Country Profile: Pakistan - Assignment Example

Over the years, the disputed Kashmir territory has been the scene of 2 out of three Pakistan-India wars, those that occurred in 1947-1948 and 1965. In 1999, there occurred another short and bitter armed confrontation when Islamic militants invaded Indian-administered Kashmir. In the last few decades corruption, confrontations and inefficiency has greatly tarnished civilian politics, and alternating phases of military and civilian rule have done little to improve this and guarantee stability. In 2001, Pakistan’s role in world affairs greatly shifted after the terrorist attacks on September 11th (Crawford, 2010).

It withdrew its support for the Taliban and was elevated into the frontline when the war on terror started and reached its peak. As a result of this it became a very strong ally of the United States which was the key player in the war on terror. However, Pakistani security forces have failed to restore and maintain control in the unsettled tribal sectors that can be found along the border with Afghanistan. These areas are home to militants that are heavily linked to the Taliban (Crawford, 2010).

Economy Pakistan is not a poor country by any means, but the internal and external strife it has suffered for decades since it was formed has made it difficult for the country to advance economically. Between 2001 and 2007, the country recorded a 10% decline in poverty levels, strongly aided by Islamabad’s elevation of development spending (Sheehan & Samiuddin, 2004). Between 2004 and 2007, gains in the service and industrial sectors spurred a GDP growth rate ranging between 5 and 8%. This was followed by a rise in unemployment rates and decline in growth in 2008/2009.

Inflation is the public’s biggest worry however, rising from 7.7% to 13% between 2007 and 2010. Apart from this, the local currency (Pakistan rupee) has undergone depreciation since 2007 as a result of both economic and political instability (Sheehan & Samiuddin, 2004) Climate Pakistan generally has a dry climate, with rainfall not exceeding 250 millimeters per annum, although southern and northern areas have contrasting climatic conditions (Crawford, 2010). Average annual temperature is about 27°C, but in the northern and mountainous areas the coldest months are normally characterized by temperature variations of between -30 and –10°C.

During the warmest months temperatures can reach 50°C in parts of Sindh, Punjab and the Balochistan Plateau. Pakistan’s temperature variations are normally seasonal, and can be summarized as follows: Mid December-March Dry and cool April-June Hot July-September Monsoon season(wet) October-November Post monsoon(hot temperatures countrywide) Natural Resources According to Sheehan & Samiuddin (2004), natural resources that may be considered economically important include coal, chromite, copper, iron, rock salt, gypsum, limestone, oil, fireclay, natural gas, silica sand and arable land.

Land Use Around 40% of the total working population in Pakistan is employed in the agricultural sector. Despite this, the per capita amount of arable land is steadily declining, and there exist huge natural obstacles to increasing the amount of agricultural land available. According to statistics published by the government in 2009, the total land area amounts to 79.6 million hectares, yet only 59.3 million hectares have been mapped and surveyed (Sheehan & Samiud