CSS Forums - Information about Punjab

PUNJAB

Punjab (province, Pakistan), province in northeastern Pakistan, originally part of the Punjab historic region, which is now divided between Pakistan and India. The province has an area of 205,344 sq km (79,284 sq mi). It borders India on the east and the Pakistani provinces of Baluchistan and North-West Frontier on the west and Sind on the south. Punjab surrounds the federally administered Islāmābād Capital Territory.

Punjab is the richest agricultural region in Pakistan. It accounts for most of Pakistan's wheat crop and about half of its rice crop. Cotton, sugarcane, maize, millet, oil seeds, lentils, fruits, and vegetables are also grown. Over 99 percent of cultivated lands are irrigated.

Industries in the province produce textiles, machinery, and processed foods. Coal and iron ore are mined there, and uranium reserves have been confirmed. Roads, railways, and an international airport at Islāmābād provide transportation.

Punjab is administered by a governor appointed by the president of Pakistan and assisted by a council of ministers from the elected provincial assembly. Lahore is the capital of the province.

Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, containing about half of the country's total population. Most of the province's inhabitants live in rural areas. Muslims make up the majority of the populace; Christians, Hindus, Parsis, and Sikhs are also represented. Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, and Rawalpindi are the largest cities.

Punjabi is the household language of most of the people. Saraiki, a Punjabi dialect, is spoken by approximately 15 percent of the population, while Urdu is spoken by less than 5 percent of the population, mostly in rural areas. Punjab’s population was increased by the arrival of several million refugees from Afghanistan in the 1980s. Population 72,585,000 (1998).

********************