1995 Edition

Area

total area: 803,940 sq km land area: 778,720 sq km 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

current issues: water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

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

170,000 sq km (1992)

Land boundaries

total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km

Land use

arable land: 23% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 6% forest and woodland: 4% other: 67% (1993)

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India and Iran

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the 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

Age structure

0-14 years: 44% (female 28,033,354; male 29,777,818) 15-64 years: 52% (female 33,456,410; male 35,109,482) 65 years and over: 4% (female 2,556,846; male 2,608,010) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

41.8 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

12.07 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendents)

Infant mortality rate

99.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

36 million by occupation: agriculture 46%, mining and manufacturing 18%, services 17%, other 19% note: extensive export of labor

Languages

Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 7%, Balochi and other 9%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 57.86 years male: 57.18 years female: 58.56 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 35% male: 47% female: 21%

Nationality

noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani

Net migration rate

-16.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

131,541,920 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.28% (1995 est.)

Religions

Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Total fertility rate

6.35 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Constitution

10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985

Digraph

PK

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Maleeha LODHI chancery: 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6200

Executive branch

chief of state: President Sardar Farooq LEGHARI; election last held 13 November 1993 (next to be held no later than 14 October 1998); results - LEGHARI was elected by Parliament and the four provincial assemblies head of government: Prime Minister Benazir BHUTTO cabinet: Cabinet

FAX

[1] (202) 387-0484 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

[92] (51) 214222 consulate(s) general: Karachi, Lahore consulate(s): 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

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)

Member of

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMIL, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

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

National Assembly

elections last held 6 October 1993 (next to be held by October 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (217 total) PPP 92, PML/N 75, PML/J 6, IJM-Islamic Democratic Front 4, ANP 3, PKMAP 4, PIF 3, JWP 2, MDM 2, BNM/H 1, BNM/M 1, NDA 1, NPP 1, PKQP 1, Religious minorities 10 reserved seats, independents 9, results pending 2

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

Senate

elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (87 total) PPP 22, PML/N 17; Tribal Area Representatives (nonparty) 8, ANP 6, PML/J 5, JWP 5, MQM/A 5, JUI/F 2, PKMAP 2, JI 2, NPP 2, BNM/H 1, BNM/M 1, JUP/NI 1, JUP/NO 1, JAH 1, JUI/S 1, PML/F 1, PNP 1, independents 2, vacant 1

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal; separate electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador John C. MONJO embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, PSC 1212, Box 2000, Unit 6220, Islamabad; APO AE 09812-2000 telephone: [92] (51) 826161 through 826179

Agriculture

24% of GDP; world's largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops - cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; livestock products - milk, beef, mutton, eggs

Budget

revenues: $10.5 billion expenditures: $11.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY93/94)

Currency

1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa

Economic aid

recipient: $2.5 billion (FY91/92); $2.5 billion (FY92/93); $2.5 billion (FY93/94); no US commitments, includes bi- and multilateral aid

Electricity

capacity: 10,800,000 kW (1994) production: 52.4 billion kWh consumption per capita: 389 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1 - 30.860 (January 1995), 30.570 (1994), 28.107 (1993), 25.083 (1992), 23.801 (1991), 21.707 (1990)

Exports

$6.7 billion (1993) commodities: cotton, textiles, clothing, rice, leather, carpets partners: US, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, UK, UAE, France

External debt

$24 billion (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Illicit drugs

major illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international drug trade; remains world's third largest opium producer (160 metric tons in 1994); major center for processing Afghan heroin and key transit area for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western market

Imports

$9.5 billion (1993) commodities: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals partners: Japan, US, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Korea

Industrial production

growth rate 5.6% (FY93/94); accounts for 18% of GDP

Industries

textiles, food processing, beverages, construction materials, clothing, paper products, shrimp

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12% (FY93/94)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $248.5 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$1,930 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

4% (1994 est.)

Overview

The Pakistani economy has made progress in several key areas since Benazir BHUTTO became Prime Minister in October 1993. She has been under pressure from international donors and the IMF - which gave Pakistan a $1.3 billion structural adjustment credit in February 1994 - to continue the economic reforms and austerity measures begun by her predecessor, caretaker Prime Minister Moeen QURESHI (July-October 1993). Foreign exchange reserves climbed to more than $3 billion in 1994, and the budget deficit was substantially reduced. Real GDP growth was 4% in FY93/94, up from 2.3% in FY92/93. Foreign direct and portfolio investment also have increased. Privatization of large public sector utilities began in 1994 with the sale of 12% of the Pakistan Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA); the sale of state-owned banks and other large units are planned for 1995. Still, the government must cope with long-standing economic vulnerabilities - high levels of debt service and defense spending, a small tax base, a huge population, and dependence on cotton-based exports - which hamper its ability to create a stable economic environment. In addition, Pakistan's infrastructure is inadequate and deteriorating, low levels of literacy constrain industrial growth, and increasing sectarian, ethnic, and tribal violence disrupt production.

Unemployment rate

10% (FY90/91 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 8, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

NA telephones; about 7 telephones/1,000 persons; the domestic telephone system is poor, adequate only for government and business use; the system for international traffic is better local: NA intercity: microwave radio relay international: 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) earth stations; microwave radio relay

Television

broadcast stations: 29 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 119 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 12 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 33 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 14 with paved runways under 914 m: 24 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 7 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Highways

total: 177,410 km paved: 94,027 km unpaved: 83,383 km (1991 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 352,189 GRT/532,782 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 25, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 3

Pipelines

crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas 4,044 km (1987)

Ports

Gwadar, Karachi, Ormaro (under construction), Port Muhammad bin Qasim

Railroads

total: 8,773 km broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (286 km electrified; 1,037 double track) narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge; 610 km less than 1.000-m gauge (1985)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard, paramilitary/security forces

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.2 billion, 5.6% of GDP (FY94/95) ________________________________________________________________________ PALAU

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 30,219,551; males fit for military service 18,544,008; males reach military age (17) annually 1,429,719 (1995 est.)