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Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan,
located in the Potwar Plateau,
north-west of the country.
It is located within the
Islamabad Capital Territory,
though the area has historically
been a part of the crossroads
of the Punjab,
Kashmir
and the Sarhad
Province (the Margalla pass
being a historic gateway
to the Sarhad,
and the Potwar plateau historically
a part of the Punjab).
Islamabad is located at
33°40'N 73°10'E.
Geography and Climate
The city is situated at the edge of the
Potwar plateau, south of
the Margalla hills. The
modern capital Islamabad
and the ancient Gakhar city
of Rawalpindi
stand side by side, displaying
the country’s past and present.
The area's micro-climate
is regulated by three man-made
lakes (Rawal, Simli and
Khanpur). The city has hot
summers with monsoon rains
occurring during July and
August. During the winters,
even on the few days when
pre-dawn temperatures fall
below freezing, the afternoons
are usually sunny and mild
— in the coldest month,
January, the average daily
maximum temperature is 16°C
(61°F) Islamabad saw
its first snows in over
50 years in 2003.
History
From independence until 1958 Pakistan's
capital was Karachi
in Sindh
in the far south. Worries
about the concentration
of investment and development
in that city are said to
have led to the idea of
building a new capital in
a different location. During
the administration of Pakistani
President Ayub Khan, a site
immediately north of Rawalpindi
was chosen. Rawalpindi was
designated as the temporary
capital. Work on the new
capital started during the
1960s.
The planning and construction was largely
headed by the Greek urban
planner Constantinos A.
Doxiadis. His plan revolved
around the building of the
city in sectors, each containing
four sub-sectors separated
by green belts and parks.
There was a strong emphasis
on greenery and open space.
When Islamabad was finally
built growth was slow -
the government did not fully
relocate to the city from
Rawalpindi
until the 1980s. During
this time the capital's
population was small, at
around 250,000. This changed
dramatically during the
1990s with the population
increasing, instigating
the building of new sectors.
The Capital Development
Authority or CDA for short
under the Ministry of Interior
was accorded the task of
developing Islamabad as
well as all major government
buildings. CDA is also responsible
for running the city of
Islamabad and does most
city services such as trash
pickup, street cleaning
etc. CDA was created by
an act of the federal parliament
and its chairperson is appointed
by the Ministry of Interior,
Government of Pakistan.
Demographics
Islamabad's population is estimated to
be over 1.1 million in 2006.
The ethnic groups are: Punjabis
60%, Pakhtuns 15%, Muhajirs
10%, Sindhi 5%, Kashmiri
5%, Baloch 3% and others
including the foreign diplomatic
staff. Over 99% of the population
is Muslim and there is a
small Christian minority.
Page last updated:
Friday, January 27, 2006 11:30:24 -0500 |
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