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.

Capital: Islamabad

Currency: Pakistani rupee (PKR) 

Pakistan is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.

The country is comprised of 25,220 square kilometers of water and 778,720 square kilometers of land, for a total area of 803,940 square kilometers -- slightly less than twice the size of California.

The climate of Pakistan is mostly hot dry desert, with the northwest being more temperate and the north being arctic.

Pakistan boasts many natural resources including extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, and limestone.

Pakistan controls the Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, which have been traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.

Pakistanis are represented by several ethnic groups, including Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, and Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants).

97% of Pakistanis are Muslim (77% Sunni, 20% Shi'a). The other 3% include Hindus and Christians.

Several languages are spoken in Pakistan:

• 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%
  

The Pakistani flag is green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side.

A large white crescent and star are centered in the green field.

The crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam that are common to the flags of other Islamic countries.