Pakistan

• mostly hot, dry desert;
• temperate in northwest;
• arctic in north

• flat Indus plain in east;
• mountains in north and northwest;
• Balochistan plateau in west

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Life Conservation

0-14 years:

41% (male 29,423,876; female 27,763,774)

15-64 years:

55% (male 38,533,918; female 36,804,592)

65 years and over:

4% (male 2,768,942; female 2,828,257) (1999 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.98 male(s)/female

total population:

1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

noun:

Pakistani(s)

adjective:

Pakistani

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form:

Pakistan

former:

West Pakistan

• 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

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

chief of state:

President Mohammad Rafiq TARAR (since 31 December 1997)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF (since 17 February 1997)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections:

• president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
• election last held 31 December 1997 (next to be held no later than 1 January 2003);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the National Assembly;
• election last held 3 February 1997 (next to be held NA February 2002)

election results:

• Mohammad Rafiq TARAR elected president;
• percent of Parliament and provincial vote--NA;
• Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF elected prime minister;
• percent of National Assembly vote--NA

chief of mission:

Ambassador Riaz Hussain KHOKHAR

chancery:

2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles and New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador William MILAM

embassy:

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

mailing address:

P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200

consulate(s) general:

Karachi

consulate(s):

Lahore, Peshawar

• 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

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

25.2% (1991)

• Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1--46.000 (January 1999), 45.033 (1998), 41.086 (1997), 36.056 (1996), 31.623 (1995), 30.548 (1994);
• note--annual average of official rate;
• parallel market rate is higher

• the domestic system is mediocre, but improving;
• service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems;
• since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity;
• despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population

domestic:

microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite

international:

• 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

total:

8,163 km

broad gauge:

7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified; 1,037 km double track)

narrow gauge:

445 km 1.000-m gauge (1996 est.)

total:

224,774 km

paved:

128,121 km

unpaved:

96,653 km (1996 est.)

• producer of illicit opium and hashish for the international drug trade (poppy cultivation in 1998--3,030 hectares, a 26% drop from 1997 because of eradication and alternative development);
• limited center for processing Afghan heroin;
• key transit area for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western markets;
• narcotics still move from Afghanistan into Baluchistan Province