Pakistan
A land of Greatest Mountains & Colorful Culture
A Complete guide to the best kept secret of Asia. Browse though the cities . You will find here Information on History, Culture, Places to Visit Hotels, Roads, and means of travel.


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Geography & General area
Pakistan is located at the latitude of 23° - 27° North and 61° - 76° east in the Northern Hemisphere. Its occupies an area of 796095 Square KMs or 31043 Square Miles. It shares a long border with India in the east, In the south there is the Arabian sea , the South west is bordered with Iran , North west with Afghanistan & North east shares a high altitude border with China.

Physically it is the vast valley of mighty Indus river; which runs through the whole country as its blood line. North Pakistan inherits one of the highest land of the world. the three great mountain ranges Himalayan, Karakorums, & Hindukush meet in a very complex system of mountains, separated by narrow gorges of the rivers. Each mountain range though so close to each other, has a character of its own. The Indus in its early stage cutting through the Himalayas and Karakorums reaches the Hindu Raj (Hindukush) range and Gilgit river. Then the Indus flows in (still young ) between Himalayas & Hindu Raj mountain ranges. Making a very dramatic valley . Dry rugged mountains turn to the green & wet foothills of Himalayas & Hindukush mountains.After meeting with the Kabul river it takes its gigantic gorge into plains. In Punjab it is divided into five rivers which rejoin just before Sind south east , where eventually it dies in a vast delta at Arabian sea.

This fabulous land of river Indus houses about 130.5 Million people belonging to many ethnic groups and tribes. Administratively it is divided into 4 provinces and a centrally administered area (FATA) In the south it is Sindh province. In the South west Baluchistan, Northwest is called North west province and in the east is Punjab the largest population wise province . The North eastern areas and some areas in North west are controlled by the central government.

Languages & Culture.
The National language is Urdu understood by most of the people all over the country. Most of the Schools teach Urdu as the first language. Each province has its own language and unique traditions and culture. Punjab's Language is Punjabi, Sind Speaks Sindhi, Baluchistan Balouchi and North west has Pushto language. Beside that there are about 15 different dialects and languages spoken in the different parts of the country.
Bazaars and marriages are the main center of cultural activities. In every city there is a typical bazaar with crowds of People and heaps of merchandise. Marriages are also bustling affairs large No. of guests 500 - 3000 and a lot of activity are the key features of a marriage. Each tribe adds a spice to its marriages, hence every marriage looks different.The women wear colorful dresses but very modest. Where as men wear more plain dresses with turbans or caps. Again each province has a costume & cap of its own.

History.
Pakistan emerged on the map of world in 1947 but this land has one of the oldest history of the world.This land being a very strategic point between east & West has always been one of the top listed places to conquer by different dynasties and kings. It has received numerous races which ruled it and left their marks behind. Hence Pakistan has so many different tribes and a variety of of colorful traditions. Chronological order of some important dates in the history of Pakistan is given on this site.

Money
Rupee is official currency of Pakistan. Most of the the trading is done in Rupee but all major currencies are exchangeable at Airports , Hotels , Banks , Shops and Money changers. Usually Money changers give a better rate then the others. All major cities have money changers and one can easily take a taxi to one of them. One can bring in any amount of money in Pakistan in any currency but Very high amounts are best to be declared. From Pakistan carrying More then Rs. 500 is illegal.

Climate.
Pakistan has got a variety of weathers but usually it has a warm climate In the north where average altitude on the surface is 1200 meters 3500 feet the weather has a large variation. In summer it is very hot and in winter very cold.In January in the north

Getting there (Entry points ).
All major airlines either fly to Pakistan or have easy connections via Dubai or Bombay. Pakistan international Airlines operates flights from all major cities of Europe, Africa , North America , Far east & Australia. Most flights arrive in Karachi where you can get an easy connection to all major cities of Pakistan There are 3 Private airlines operating Domestic flights and a few International sectors , beside PIA
From China or central Asia : Sost is the first town and Pakistani check post in the high mountains of Karakorums range. One can come from China (Taxkorgan Chinese Check post ) Via Khunjerab pass in a half day. Both Chinese & Pakistani governments operate shuttle service between the two cities. One has to go through the basic customs & Immigrations formalities at Sost.
From India (Amraster) one can enter via Wagah border where there is both custom and Immigration formalities you can reach Lahore 27 KMs from the border in 3 quarters of an hour.
From Iran : From Mashad (Iran ) one can take a Taxi to Pakistani Border, Taftan , there is also a twice weekly train between Quetta & Mashad. Taftan is the Customs and Immigrations of Pakistan.One can stay either in Taftan at PTDC Motel or continue 16 Hrs to Quetta first major city.
By Sea : Sea traffic is allowed via Karachi but there is no service at the moment. There might be a service between Karachi & Dubai at a later stage.

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