**************************************************** > PAKISTAN (Urdu: پاکِستان), officially the Islamic Republic of PAKISTAN (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکِستان) (also the Federation of PAKISTAN), is a country in South Asia. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, and India in the east and China in the far northeast. Tajikistan also lies very close to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. Thus, it occupies a crossroads position between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The region forming modern Pakistan was at the heart of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and then later was the recipient of Vedic, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, and Sikh cultures. The area has witnessed invasions and/or settlements by the Indo-Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Mongols and the British. > While the Indian independence movement demanded an independent India, the Pakistan Movement (led by Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the All-India Muslim League) sought independent states for the majority Muslim populations of the eastern and western regions of British India as well. The British granted independence and also the creation of one Muslim majority state of Pakistan that comprised the provinces of Sindh, North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab, Balochistan and East Bengal. With the adoption of its constitution in 1956, Pakistan became an Islamic republic. In 1971, a civil war in East Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. > Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of four provinces and four federal territories including a federal capital territory. Its history has been characterized by periods of military rule, political instability and conflicts with neighboring India. It is the sixth most populous country in the world and has the second largest Muslim population after Indonesia. Pakistan also has the second largest Shia Muslim population. It is the only Muslim-majority state that possesses nuclear weapons and is designated as a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Pakistan is a founding member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, Next Eleven economies and the G20 developing nations. ************************************************** > ISLAMABAD (Meaning "Abode of Islam" or "Abode of Peace") is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of 1.74 million in 2009. The Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metropolitan Area is the third largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants. > Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the north of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Margalla pass being a gateway to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[3] The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. > Islamabad is the greenest city of pakistan and the most planned one. According to a survey, Islamabad is considered the cleanest city in Pakistan. The city is well-organized, being divided into different sectors and zones. Islamabad was ranked as a Gamma world city in 2008. The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the world. Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan. Islamabad is home to the top ranked university in Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University, and the top two engineering universities in the country, the Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences and National University of Sciences and Technology. Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad is the world's largest university by enrollment. **************************************************