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NIE ACTIVITY
GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS
This yearlong series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance. For more information about NIE visit www.courantnie.com or call 241-3144.
PAKISTAN
DID YOU KNOW?
By: Allyson Lubs, CT Geographic Alliance
Country/City View
Pakistan, with the official name of Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, has a population of over 180 million people,
which makes it the sixth most populous country in
the world. Islamabad, the capital, is located in the
TAKE 5
northern section of the country. It has beautiful green
scenery and a mix of modern and traditional buildings
throughout its capital city. In 1960, Islamabad
replaced Karachi as the country’s capital.
With over sixty languages spoken, the official
languages of this culturally diverse country are Urdu
and English. Urdu is written from right to left. Their
currency is the Pakistani rupee.
Pakistan is the second most populous Muslimmajority country and has the second largest Shi’a
population in the world. About 97% of Pakistanis
are Muslims. Hijaab means to dress modestly. Most
Muslim women wear a head scarf to cover their hair,
ears, and throat. Other women cover their entire body
except their eyes.
A building
which is a great
example of an
architectural
blend is the
Shah Faisal
Masjid, this
also happens to
be the largest
mosque in the
world. It is so big that the main prayer hall can hold
up to 10,000 worshippers at once.
Education continues to be a required aspect for all.
The constitution of Pakistan requires the state to
provide free primary and secondary education. At
the time of it’s independence Pakistan had only one
university, the University of the Punjab. However, as
of September 2011 it has 136 universities, 74 are
public universities and 62 are private universities.
Location: Pakistan is bordered by a coastline
along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in
the south, and land borders with Afghanistan,
China, with India and Iran. The Indus River flows
from the North to South of Pakistan. Some of
the earliest cities grew up along its banks 4,000
years ago. Because dams have been built to
provide electricity, the river has become very dry.
Place: This country covers 310,400 square
miles, this is about twice the size of California.
Here you can find a diverse land of soaring
mountains, hot sand dunes, arid plateaus and
fertile river valleys. The climate is mostly hot and
dry in the south; mild in the northwest; and frigid
in the mountains.
Human/Environment Interaction: Pakistan
is known for producing cotton, wheat, rice,
sugarcane, fruit, mutton, textiles and clothes,
food, chemicals, paper products, and fertilizer.
They are known for producing some of the
world’s most beautiful and finest fabrics. Each
region has it’s own style of embroidery from
geometric shapes to flowers.
Movement: Roads are the primary mode of
transportation for the people of Pakistan, with
the roads being covered by 91% passengers
and 96% freight traffic. While it does have a rail
system and aviation opportunities, both are being
looked at to see how they can be improved to be
more useful.
Region: Pakistan is separated into three
geographic regions: the northern highlands, the
Indus River plain and the Balochistan Plateau.
In the northern highlands region you will find
the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain
ranges, here you will find some of the world’s
highest peaks. These mountains attract visitors
from all over the world, most well known being
K2, which has a peak of 28,251 feet.
• Pakistan had the first woman leader of a Muslim country in modern history.
• Pakistan’s national sport is hockey.
• On a happy occasion, you might
receive Laddu, which are sweet balls
made from chickpea flour and sugar.
• Around Pakistan you might find a
rickshaw, which is a taxi that has
been converted from a three-wheeled
motorbike.
• Two of the most important Islamic
celebrations are Eid-Ul-Fitre, which
marks the end of Ramadan, the
month of fasting, and Eid-Ul-Addha is
celebrated after Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Pakistan is a country centered around the cultural hearth of the Indus River valley.
A cultural hearth is an area of innovation and invention. One innovation was the Indo
European Language Family, which started in this region and has now spread around
the world. From the list below label on the world map the following countries whose
language originally came from this region:
• Argentina, United States, Iran, Portugal
• New Zealand, Ukraine, Uruguay, Germany
• El Salvador, Greece, Sweden, France
1. Name 5 modern languages represented by
the countries you mapped.
2. Name and research two geographic words
we use in the English language today that
originated outside of Great Britain or the
United States.
3. What language (in addition to English) would you like to learn and why?
Give at least two specific reasons.
Communityy Connections
1. You have learned that Pakistan is a country with a diverse landscape that includes
high mountains, flat plains and barren desserts. It is a mostly dry region characterized
by extremes in altitude and climate.
• Do some research. Find two or more U.S. states that have an equally diverse
landscape as Pakistan. What region of the U.S. are these states located?
• Now make a comparative listing of the landforms for each US state and Pakistan.
What are the pros and cons of having a diverse landscape?
2. There have been many news articles in the past five months about a very brave
Pakistani girl, Malala, who has now become a symbol for girls’ right to an education.
As a class, discuss why you think rights of women are protected in some parts of the
world but not in others.
NEXT PAGE - February 28th
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