The State of Pakistan borders on Iran, India, Afghanistan and is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean. The climate in this area is continental tropical (with a transition to subtropical in the northwest). In fact, there are three seasons in Pakistan, which abruptly replace each other: cold winter (October-March), hot dry summer (April-June) and rainy autumn (July-September). But despite the sometimes unpredictable weather, many tourists love to travel to Pakistan.
General information
This land was once the cradle of ancient civilizations, and its culture has long remained a secret for Europeans with seven seals.
Today, ancient cities full of oriental flavor, like Sindh, Thatta, Rohri, Karachi and, of course, Hyderabad, are open to tourists, but no less attractive and mysterious. The architecture strikes with an amazing mixture of styles and eras, historical monuments and legendaryIslamic shrines are found literally at every step. In Lahore - a densely populated city of the state (in general, the population of Pakistan is quite high) - tourists are expected by real oriental bazaars, where you definitely need to bargain, firstly, so as not to offend the seller, because this is a tradition, and secondly, because prices are deliberately overpriced in several times.
Pakistan has a lot to offer tourists, but in this article we would like to dwell on the soul of any country - its inhabitants.
Population of the country
Before you go to another country, be sure to familiarize yourself with the customs and norms of behavior of the local population, otherwise you will not avoid awkward, and even very unpleasant situations. This is especially true for states where Islam is recognized as the official religion: the Muslim mentality is so strikingly different from the Christian one that without prior preparation, immersion in the culture of Pakistan can be dangerous.
Besides, locals are the very essence of any country, not understanding them or trying not to pay attention is the same as never leaving the threshold of your own home.
Key demographics
Pakistan's population counter for November 2011 showed - 177 million 781 thousand people, the state is among the ten most populous countries in the world. With an area of 796,096 km² (plus the occupied Indian territories of Kashmir and the Northern Territories - 13,000 km² and 72,500 km²), this number of inhabitants makes Pakistan also one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
Today, the demography of Pakistan has an average population growth rate (according to these indicators, Pakistan is in 75th place among the countries of the world - 1, 573%). On average, there are 3.17 newborns per adult woman (55th place in the ranking of countries in the world). There are 24.81 newborns (63rd place) and 6.92 deaths (138th) per 1000 inhabitants of Pakistan. So the prospect of extinction looming over European countries due to low birth rates in the Middle East in the coming decades is completely irrelevant.
Gender and age structure of society
Pakistan's population is quite high, besides, it is mostly young. The group of residents aged 15 to 64 accounts for 60.4%, the second largest group is children under 15 years old (35.4%), the third smallest category is over 65 years old (4.2%).
There are 1070 men for every 1000 women in Pakistan. Moreover, according to statistics, 1050 boys are born among newborns per 1000 girls, 1060 under the age of 15, 1090 in the category of 15-64 years, but after 65 years only 920 men remain per 1000 women. Thus, the mortality rate among young women is higher than that of men, but the life expectancy of men is 3 years lower than that of women, so the rates for the old group vary.
Life expectancy for Pakistanis is quite short at 64.18 and 67.9 years for men and women, respectively, placing Pakistan at 167th in the world rankings.
Ethnic structure
Ethnic (and at the same timereligious and linguistic) the map of Pakistan is very colorful.
The ratio of national groups looks like this:
- Punjabis 44.7%;
- Pashtuns 15.4%;
- Sindhi 14, 1%;
- Saryaki 8, 4%;
- Muhajirs 7, 6%;
- Baluchi 3, 6%;
- others (Rajputs, Brahuis, Hindustanis) 6.3%.
The state language is Urdu, but to this day English coexists with it (a relic of the colonial past), which is used at the official level: in education and the administrative sphere.
In ethnic regions, Punjabi is spoken (this is the spoken language for 48% of the population), Pashto (8%), Sindhi (12%), Baluchi and Bragui. The religious picture is no less diverse, with Punjabis in Pakistan practicing Islam, although the same ethnic group in India is mostly Hindu and Sikh.
Pakistan has a low literacy rate. This level among the population over the age of 15 is almost half the mark (49.9%), but, which is typical for predominantly Islamic countries, many more men (63%) can read and write than women (36%). Although these figures, in comparison with similar data 50 years ago, indicate progressive trends in the field of public education. But the situation remains very deplorable, and in terms of government spending on education (2.9% of GDP), Pakistan is in 153rd place.
