Islamabad, Pakistan

Travel to Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of 1.74 million in 2009. The Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metropolitan Area is the third largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants.


Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the north of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, Margalla pass being a gateway to the North-West Frontier Province. The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. However, the capital was not moved directly from Karachi to Islamabad. It was first shifted to Rawalpindi and then to Islamabad after all the developmental works were finished.



Islamabad is one of the greenest and most well-planned cities of South Asia. According to a survey, Islamabad is considered the cleanest city in Pakistan. The city is well-organized and divided into different sectors and zones. Islamabad was ranked as a Gamma world city in 2008. The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the World. Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan. The top ranked university in Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University, is located in Islamabad. The top two engineering universities in Pakistan, Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences and National University of Sciences and Technology are also located here. Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad is the world's second largest university by enrollment.

Islamabad is located at 33°26′N 73°02′E / 33.43°N 73.04°E / 33.43; 73.04 at the edge of the Pothohar Plateau on the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad Capital Territory. It is situated at an elevation of 507 metres (1,660 ft). The modern capital and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side and are therefore commonly referred to as the Twin Cities. On the East of the city lies Murree and Kotli Sattian.On the North lies the Haripur District of NWFP. Kahuta lies on the North East, Taxila, Wah Cantt, and Attock District on the North West, Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedian, Rawat, and Mandrah on the North East, Rawalpindi on the South West.

The capital area of the Islamabad city is 906 square kilometres (350 sq mi). A further 2,717 square kilometres (1,049 sq mi) area is known as the Specified Area, with the Margala Hills in the north and northeast. The southern portion of the city is an undulating plain. It is drained by the Kurang River, on which the Rawal Dam is located.

Islamabad's micro-climate is regulated by three artificial reservoirs; Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur Dam. Khanpur Dam is located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur (NWFP), about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Islamabad. Simli Dam is located around 30 kilometres (19 mi)) north of Islamabad. 220 acres (89 ha) of the city is covered with Margalla Hill National Park. Along the Islamabad Highway, Loi Bher Forest is situated, covering an area of 1,087 acres (440 ha).
 
In 1960, when the master plan for Islamabad was designed, it was planned that Islamabad and Rawalpindi along with the adjoining areas will be integrated to form a large metropolitan area called Islamabad/Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area. The area would consist of the developing Islamabad, the old city of Rawalpindi, and the Islamabad National Park. Initially, it was proposed that the three areas will be connected by four major highways; Murree Highway, Islamabad Highway, Soan Highway, and Capital Highway. However, to date only two highways have been constructed; Murree Highway (now called Kashmir Highway) and Islamabad Highway.


Presently, the area comprises Islamabad Capital Territory (Islamabad, Islamabad National Park, and Islamabad Rural Area) and Rawalpindi. Islamabad is the hub all the governmental activities while Rawalpindi is the centre of all industrial, commercial, and military activities. The two cities are considered sister cities and are highly dependent for the development of the metropolitan.

Islamabad/Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area is the third largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4.5 million. The area is drained by two major rivers; Kurang River and Soan River. Three dams; Rawal Lake, Simly Dam, and Khanpur Dam are located in the region, providing water to the local population.

Demographics
 
According to the 1998 census, the total population of the city was 805,235; 434,239 for males and 370,996 for females.The average annual population growth rate from 1981 to 1998 was 5.19. The urban population of the city was 529,180; with 209,717 males and 238,463 females. The total rural population in 1998 was 276,055; 143,522 males and 132,533 females.


The main language spoken in Islamabad is Urdu which is predominantly used within the city due to an ethnic mix of populations. English, being the official language of Pakistan is also commonly understood. Other languages include Punjabi, Pashto and Pothohari. The mother tongue of majority of the population is Punjabi, with 71.66%. Urdu is the mother tongue of 10.11% of the population, followed by Pashto with 9.52%, Saraiki with 1.11%, Sindhi with 0.56 percent and other languages accounting for 7.04%. The total migrant population of the city is 397,731, with the majority from Punjab (241,977). Around 76,614 of the migrated population belongs to NWFP, 26,143 from Sindh, 24,438 from Azad Kashmir, and 21,372 from other countries. Smaller population belongs to FATA, Baluchistan, and Northern Areas.

Islam is the largest religion in the city, with 95.53% of the population Muslim. In rural areas this percentage is 98.80%, while in urban areas the percentage of Muslims is 93.83%. The second largest religion is Christianity, with 4.07% of the population; 0.94% in Rural areas and 5.70% in the urban city. Hindus account for 0.02% of the population, Ahmadis 0.34%, and other minorities 0.03%.

The majority of the population lies in the age group of 15–64 years, around 59.38%. Only 2.73% of the population is above 65 years of age and 37.90 below the age of 15. Islamabad has the highest literacy ratio in Pakistan, at 72.88%. 9.8% of the population has done intermediate (equivalent to 11 and 12 grades). 10.26% have a bachelor or equivalent degree while 5.2% have a master or equivalent degree. The labor force of Islamabad is 185,213 and the unemployment rate is 15.70.

Economy
 
Islamabad is a net contributer to the Pakistani Economy, as whilst having only 0.8% of the country's population, it contributes 1% to the country's GDP. Islamabad Stock Exchange is Pakistan's third largest stock exchange after Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange, founded in 1989. The exchange has 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The average daily turnover of the stock exchange is over 1 million shares.

Islamabad has seen an expansion in information and communications technology with the addition two Software Technology Parks which house numerous national and foreign technological and IT companies. The tech parks are located in Evacuee Trust Complex and Awami Markaz. Awami Markaz houses 36 IT companies while Evacuee Trust house 29 companies. Call centers for foreign companies have been targeted as another significant area of growth, with the government making efforts to reduce taxes by as much as 10% in order to encourage foreign investments in the IT sector.

Most of Pakistan's state-owned companies like PIA, PTV, PTCL, OGDCL, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. etc. are based in Islamabad. The city is also home to many branches of Karachi-based companies, banks, TV channels etc. Headquarters of all major telecommunication operators; PTCL, Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, China Mobile and others are located in Islamabad.

Source: Wikipedia