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Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Capital of Pakistan



Islamabad is the beautiful and Modern Capital Pakistan

Islamabad is the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Islamabad is a modern, planned and maintained the city located in the Pothohar plateau in the northeastern part of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the Margalla Pass acting as the gateway between the two regions. The city was under construction during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. Islamabad is a well organised international city divided into several different sectors and zones. It is regarded as the most developed city in Pakistan and is ranked as a gamma+ world city. The city is host to the Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the fourth largest mosque in the world.Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan. 



When Pakistan gained independence in 1947. Karachi was its first capital. In 1960, Islamabad was constructed as a forward capital for several reasons. Traditionally, development in Pakistan was concentrated on the colonial centre of Karachi, and President Ayub Khan wanted it equally distributed. Moreover, Karachi having tropical weather conditions, was situated at one end of the country, making it vulnerable to attacks from the Arabian Sea. Pakistan needed a capital that was readily available from all parts of the country. Karachi, a business center, was also considered unsuitable partly because of intervention of business interests in government affairs. The newly selected location of Islamabad was closer to the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the disputed territory of Kashmir. Settlement in Islamabad, the new capital after Karachi, began in the 1960s. As the city was newly founded, the growth of the population was slow. Being the seat of the government of Pakistan, initially government servants and employees of the federal administration settled here. Since then, there has become a steady growth in the population of the city, which has swelled to somewhere in excess of a million inhabitants. The reason. At the moment, the capital city is the fastest growing urban settlement in the country. There is an increased interest in the city from the President and The Prime Minister, as well as a renewed drive from foreign investors to invest in the city. This has made an opening growth in the economy, produced employment at all levels and ensured development. Resulting from all these factors, Islamabad is now becoming a lively and bustling metropolis, full of vibrancy. Islamabad is a late 20th century capital laid out in straight lines and right angles a metric proud showcase of government and administration.



Neither city is a major tourist draw card in its own right most foreign travellers only pause here to arrange visas or permits or use it as a jumping off point to other destinations yet not far away are the fascinating archaeological digs around the Gandharan city of Taxila. Here, Buddhism and the sublime Graeco Buddhist art evolved and flourished, and its glory can be appreciated in Taxila’s splendid museum and at several major sites. And if the energy zapping heat of the plateau starts to take its toll during the warmer months, you can flee to the cool mountain air of Murree, an erst while British Raj hill station. Even better, ramble around the less developed, more serene hill stations strung out along the forested ridges known as the Galis, a truly welcoming escape from the frizzling rat race and other vicissitudes of life on the road
·         Islamabad is ranked very high on the Human Development Index, equivalent to that of Belgium. The city is composed of sixteen recognised universities, including the Quaid-i-Azam University and the National University of Science and Technology. While it's home to Allama Iqbal Open University, which is one of the world's largest universities by enrollment. The city has an elaborate surveillance system with 1,900 CCTV cameras contributing towards one of the lowest crime rates in the country. The climate of Islamabad is under a humid subtropical climate, with five seasons. Winter, November to February, Spring, March and April, Summerm, May and June, Rainy Monsoon, July and August, and Autumn, September and October. The hottest month is June, where average highs routinely exceed 38 °C. The wettest month is July, with heavy rainfalls and evening thunderstorms with the possibility of a cloudburst and flooding. The coolest month is January. Islamabad's micro climate is controlled by three artificial reservoirs: Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur Dam. The latter is situated on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, about 40 kilometres from Islamabad. Simli Dam is 30 kilometres north of Islamabad. 220 acres of the city makes up of Margalla Hills National Park and The area of Islamabad is 906 square kilometres. A further 2,717 square kilometres area is known as the Specified Area, with the Margala Hills in the north and northeast. The southern portion of the city is just an undulating plain. Islamabad has several worth seeing places like Shakarparian, Daman-e-koh, National Monument Islamabad, Pak-China Friendship Centre, Rawal Lake, Lok Virsa Museum, Margalla Hills and Pir Sohawa.



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