Geography
Pakistan is surrounded by Iran from West, Afghanistan from North, China from East and
India and Arabian Sea from South.
Weather
Pakistan has three seasons: cool, hot and wet. In South, cool season brings dry days and
cool nights while the northern mountains get drizzle and plummeting night – time
temperatures. Hot season is hot and humid in South, but pleasant temperature in North
regions. During the wet season, South regions have steady rain, mostly in the narrow belt
of the Punjab from Lahore to Islamabad. But further north, high mountains block all but
the most determined clouds, which means relatively little rain falls there.
Background
Information
Full country name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Area: 887,700 sq/km
Population: 124,8 million
Capital city: Islamabad
People: 56% Punjabi, (also Punjabi, English,
Mohajir, Sindhis).
Religion: 97% Muslim, 3% Christian and Hindu.
Government: Republic
Language: Urdu, Punjabi and English.
Economic
Profile
GDP: US $ 282 billion
World GDP ranking: 41st
GDP per head: US $ 434
Annual growth: 4.7%
Inflation: 12.2%
Major industries: agriculture, textiles, cement, fertilizers and steel.
Entry
Formalities
Visas:
Visas are required by nationals most European and English –
speaking countries. A Pakistan Visa allows you to enter the country up to six months from
the date you get it, and stay up to three months from the date you enter. However, if you
stay longer than 30 days, you are required to register at a foreigners registration
office.
How to get
there
You could get there by air, sea or earth.
Getting
Around
As there is no safety roads, most tourists use train and airplane to get around Pakistan.
Transportation
Between cities:
train, airplane and bus.
Inside cities: bus, minibus, taxis and motorcycle taxi.
Costs and
money
Currency: Pakistan rupee
Relative costs:
Cheap meal: US $ 2 – 3
Restaurant meal: US $ 7 – 10
Cheap room: US $ 4 – 5
Hotel room: US $ 10 – 15
Electricity
220 V, 50 HZ
Media
Publications, radio and TV are in Urdu; only some limited Publications are in English.
Communication
Telephone, Telegraph, Post, Telex, Fax, Mobile, E-mail, Internet.
Weights and
measures
Metric system
Business hours
Government: 8 –16
Shopping: 9 –13 and 16 – 21
Weekend: Friday and Saturday
Culture and
Art
The pleasures of Pakistan are old: Buddhist monuments, Hindu temples, Islamic Palaces,
tombs and pleasure grounds, and widely spaced Anglo mogul Gothic mansions – some in a
state of dereliction which makes their grandeur even more emphatic. Sculpture
is dominated
by Greco – Buddhist friezes, and crafts by ceramics, jewelry, silk goods, engraved
wood work and metal work. Even Pakistan's flotillas of vintage Bedford buses and trucks,
mirror–Buffed and chrome – sequined, are dazzling work of art. Traditional
dances are lusty and vigorous; music is either classical, folk or devotional; and the most
patronized literature is a mix of the scholastic and poetic.
Embassies
Embassies are placed in Islamabad.
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