The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan.

Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 N, 70 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 796,095 sq km
country comparison to the world: 36
land: 770,875 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Natural resources:
land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 24.44%
permanent crops: 0.84%
other: 74.72% (2005)
Irrigated land:
198,700 sq km (2008)

Population:
187,342,721 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Age structure:
0-14 years:34.78%
15-64 years:60.73%
65 years and older: 4.49%
Median age:
total: 22.0 years
male: 21.5 years
female: 21.6 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.0% annual change (2017)
country comparison to the world: 75
Birth rate:
28.23 births/1,000 population (2016)
country comparison to the world: 62
Death rate:
7.283 deaths/1,000 population (2016)
country comparison to the world: 138
Net migration rate:
-1.110 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018)
country comparison to the world: 167

Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment. Between 2001-07, however, poverty levels decreased by 10%, as Islamabad steadily raised development spending. During 2004-07, GDP growth in the 5-8% range was spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors - despite severe electricity shortfalls - but growth slowed in 2008-09 and unemployment rose. Inflation remains the top concern among the public, climbing from 7.7% in 2007 to more than 13% in 2010. In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated since 2007 as a result of political and economic instability. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008 in response to a balance of payments crisis, but during 2009-10 its current account strengthened and foreign exchange reserves stabilized - largely because of lower oil prices and record remittances from workers abroad. Record floods in July-August 2010 lowered agricultural output and contributed to a jump in inflation, and reconstruction costs will strain the limited resources of the government. Textiles account for most of Pakistan's export earnings, but Pakistan's failure to expand a viable export base for other manufactures has left the country vulnerable to shifts in world demand. Other long term challenges include expanding investment in education, healthcare, and electricity production, and reducing dependence on foreign donors.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$464.9 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
$443.6 billion (2009 est.)
$429.2 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$174.9 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
3.4% (2009 est.)
1.6% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
$2,400 (2009 est.)
$2,400 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 21.8%
industry: 23.6%
services: 54.6% (2010 est.)

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,067,911 (2016)
country comparison to the world: 39
Telephones - mobile cellular:
55.4 million (2018)
country comparison to the world: 9
Telephone system:
general assessment: the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments in fixed-line and mobile-cellular networks; system consists of microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks;
domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, exceeding 100 million in 2009, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; approximately 90 percent of Pakistanis live within areas that have cell phone coverage and more than half of all Pakistanis have access to a cell phone; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; fixed line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting fixed-line service to rural areas
international: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2009)
Broadcast media:
media is government regulated; 1 dominant state-owned TV broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), operates a network consisting of 6 channels; private TV broadcasters are permitted and some foreign satellite channels are carried by cable TV operators; the state-owned radio network operates more than 40 stations; privately-owned radio stations mostly limit programming to music and talk shows (2007)
Internet country code:
.pk
Internet hosts:
330,466 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 57
Internet users:
20.431 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 20

Airports:
148 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 37
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 101
over 3,047 m: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 9 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 25 (2010)
Heliports:
20 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 10,514 km; oil 2,013 km; refined products 787 km (2010)
Railways:
total: 7,791 km
country comparison to the world: 27
broad gauge: 7,479 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 312 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)
Roadways:
total: 260,760 km
country comparison to the world: 20
paved: 180,910 km (includes 711 km of expressways)
unpaved: 79,850 km (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 10
country comparison to the world: 116
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 4, petroleum tanker 5
registered in other countries: 14 (Comoros 3, Georgia 1, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 5, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim