1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 803,940 km2 land area: 778,720 km2 comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of California
Climate
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Coastline
1,046 km
Environment
frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August); deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water logging
International disputes
status of Kashmir with India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand Line); water-sharing problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with upstream riparian India
Irrigated land
162,200 km2 (1989)
Land boundaries
total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Land use
arable land: 26% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 6% forest and woodland: 4% other: 64%
Location
South Asia, along the Arabian Sea, between India and Afghanistan
Map references
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Note
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
Terrain
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
People and Society
Birth rate
42.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
12.6 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendents)
Infant mortality rate
103.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
28.9 million by occupation: agriculture 54%, mining and manufacturing 13%, services 33%, extensive export of labor (1987 est.)
Languages
Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries, but official policies are promoting its gradual replacement by Urdu), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 7%, Balochi and other 9%
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 57.11 years male: 56.54 years female: 57.72 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 35% male: 47% female: 21%
Nationality
noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani
Net migration rate
-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
125,213,732 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
2.87% (1993 est.)
Religions
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Total fertility rate
6.5 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally, Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West, Frontier, Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas
Capital
Islamabad
Chief of State
President Ghulam ISHAQ KHAN (since 13 December 1988)
Constitution
10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments, 30 December 1985
Digraph
PK
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: (vacant) chancery: 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 939-6200 consulate general: New York
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Cabinet
FAX
[92] (51) 822004 consulates general: Karachi, Lahore consulate: Peshawar
Flag
green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
Head of Government
Prime Minister Mian Nawaz SHARIF (since 6 November 1990); note - President GHULAM ISHAQ Khan dismissed Prime Minister SHARIF on 18 April 1993, but he was reinstated by the Supreme Court on 26 May 1993
Independence
14 August 1947 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shari'at) Court
Legal system
based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora) consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or National Assembly
Member of
AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan
National Assembly
last held on 24 October 1990 (next to be held by October 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (217 total) number of seats by party NA; note - President GHULAM ISHAQ Khan dismissed the National Assembly on 18 April 1993; it was reestablished, however, on 26 May 1993 by the Supreme Court, which ruled the dismissal order unconstitutional
National holiday
Pakistan Day, 23 March (1956) (proclamation of the republic)
Other political or pressure groups
military remains important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential
Political parties and leaders
government: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mian Nawaz SHARIF; Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Mohammad Akbar Khan BUGTI; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Fazl-ur-REHMAN and Sami-ul-HAQ; Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul WALI KHAN; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Niazi, Maulana Abdul Sattar Khan NIAZI; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI opposition: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Benazir BHUTTO and Nusrat BHUTTO; Pakistan Muslim League-Chattha (PML-C), Hamid Nasir CHATTHA; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain AHMED; National People's Party (NPP), Ghulam Mustapha JATOI (formerly the PNP); Tehrik-i-Istiqlal (TI), Air Marshal (Ret.) Mohammad ASGHAR KHAN; Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Fiqah-i-Jafaria (TNFJ), Agha Hamid Ali MUSAVI; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani (JUP-Noorani), Maulana Shah Ahmed NOORANI; Mohajir Quami Mahaz-Haqiqi (MQM-H), Afaq AHMED
President
last held on 12 December 1988 (next to be held by NA November 1993); results - Ghulam ISHAQ KHAN was elected by Parliament and the four provincial assemblies
Senate
last held March 1991 (next to be held NA March 1994); seats - (87 total) PML 52, Tribal Area Representatives (nonparty) 8, PPP 5, ANP 5, JWP 4, MQM 3, PNP 2 (name later chaged to NPP), JI 2, JUP 2, JUI 2, PKMAP 1, independent 1
Suffrage
21 years of age; universal
Type
republic
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador John MONJO embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, PSC 1212, Box 2000, Islamabad or APO AE 09812-2000 telephone: [92] (51) 826161 through 79
Economy
Agriculture
25% of GNP, over 50% of labor force; world's largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops - cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; livestock products - milk, beef, mutton, eggs; self-sufficient in food grain
Budget
revenues $9.4 billion; expenditures $10.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY93 est.)
Currency
1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Economic aid
(including Bangladesh prior to 1972) US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $9.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.2 billion
Electricity
10,000,000 kW capacity; 43,000 million kWh produced, 350 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1 - 25.904 (January 1993), 25.083 (1992), 23.801 (1991), 21.707 (1990), 20.541 (1989), 18.003 (1988)
Exports
$6.8 billion (f.o.b., FY92) commodities: cotton, textiles, clothing, rice partners: EC 35%, US 11%, Japan 8% (FY91)
External debt
$16.5 billion (1992 est.)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international drug trade; government eradication efforts on poppy cultivation of limited success; largest producer of Southwest Asian heroin
Imports
$9.1 billion (f.o.b., FY92) commodities: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation, equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals partners: EC 29%, Japan 13%, US 12% (FY91)
Industrial production
growth rate 5.7% (FY91); accounts for almost 20% of GNP
Industries
textiles, food processing, beverages, construction materials, clothing, paper products, shrimp
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
12.7% (FY91)
National product
GNP - exchange rate conversion - $48.3 billion (FY92 est.)
National product per capita
$410 (FY92 est.)
National product real growth rate
6.4% (FY92 est.)
Overview
Pakistan is a poor Third World country faced with the usual problems of rapidly increasing population, sizable government deficits, and heavy dependence on foreign aid. In addition, the economy must support a large military establishment. A real economic growth rate averaging 5-6% in recent years has helped the country to cope with these problems. Almost all agriculture and small-scale industry is in private hands. In 1990, Pakistan embarked on a sweeping economic liberalization program to boost foreign and domestic private investment and lower foreign aid dependence. The SHARIF government denationalized several state-owned firms and attracted some foreign investment. Pakistan likely will have difficulty raising living standards because of its rapidly expanding population. At the current rate of growth, population would double in 25 years.
Unemployment rate
10% (FY91 est.)
Communications
Airports
total: 111 usable: 104 with permanent-surface runways: 75 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 31 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 42
Highways
101,315 km total (1987); 40,155 km paved, 23,000 km gravel, 29,000 km improved earth, and 9,160 km unimproved earth or sand tracks (1985)
Merchant marine
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 350,916 GRT/530,855 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 24 cargo, 1 oil tanker, 1 bulk
Pipelines
crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,044 km; petroleum products 885 km (1987)
Ports
Gwadar, Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Railroads
8,773 km total; 7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km 1-meter gauge, and 610 km less than 1-meter gauge; 1,037 km broad-gauge double track; 286 km electrified; all government owned (1985)
Telecommunications
the domestic telephone system is poor, adequate only for government and business use; about 7 telephones per 1,000 persons; the system for international traffic is better and employs both microwave radio relay and satellites; satellite ground stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; broadcast stations - 19 AM, 8 FM, 29 TV
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $3.2 billion, 6% of GNP (FY91/92)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 28,657,084; fit for military service 17,585,542; reach military age (17) annually 1,337,352 (1993 est.)