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, in Pakistan there are three seasons that change sharply: cold winters (October-March), hot arid summers (April-June) and rainy autumn (July-September). But, despite the sometimes unpredictable weather, many tourists like to travel to Pakistan.
general information
This land was once the cradle of ancient civilizations, and its culture has long remained a mystery to Europeans behind seven seals.
Today, ancient cities full of oriental flavor, such as Sindh, Tatt, Rohri, Karachi and, of course, Hyderabad, are open to tourists, but therefore no less attractive and mysterious. Architecture strikes with an amazing mixture of styles and eras, historical monuments and legendary Islamic shrines are found at every step. In Lahore - a densely populated city of the state (in general, the population of Pakistan is quite high) - tourists expect real oriental bazaars, where you must bargain, firstly, so as not to offend the seller, because this is a tradition, and secondly, because prices are deliberately overpriced in repeatedly.
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, you must definitely familiarize yourself with the customs and norms of behavior of the local population, otherwise you can’t avoid awkward, or even very unpleasant situations. This is especially true for states where Islam is recognized as the official religion: the Muslim mentality is so dramatically different from the Christian one that without preliminary preparation, immersion in the culture of Pakistan can be dangerous.
In addition, local residents - this is the very essence of any country, not understanding them or trying not to pay attention - it’s the same as not going beyond the threshold of your own home.
Key demographic indicators
The Pakistan population meter for November 2011 showed 177 million 781 thousand people, the state is among the ten largest countries in terms of population . With an area of 796,096 km² (plus the occupied Indian territories of Kashmir and the Northern lands - 13,000 km² and 72,500 km²), this number of inhabitants makes Pakistan one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
To date, the demography of Pakistan has an average population growth rate (Pakistan is 75.9% among the countries of the world for these indicators). On average, there are 3.17 newborns per adult woman (55th place in the world ranking). There are 24.81 newborns (63rd place) and 6.92 deaths (138th place) per 1000 residents of Pakistan. So the prospect of extinction in European countries due to low fertility in the Middle East in the coming decades is completely irrelevant.
Sex and age structure of society
The population of Pakistan is rather high, in addition, it is mostly young. The group of residents aged 15 to 64 accounts for 60.4%, followed by children under 15 years of age (35.4%), and the third smallest category - over 65 years old (4.2%).
For every 1,000 women in Pakistan, 1,070 are men. Moreover, according to statistics, among the newborns per 1000 girls 1050 boys are born, under the age of 15 years - 1060, in the category of 15-64 years - 1090, but after 65 years, only 920 men remain per 1000 women. Thus, mortality among young women is higher than that of men, but the average life expectancy of men is 3 years lower than women, therefore, indicators for a group of old people are changing.
The average life expectancy for Pakistanis is very small - 64.18 and 67.9 years for men and women, respectively, which puts Pakistan at 167 place in the world ranking.
Ethnic structure
The ethnic (and at the same time religious and linguistic) map of Pakistan is very variegated.
The correlation of national groups looks like this:
- Punjabis 44.7%;
- Pashtuns 15.4%;
- Sindhi 14.1%;
- saryaki 8.4%;
- Muhajiri 7.6%;
- Balochi 3.6%;
- others (Rajputs, Bragui, Hindustani) 6.3%.
The official language is Urdu, but to this day, English (a relic of the colonial past) coexists with it, which is used at the official level: in education and the administrative sphere.
In ethnic regions, Punjabi is used (this is a spoken language for 48% of the population), Pashto (8%), Sindhi (12%), Baluchi and Bragui. The religious picture is no less diverse: the Punjabis in Pakistan practice Islam, although the same ethnic group in India consists mainly of Hindus and Sikhs.
Pakistan has a low literacy rate. This level among the population over 15 years old almost reaches half (49.9%), but, which is typical for predominantly Islamic countries, much more men (63%) than women (36%) can read and write. Although these indicators, in comparison with the similar data of 50 years ago, indicate progressive trends in public education. But the situation remains very deplorable, and Pakistan ranks 153 in terms of state spending on education (2.9% of GDP).
