Pakistan Travel Overview
At a glance
Capital: Islamabad (See more on ITYPEMBA.COM)
Official language: Urdu, English
Currency: rupee
Continent: South Asia
History and mountains
Pakistan is an interesting country, but the political situation is not ideal for traveling.
Info Pakistan
According to Countryaah, Pakistan is a state in South Asia. Like Bangladesh, it emerged from the division of post-colonial India. Politically, the state borders on Afghanistan, India and China. Geographically, the country is separated from the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram and the Himalayas in the north. The former capital of the country is Karachi, the current capital is Islamabad.
Hiking in Pakistan
Due to its location on the highest mountain ranges on earth, the country is very popular as a starting point for mountain climbs, similar to Nepal. Many Mount Everest expeditions start in Pakistan. But hiking doesn’t have to mean “climbing into the mountains”. You can also go on some cultural hikes, for example to the excavation sites of the Indus Valley culture.
Excursus: Indus valley culture
The most important sites for this ancient high culture are the excavations of Harappa. But also the remains of Mohenjo-Daro and Kot Diji leave hobby archaeologists and history buffs open their jaws. The interesting thing about this early high culture is that it left no traces in the present. The hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt were translated into ancient Greek, or the Assyrian cuneiform can still be understood today.
To be more precise: this is a written culture whose writing is illegible. We know the alphabet of the Indus valley culture, but we don’t know anything about their everyday life.
Plan your trip to Pakistan
Besides the capital Ilsamabad, the most interesting city in Pakistan is Karachi. It was the capital until the late 1950s and is still the largest city in the country. However, as in all other larger cities in the country, the security situation is relatively unstable. Sectarian religious militias, gangs abducting tourists and rebel groups repeatedly cause brief travel conditions to be unfavorable. So plan your trip to Pakistan well, find out about the current security situation !
Important facts
Capital: Islamabad
Official language: Urdu, English
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Rupee (100 Paisa)
ISO 4217 code
PKR / 586
Geography
Continent: Asia
Region: south
Geo coordinates: N 30 ° 22 ‘31.2 ” E 69 ° 20’ 42.4″
Highest mountain: K2 (8,611 m)
Total area: 803,940 km²
Mainland: 778,720 km²
National border: 6,774 km
Coastline: 1,046 km
Politics
Dependency: Great Britain until 1947
Formerly dependent states: Bangladesh until 1971
UN member since: 1947
Form of government: Federal Republic
Economy
Export goods: Cotton, rice, hides
BSP: $ 113.799 billion
GDP: $ 116,535,700,000
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 436.6 billion
Economic growth: 7.2%
GDP share of agriculture: 20.7%
GDP share of industry: 26%
GDP share of services: 53.3%
Inflation rate: 10.6%
Unemployment: 6.2%
State budget revenue: $ 4294967295
State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295
National debt: 55.6%
Export: $ 16,220,000,000
Import: $ 23.730 billion
Foreign debt: $ 41.3 billion
Gold and currency reserves: $ 10,280,000,000
Electricity consumption: 90,330 million KWh
Gas reserves: 759,700 million m³
Gas production: 24,500 million m³
Gas consumption: 24,500 million m³
Oil reserves: 342 million m³
Oil production: 66,000 million m³
Oil consumption: 377,000 million m³
Cultivation area: 25.13%
Sheep: 24,610,000 pieces
Fishing: 653,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 165,803,600
Residents in cities: 64,347,000
Average age: 19.8 years
0-14 years: 39%
15-64 years: 56.9%
> 65 years: 4.1%
Population growth: 2.09%
Birth rate: 29.74 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 8.23 / 1,000 residents
Migration: -0.59 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.05
Fertility: 4 children / woman
Infant mortality: 70.45 ‰
Life expectancy men: 62.4 years
Life expectancy women: 64.44 years
Country codes
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: PK
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: PAH
ISO 3166 numeric: 586
Top Level Domain: pk
IOC country code: PAH
UN / LOCODE: PK
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 4,582,000
Cell Phones: 5,262,000
Radios: 16,970,000
TV: 28,230,000
Computer: 3,320,000
Internet users: 6,700,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 8,163 km
Paved roads: 155,229 km
of which expressways: 385 km
Cars: 1,710,000
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 16
Pipelines: 11,766
Health
Number of doctors: 124,770
Daily food intake: 2,490 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 77,000
Education
Illiteracy: 51%
History
Foundation: 1947
Last sovereign since: 1947
Religion
Main religious group: Muslims
Crime
Prison inmates: 88,000
Military
Armed forces (troop strength): 620,000
Main battle tank: 2,290
Battleships: 8th
Submarines: 10
Warplanes: 380
Helicopter: 30th
Nuclear warheads: 45
Defense Spending: $ 4,789,000,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Pakistan’s national airline is called Pakistan International Airlines (PK) (Internet: www.piac.com.pk).
Etihad Airways (EY) (Internet: www.etihadairways.com) flies from Munich, Frankfurt and Geneva via Abu Dhabi to Karachi. Emirates (EK) flies from Frankfurt and Vienna via Dubai to Karachi.
Lufthansa (LH) flies non-stop from Frankfurt to Karachi and Lahore.
From October 2013, Qatar Airways (QR) will be flying from various airports in Europe and Switzerland to Multan.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Karachi: 6 hours 25 minutes; Geneva – Karachi: 6 hours 30 minutes
Departure fee
1,400 PR for 1st class passengers, 1,300 PR for business class passengers and 700 PR for economy passengers. Transit travelers and children under two years of age are exempt from this.
Arrival by car
Road connections from the People’s Republic of China, India, Iran and Afghanistan. When traveling to Pakistan by land from Europe, it is essential to find out about border traffic, visa regulations and the current political situation of all countries on the way before departure.
The border crossings to India (Wagah / Atari between Lahore and Amritsar) and Iran (Taftan) are open, as are the direct transit routes there. However, significant bureaucratic difficulties and lengthy security checks are to be expected. The border with Afghanistan is currently closed. When leaving the country by land, a toll must be paid.
Arriving by train
The Samjhota Express runs from Lahore to Delhi. Passengers have to check in 3 hours before departure to complete customs and exit formalities. Express train connection from Quetta to Zahedan (Iran) and a passenger train runs between Quetta and Taftan (Iran). Further information from Pakistan Railway (Internet: www.pakrail.com).
Arrival by ship
The main port is Karachi (Keamari). There are currently no passenger ships to Pakistan.