Population displacement
The geographical location of Pakistan is such that from ancient times to this dayindividual ethnic groups, nationalities and tribes are constantly moving across its territory. So, about 4 thousand years ago, hordes of Aryans, carriers of a more highly developed social system and culture, religion and language, came from the northwest to Hindustan, who subjugated the local population. And thousands of years later, Muslims moved in the same direction, asserting the dominance of Islam in all the conquered lands.
The 20th century is characterized by a different picture: the people of Pakistan tend to leave the country in search of a better life. Tier 2, 7 external migrants per 1000 settled population is a rather alarming indicator (167th place among all countries in the world).
Urbanization characteristic of the whole world does not bypass the population of Pakistan: in 2010, the urban population accounted for 36% of the total, and the rate of internal migration reached 3.1% and continues to grow. For the urban population, the opportunities to find a job, get an education and use he althcare services are an order of magnitude higher than for the rural population; this attracts to the big cities not only residents of nearby agricultural areas, but also Muhajir refugees from the Indian border. In 1951, refugees already accounted for 40% of the urban population, but the Pakistani authorities are not yet able to effectively solve this problem.
Administrative unit
The official name of the state is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The form of government is mixed, power is shared by the president and the prime minister.
Territorial division is quite complicated: 4 provinces, 2(capital and tribal) federal territories, in addition to 2 more territories of Kashmir, which administratively belong to the Republic of Pakistan. The provinces are divided into 131 districts. Federal tribal territory - into 7 departments and 6 border regions.
Pakistan's largest cities by population
In the first place - Karachi (population 13,125,000 people), until 1959 it was the capital of the republic, and now it is the center of Sindh province. The predominant part of the townspeople are Hindus, the most common language is Urdu, but Gujarati refugees also make up a large percentage. Sindhis, Punjabis, Pashtuns, Balochs live in large isolated communities in Karachi.
Second after Karachi is Lahore, the central city of Punjab (pop. 7,132,000). The city is famous for the oldest Punjab University, which was founded in 1882, and rightfully has the status of an intellectual capital.
In third place is Faisalabad (old name Layalpur) with a population of 2,849,000. From colonial times to the present day, it has been the country's most important center for agricultural trade.
Fourth place - Rawalpindi, also a densely populated city, which belongs to the state of Pakistan, the population is 2026000 people.
Large and old cities of Pakistan are also Hyderabad, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala. The capital Islamabad is currently a relatively small city with a population of 832,000 (10th place after all of the above).
Religiousquestion
Among the inhabitants of Pakistan, 95% profess Islam, mostly Sunnis, the share of Shiites is about one-fifth. The Pashtun population of Pakistan, like many other ethnic groups in the country, preaches Islam. In addition, there is also the Ahmadiyya movement, whose representatives call themselves devout adherents of Islam, although at the official level other Muslims refuse to recognize them as equals and refer to the rank of a religious sect.
The remaining 5% is divided between Christians and Hindus.
Ways of communication, transport
Bus remains the most popular public transport in Pakistan. Also, rickshaws are still in use there, but most of them have already switched to more advanced means of transportation, there are also ordinary taxis with meters. By the way, rickshaws, as a rule, do not have a meter, and you need to agree on the fare before the trip. City buses are old and constantly overcrowded, tickets are sold even for seats located on the roof (their price is rightfully reduced by 2 times). There is a subway in Karachi. There is also a car rental service, but only in the big cities mentioned above, but renting a car in Pakistan is not very safe, as traffic on the roads is almost everywhere spontaneous.
Pakistani bazaars
In addition to the traditional oriental bazaar, shops more familiar to the European eye are open in Pakistan, they all work on schedule with a long break during the day, and close all day on Friday and Saturday. Nobody works even in the daysreligious festivities, the entire population of Pakistan is busy at this time with rest and prayers.
Every tourist, within their financial means, should bring from Pakistan a real locally made carpet, jewelry, a silk or cashmere scarf or a s alt lamp that purifies the air in the room.
Traditional Cuisine
Pakistani cuisine is very diverse, and for those who do not limit themselves due to religious beliefs, it provides many original dishes that cannot be found in other parts of the world. The main products of the Middle Eastern cuisine are rice, vegetables, fish, meat - lamb and chicken. The hallmark of the national cuisine in Pakistan is spices: they put a lot of them, and carefully select a bouquet of spices for each dish. The most popular drink is strong tea with many spicy additives, because alcohol is strictly prohibited for devout Muslims.
