Pakistan ,officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in the Greater Middle East and South Asia. It is located in the region where South Asia converges with Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre (650 mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast.
Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. It was part of British India prior to partition in 1947 and has a long history of settlement and civilisation including the Indus Valley Civilization. The region has been invaded by the Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Afghans, Turks, and Mongols. The territory was incorporated into British India in the nineteenth century. Since its independence, the country has been characterized by periods of military and economic growth interspersed with political instability. |