Population displacement
The geographical location of Pakistan is such that from ancient times to this day, individual ethnic groups, nationalities and tribes constantly move through its territory. So, about 4 thousand years ago, hordes of Aryans came from the northwest to Hindustan, carriers of a more highly developed social system and culture, religion and language, which subjugated the local population. And after millennia, Muslims moved in the same direction, asserting the rule of Islam in all conquered lands.
For the twentieth century a different picture is characteristic: the population of Pakistan seeks to leave the country in search of a better life. The level of 2.7 external migrants per 1000 settled population is a rather alarming indicator (167 place among all countries of the world).
The characteristic of the whole world urbanization is not bypassing the population of Pakistan: in 2010, the urban population accounted for 36% of the total population, and the rate of internal migration reached 3.1% and continues to grow. For the urban population, the opportunities to find work, get an education and use health services are an order of magnitude higher than for the rural population; this attracts not only residents of nearby agricultural areas to large cities, but also Muhajir refugees from the Indian border. By 1951, refugees made up 40% of the urban population, but the Pakistani authorities are not yet able to effectively solve this problem.
Administrative device
The official name of the state is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The form of government is mixed; the president and the prime minister share power.
The territorial division is quite complex: 4 provinces, 2 (metropolitan and tribal) federal territories, in addition, 2 more territories of Kashmir, which administratively belong to the Pakistan Republic. Provinces are divided into 131 districts. The federal territory of the tribes is divided into 7 departments and 6 border regions.
Largest cities in Pakistan by population
In first place - Karachi (population 13,125,000 people), until 1959 it was the capital of the republic, and now it is the center of the province of Sindh. The majority of the townspeople are Indians, the most popular language is Urdu, but Gujarati refugees also make up a large percentage. In Karachi, Sindhi, Punjabis, Pashtuns, Balochis live in large isolated communities.
Second place after Karachi is Lahore, the central city of Punjab (population 7,132,000 people). The city is famous for the oldest Punjabi university, which was founded in 1882, and rightfully has the status of the intellectual capital.
In third place is Faisalabad (the old name is Layalpur) with a population of 2,849,000 people. From colonial times to the present day, it remains the most important center of agricultural trade in the country.
Fourth place - Rawalpindi, also a densely populated city that belongs to the state of Pakistan, the population is 2026000 people.
The large and old cities of Pakistan are also Hyderabad, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala. The capital of Islamabad is currently a relatively small city with a population of 832,000 people (10th place after all of the above).
Religious issue
Among the inhabitants of Pakistan, 95% profess Islam, mainly of the Sunni persuasion, about one fifth pass to the share of Shiites. The Pashtun population of Pakistan, like many other ethnic groups in the country, is preaching Islam. In addition, there is also the Ahmadiyah movement, whose representatives call themselves Orthodox believers in Islam, although at the official level other Muslims refuse to recognize them as equal and relate them to the rank of religious sect.
The remaining 5% is divided between Christians and Hindus.
Ways of communication, transport
In Pakistan, the bus remains the most popular transport for public use. Also, rickshaws are still in use there, but most of them have already switched to more advanced means of transportation, there are also regular taxis with counters. By the way, the rickshaw counter, as a rule, does not, and you need to agree on the fare before the trip. City buses are old and constantly crowded, they even sell tickets to seats located on the roof (their price has been reduced by 2 times in fairness). 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, since traffic on the roads is almost everywhere spontaneous.
Pakistani bazaars
In addition to the traditional oriental bazaar in Pakistan, stores more familiar to the European eye are open, all of them work on a schedule with a long break during the day, and close all day on Friday and Saturday. No one works during religious festivals, the whole population of Pakistan is busy at this time with rest and prayers.
Every tourist, to the best of his financial abilities, must bring from Pakistan a real carpet of local work, jewelry, a silk or cashmere scarf or a salt lamp that purifies the air in the room.
Traditional cuisine
Pakistani cuisine is very diverse, and for those who do not limit themselves by virtue of religious beliefs, it provides many original dishes that are not found in other parts of the world. The main products of the Middle Eastern cuisine are rice, vegetables, fish, and lamb and chicken from meat. The visiting card of the national cuisine in Pakistan is spices: they are put in a lot, and a bouquet of spices for each dish is carefully selected. The most popular drink is strong tea with many spicy additives, because alcohol is strictly prohibited for Orthodox Muslims.