The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples.

The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal (Mongol) Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century.

The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory.

A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.

In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 164,741,924 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.9% (male 31,264,576/female 29,507,174) 15-64 years: 58.8% (male 49,592,033/female 47,327,161) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 3,342,650/female 3,708,330) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 20.9 years male: 20.7 years female: 21 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 1.828% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 27.52 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.048 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.901 male(s)/female total population: 1.045 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 68.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.75 years male: 62.73 years female: 64.83 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 3.71 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 74,000 (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,900 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani

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Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants)

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Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3%

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Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 49.9% male: 63% female: 36% (2005 est.)

Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However, IMF-approved government policies, bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets since 2001, have generated solid macroeconomic recovery the last five years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, most notably privatizing the banking sector. Poverty levels have decreased by 10% since 2001, and Islamabad has steadily raised development spending in recent years, including a 52% real increase in the budget allocation for development in FY07, a necessary step toward reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. The fiscal deficit - the result of chronically low tax collection and increased spending, including reconstruction costs from the October 2005 earthquake - appears manageable for now. GDP growth, spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors, remained in the 6-8% range in 2004-06. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy, jumping to more than 9% in 2005 before easing to 7.9% in 2006. The central bank is pursuing tighter monetary policy - raising interest rates in 2006 - while trying to preserve growth. Foreign exchange reserves are bolstered by steady worker remittances, but a growing current account deficit - driven by a widening trade gap as import growth outstrips export expansion - could draw down reserves and dampen GDP growth in the medium term.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $437.5 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $124 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 6.6% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,600 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22% industry: 26% services: 52% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 48.29 million note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 42% industry: 20% services: 38% (2004 est.)

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Unemployment rate: 6.5% plus substantial underemployment (2006 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 24% (FY05/06 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 41 (FY98/99)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.9% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 15.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $20.55 billion expenditures: $25.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 55% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs

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Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

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Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 80.24 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 74.62 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 63,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 324,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 358.9 million bbl (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - production: 27.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 27.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 759.7 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: -$5.486 billion (2006 est.)

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Exports: $19.24 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs

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Exports - partners: US 21%, UAE 9%, Afghanistan 7.7%, China 5.3%, UK 5.1% (2006)

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Imports: $26.79 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea

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Imports - partners: China 13.5%, Saudi Arabia 10.3%, UAE 9.6%, US 6.3%, Japan 5.6%, Kuwait 4.6%, Germany 4% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $13.29 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $42.38 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $2.4 billion (FY01/02)

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Currency (code): Pakistani rupee (PKR)

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Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003), 59.724 (2002)

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Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June