Islamabad

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About: the capital city of Pakistan

For other uses, see Islamabad Capital Territory.

other uses

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Islamabad

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Settlement type Federal capital city
Country India
State
District
Subdivision

Islamabad serves as the capital city of Pakistan, ranking as the country's tenth-most populous urban centre with a population exceeding 11 lakh residents. The city enjoys federal administration as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory, and its metropolitan population surpasses 23 lakh inhabitants. Islamabad was conceived as a planned city during the 1960s and formally established in 1967 along the Margalla Hills, thereby succeeding Karachi as Pakistan's national capital.Template:Refn The city is situated north of Rawalpindi, which represents northern Punjab's largest city, and together they constitute a metropolitan area with over 57 lakh residents.

The urban planning of Islamabad was masterminded by Greek architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, who developed a comprehensive master plan dividing the city into eight distinct zones. These zones encompass administrative areas, diplomatic enclaves, residential sectors, educational and industrial districts, commercial centres, as well as rural and green spaces. The Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation oversees the administration of these areas with support from the Capital Development Authority. Islamabad distinguishes itself through its extensive parks and forests, notably the Margalla Hills National Park and Shakarparian, and is home to several prominent landmarks including the country's flagship Faisal Mosque, Pakistan Monument, and Democracy Square.[1][2][3]

Recognised by the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network with a Gamma+ classification,[4] Islamabad experiences one of Pakistan's highest costs of living. The city's demographic composition is predominantly comprised of middle-class and upper-middle-class citizens.[5][6] Islamabad hosts more than twenty universities, among them Bahria University, Quaid-e-Azam University, PIEAS, COMSATS University, and NUST. The city is claimed by Pakistan as one of safest urban centres, supported by an extensive RFID-enabled surveillance infrastructure featuring nearly 2,000 operational CCTV cameras.[7][8][9][10]

Toponymy

Islamabad derives its name from two components: "Islam" and "abad," literally translating to "City of Islam." The Arabic word "Islam" means "submission [to God]," reflecting Pakistan's state religion, while the Persian suffix "-abad" denotes "cultivated place," indicating an inhabited settlement or city.[11] During the early modern period, this nomenclature was employed during the Mughal era, particularly by Emperor Aurangzeb, who designated numerous towns across India with similarly themed names.[12]Template:Refn According to historical accounts documented in Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh's history book, the name was formally proposed by Qazi Abdur Rehman Amritsari, a teacher and poet.[13][14]

Demographics

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Language

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According to 2023 Pakistani census, there are 1,154,540 Punjabi, 415,838 Pashto, 358,922 Urdu, 140,780 Hindko, 51,920 Kashmiri, 46,270 Saraiki, 21,362 Sindhi, 10,315 Balti, 7,099 Shina, 5,016 Koshistani, 4,503 Balochi, 1,095 Mewati, 668 Brahvi, 182 Kalasha and 64,734 others, of total 2,283,244 speakers in Islamabad Capital Territory.

Literacy

As of 2010, the majority of the population lies in the age group of 15–64 years, around 59.38%. Only 2.73% of the population is above 65 years of age; 37.90% is below the age of 15.[15] Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan, at 88%.[16] 9.8% of the population has done intermediate education (equivalent to grades 11 and 12). 10.26% have a bachelor or equivalent degree while 5.2% have a master or equivalent degree.[17] The labour force of Islamabad is 185,213[18] and the unemployment rate is 15.70%.[19]

Religion

Template:See also Template:Bar box In the Islamabad Capital Territory, Islam is the largest religion in the city, with 95.55% of the population following it. Christianity is the second largest religion, with 4.26% of the population following it. The Christians are concentrated mainly in the urban areas. Hinduism is followed by 0.04% of the population according to the 2023 census.[20][21]

References

  1. ↑ Back to Pakistan: A Fifty-Year Journey{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers(15 September 2011). ISBN 978-1442213197
  2. ↑ Pakistan: From the Rhetoric of Democracy to the Rise of Militancy{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(21 April 2011). ISBN 978-0415670401
  3. ↑ National Monument: Structure reflects history of Pakistan – The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune(29 August 2013). Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  4. ↑ The World According to GaWC 2020. GaWC - Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Islamabad – a city only for the rich?. Dawn(23 March 2014). Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ↑ G-12, a sector housing rich, poor alike. The Nation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Safe City Project gets operational: Islooites promised safety – The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune(6 June 2016). Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Crime rate in Islamabad drops, claim police. The Nation(28 March 2015). Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Template:Cite encyclopedia
  10. ↑ History and Heritage. ICT Administration. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Placenames of the World{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. McFarland & Company(13 December 2005). ISBN 978-0786422487
  12. ↑ Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place Names{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(2017). ISBN 978-0-19-255646-2
  13. ↑ Islamabad Ka Naam Kisney Rakha Tha, Qaum Be-Khabr Kyun?, Capital Talk. Geo News(6 February 2020). Retrieved 26 June 2020.Template:Cbignore
  14. ↑ اسلام آباد: پاکستان کے وفاقی دارالحکومت کا نام کس نے اور کیسے تجویز کیا؟. BBC Urdu.
  15. ↑ POPULATION BY SELECTIVE AGE GROUPS.
  16. ↑ Literacy Rate. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  17. ↑ Population by Level of Education.
  18. ↑ LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATES.
  19. ↑ UN-EMPLOYMENT RATES.
  20. ↑ Population by Sex, Religion and Rural/Urban, Census - 2023. pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau Statistics.
  21. ↑ POPULATION BY RELIGION.

Notes

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