PAKISTAN - FACTS AND FIGURES

Area: 796,095 km2

Population: 129,808,800 (1995 est)

Capital: Islamabad

System of Government: Parliamentary Republic

Head of State: President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari

Prime Minister: Malik Meraj Khaled

Key Government Ministers: Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, minister of foreign Affairs; Dr. Mohammad Zubair Khan, Minister of Finance; Shahid Hamid, Minister of Defense.

Language: Urdu is the official language. English is common in business and urban areas.

Literacy Rate: (1995 UNESCO estimates) 37.8%

Ethnic Background: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan, Baluch

Religion: Islam (Summi, Shi'a), Christian, Hindu, Bahá'i

Currency: C$ 1.00 = 29.32 rupees (as of June 2, 1997)

For more information on Pakistan, visit these websites:

Government of Pakistan Page

Pakistan Power Page

Helpful hints when going to Pakistan

• Commonly people will shake hands when greeting each other. Friends of the same sex may hug each other but a Western man should not shake hands with a Pakistani woman unless she offers. Western women however, may extend their hand to be shaken by a Pakistani man.
• If offered coffee or tea one should accept, as refusing may offend the host.
• While we may get insulted or frightened by someone staring at us, staring is common in the Pakistani culture.
• A closed fist in considered an obscene gesture in Pakistan.