Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Pakistan

geography Maturity 11-13 Vital Level 3 religion politics Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: religion, politics. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Pakistan is a large country located in South Asia.

It is the 33rd-largest country in the world by area. The land sits near the Arabian Sea to the south. To the east, it shares a border with India. Afghanistan lies to the west, and Iran is to the southwest. China sits to the northeast.

Kashmir map
Kashmir map

The country is home to over 241.5 million people. This makes it the fifth-most populous nation on Earth. Islamabad serves as the capital city. However, Karachi is the largest city and the main financial center.

KHIURBANSKYLINE
KHIURBANSKYLINE

The land of Pakistan has a very long history. Some of the earliest human tools were found in the Soan Valley.

Indus.A2002274.0610.1km
Indus.A2002274.0610.1km

Very old sites like Mehrgarh show people lived there 8,500 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilisation also flourished here.

Gandhara Buddha (tnm)
Gandhara Buddha (tnm)

Later, the Gandhara civilisation grew at a crossroads of different cultures. Many famous empires ruled these lands over the centuries. These included the Maurya, the Kushan, and the Mughal empires. The Mughals brought high culture and beautiful buildings to cities like Lahore and Peshawar.

View of Makli by Usman Ghani (cropped)
View of Makli by Usman Ghani (cropped)

Pakistan became an independent nation in 1947. This happened after the partition of British India. The partition split the land into new states. This was a very difficult time with a mass migration of people. Many people lost their lives during this period.

Partition of India 1947 en
Partition of India 1947 en

The name "Pakistan" was created by a man named Choudhry Rahmat Ali. He published the name in a pamphlet in 1933. He used the letters to represent different homelands like Punjab and Sindh. In Persian and Urdu, the name means "land of the pure."

Liaquat Ali Khan 1945
Liaquat Ali Khan 1945

Since independence, the country has changed in many ways. At first, it had two separate parts called East and West Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan became the new country of Bangladesh.

Ayubkhanandbhutto
Ayubkhanandbhutto

The government has changed many times since then. It has been ruled by both civilians and the military. Pakistan is now a middle power nation. It has the seventh-largest standing armed forces in the world. It is also a nuclear-weapons state.

SCO meeting (2022-09-16)
SCO meeting (2022-09-16)

Today, Pakistan is a place of great variety. The people speak many different languages. The geography is also very diverse. You can find high mountains and busy cities.

The country is a member of the United Nations. It also works with many other groups like the Commonwealth of Nations. While the country faces hard jobs like poverty, it also has a growing economy. A large middle class is helping the nation grow.

Tv Assembly Line 1
Tv Assembly Line 1
410 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (40)
File:State emblem of Pakistan.svg
State emblem of Pakistan.svg
National anthem of Pakistan, instrumental.oga
File:Gandhara Buddha (tnm).jpeg
Gandhara Buddha (tnm).jpeg
File:View_of_Makli_by_Usman_Ghani_(cropped).jpg
View_of_Makli_by_Usman_Ghani_(cropped).jpg
File:Partition of India 1947 en.svg
Partition of India 1947 en.svg
File:Liaquat Ali Khan 1945.jpg
Liaquat Ali Khan 1945.jpg
Pakistan.ogv
File:Ayubkhanandbhutto.jpg
Ayubkhanandbhutto.jpg
File:The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee meets the President of Pakistan Mr. Pervez Musharraf on the sidline of 12th SAARC Summit in Islmabad on January 5, 2003.jpg
The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari...
File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_PAK_present.svg
Koppen-Geiger_Map_PAK_present.svg
File:Indus.A2002274.0610.1km.jpg
Indus.A2002274.0610.1km.jpg
File:Markhor_Horns_(5779055412).jpg
Markhor_Horns_(5779055412).jpg

+ 28 more

More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.