Pakistan Essays (2254 words) - Iranian Plateau, Pakistan

Pakistan Pakistan separated from its British Rule in 1947, after separation the country was divided into two sections east and west. Pakistan borders on the Arabian Sea between India and Iran on the west. Pakistan's total land mass is an area of 796,095 sq km. Pakistan consists of fertile plains, hot deserts, valleys, snow clad mountains, almost sky touching peaks and over 1000 km of coastline. Such a diverse range of physical features has created a very broad base of differences between various regions in Pakistan. There are at present 32 distinct languages spoken in Pakistan. Pakistan is a low-income country, with great promise for growth. Unfortunately, it has been held back from reaching middle-income status by chronic problems like a rapidly growing population, sizable government deficits, and a heavy dependence on foreign aid, recurrent governmental instability and large military expenditures. At current estimates the population of Pakistan is approximately 144 million. It is presently ranked the fifth most populous nation in the world, according to United Nations estimates. This over-population is having some devastating effects on every aspect of its infrastructure. Massive unemployment, inadequate housing, religious conflict, to increased mortality rates are just some of the issues that are plaguing Pakistan. This paper will examine these issues at greater depth. Pakistan has a current infrastructure that is able to carry approximately 40 million people. This means that it is only able support twenty seven percent of its current population. Sixty nine percent of its citizens do not have access to running water, or sewage facilities, and current illiteracy rates are at sixty seven percent. A huge majority of the population does not have access to safe clean drinking water. Water pollution from untreated sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff from insecticides are issues that must be addressed as soon as possible, in order to prevent ecological disasters in the future. Pakistan is also heavily dependent on a single export crop, cotton. Hence the country's fortunes rise and fall with the cotton market. It is no wonder that there are so many poverty stricken people in Pakistan. When almost half the population is involved in a very volatile market, a lot of the time, a lot of people will be burnt by price fluctuations. The country is a lso subject to the mercy of the weather. Focusing on a major cash crop means very little diversification. This translates to mass hunger and hard times for the agricultural sector whenever the agrarian lands are ravaged by floods, or conversely, by droughts. Even more importantly, Pakistan's agricultural sector is marked by large landowners, controlling most of the production. Hence, only a minimal amount of the profit from exports goes to the poor people working for the large farmers. It is these people who constitute a large portion of Pakistan's population. It is also these people who are living in abject poverty in the rural regions of the country, devoid of the right to feed their families. Pakistan is expected to reach a population level of 252 million people within the next fifteen years. The main occupation of Pakistan's residents is agriculturally based. The chief exports of the country are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs. Forty percent of Pakistan's population lives below the poverty line. Many feel that if Pakistan is to advance in today's global markets than it will have to take a good look at itself in order to make any advancement whatsoever. One of the most inhibiting factors to Pakistan advancement is its illiteracy rate. Like many other Asian countries education is simply inadequate. Using western standards of what it is to be literate; than it is estimated that less than ten percent of its 144 million individuals would make the grade. This plays an extreme role in how a developing country advances into today's growing global economy. The main reason for Pakistan education problem is due to insufficient dollars to invest into education. While government officials claim that education is Pakistan's new main concern this is simply inaccurate. Pakistan cannot afford to provide a 12-year education system similar to that of the western culture for every one of its children. Despite this governments however have pledged to try