The Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, located on the Indian subcontinent
between India and Afghanistan, has an area of 310,404 sq. mi.
(803,943 sq. m.) and a population of 156 million. Capital:
Islamabad.
Pakistan is mainly an agricultural land. Yarn, cotton, rice and
leather
are exported.
Afghan and Turkish intrusions into northern India between the
11th and 18th centuries resulted in large numbers of Indians
being converted to Islam. The idea of a separate Moslem state
independent of Hindu India developed in the 1930´s and was agreed
to by Britain in 1946. The
Islamic majority areas of India, consisting of the separate
geographic entities known as East and
West Pakistan, achieved self-government as Pakistan, with dominion
status in the British
Commonwealth, when the British withdrew from India on Aug. 14,
1947. Pakistan became a
republic in 1956. When a basic constitutional crisis initiated by
the election of Dec. 1, 1970 - the
first direct general election in Pakistani history - could not be
resolved by the leaders of East and
West Pakistan, the East Pakistanis seceded from the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan (March 26,
1971) and formed the independent People´s Republic of
Bangladesh.
Pakistan was expelled from the Commonwealth on January 20, 1972 and
re-admitted again
on October 1, 1989.
MONETARY SYSTEM:
1 Rupee = 16 Annas to 1961
1 Rupee = 100 Paisa (Pice), 1961-
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