iran (959 km Border – South West),
  • China (438 km Border – North East),
  • India (3190 km Border – East) and
  • Afghanistan (2670 km Border – North West)

Terrain

Mainly divided into three main geographic areas:

  1. Northern Highlands,
  2. Indus River plain within the center and east,
  3. Baluchistan highland, with the south and west

Nationality

Pakistani

Religion

Islam – 96.4% Muslims

Government type

Federal Parliamentary Islamic Republic

Capital

Islamabad

A word derived from two words: “Islam,” referring to the Islamic religion, and “-abad,” the Persian appendix means “City,” 

hence the meaning “City of Islam”

Administrative Divisions

  • Federal Capital
  • Punjab Province
  • Balochistan Province
  • Sindh Province
  • KPK Province
  • Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Autonomous)
  • Gilgit Baltistan (Autonomous)

Geographic Location

It is located in the Northwest of the South Asian continent. Pakistan is in the summit of Central Asia and the Middle East, which gives it a major political status as it is placed in a region that is highly regarded for its political, economic and strategic location.

Climate

Very Tropical, Dry desert; Arctic North

Population

Around 233,500,636.  5th Most Populous in the World

Legal system

A common legal system influencing Islamic and Sharia Laws

Traditional Dress

Men: Qameez Shalwar

Women: Qameez Shalwar with Duppatta

Area

881,913 square Kilometers (340,509 square miles)

33rd-largest country, in terms of area

Languages

Urdu and other regional languages.

English is also widely spoken & understood everywhere.

Gateway of Pakistan

Karachi

Gateway of Invaders

Khyber Pass

Age structure

  • 0-14 years: 36.01%
  • 15-24 years: 19.3%
  • 25-54 years: 34.7%
  • 55-64 years: 5.55%
  • 65 years or more: 4.44%

Ancient Sites

  • Mohenjo-Daro 
  • Harappa
  • Taxila
  • Gandhara
  • Harappa
  • MeharGarh

Deserts

  • Thar desert (Sindh),
  • Kharan desert (Balochistan),
  • Katpana desert / Cold Desert (Sakardu),
  • Thal (Bhakkar district of Punjab) &
  • Cholistan (Bahawalpur, Punjab)

Highest Mountain

K-2 (8611 meters)

Coastline

1050 KM (650-Mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman

800 km in Balochistan, and, 250 km in Sindh

Beaches

Pakistan’s Main Beaches include

  • Somniani,
  • Hingol River,
  • Ormara,
  • Pasni, and
  • Gawadar in Balochistan,
  • Clifton and Hawks Bay in Sindh

Cliffs and Headlands Cliffs

Headlands are prominent in

  • Jiwani,
  • Pisukan,
  • Gawadar
  • Rasjaddi and
  • Ormara

MotorWays

World Standard High-Speed Motorways are available throughout Pakistan.

  • M1 – Peshawar to Islamabad – 155 Kms
  • M2 – Islamabad to Lahore – 334 Kms
  • M3 – Lahore to Abdul Hakeem – 230 Kms
  • M4 – Pindi Bhatian to Multan – 309 Kms
  • M5 – Multan to Sukkur – 392 Kms
  • M6 – Sukkur to Hyderabad – 296 Kms
  • M8 – Ratodero to Gawadar – 892 Kms
  • M9 – Hyderabad to Karachi – 136 Kms
  • M10 – Karachi Northern ByPass – 57 Kms
  • M11 – Sialkot to Lahore – 288 Kms
  • M14 – Hakla to Dera Ismail Khan – 280Kms
  • M15 – HasanAbdal to Thakot – 180 Kms
  • M16 – Swat Motorway –  160 Kms

Mountains

Five, including K2, of the world’s 14 highest peaks (eight thousand 26000 ft) are in Pakistan (four of them around Concordia

In addition, 108 peaks are over 7,000 meters high. Mounts over 5,000 and 4,000 m are not included.

Pakistan’s highest mountains are located in the Karakoram region (located within the Gilgit – Baltistan region), but some peaks of 7,000 feet or more are also found in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush.

Transport

The Transport system of Pakistan broadly consists of Roads, Railways and Air transport.

  • Air Transport
  1. Pakistan International Airlines,
  2. AirBlue and
  3. Serene Air
  • Railways
  1. Pakistan Railways
  • Road Transport
  1. Economical & Luxury Bus Services
  2. App-Based Services – Uber & Careem
  3. Bike Taxi – App-Based

Currency

Pakistani Rupee (Rs.)

Abbreviated as PKR & Symbol as Rs.

Available in Following Denominations:

  1. Rs. 1 (Coin)
  2. Rs. 2 (Coin)
  3. Rs. 5 (Coin)
  4. Rs. 10
  5. Rs. 20
  6. Rs. 50
  7. Rs. 100
  8. Rs. 500
  9. Rs. 1000
  10. Rs. 5000

Main Airports

  • Islamabad International Airport, Islamabad
  • Jinnah International Airport, Karachi
  • Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore,
  • Peshawar International Airport
  • Quetta Intenational Airport, Quetta
  • Gilgit Airport, Gilgit
  • Skardu Airport, Skardu
  • Gwadar Airport, Gwadar
  • Chitral Airport, Chitral

City of Flowers

Peshawar

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