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Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area

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The Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area (Urdu:اسلام آباد۔ راولپنڈی میٹروپولیٹن علاقہ) is the fourth-largest metropolitan area of Pakistan, after Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. It consists of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.[5]

Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area
اسلام آباد۔ راولپنڈی میٹروپولیٹن علاقہ
Metropolitan area
Faisal Mosque from Daman-e-Koh
Faisal Mosque from Daman-e-Koh
Map
Coordinates: 33°38′54″N 73°03′59″E / 33.64835585418554°N 73.06637710972826°E / 33.64835585418554; 73.06637710972826
Country Pakistan
Principal citiesIslamabad, Rawalpindi
Area
[1][2]
 • Total
1,165.5 km2 (450.0 sq mi)
 Rawalpindi: 259 km2
Islamabad: 906.5 km2
Population
 (2017)[3]
 • Total
3,108,063
 • Density2,700/km2 (6,900/sq mi)
 Rawalpindi Metropolitan: 2,831,379
Islamabad Metropolitan: 2,003,368[4]
Time zonePakistan Standard Time

The area includes the Pothohar Plateau and the colonial city of Rawalpindi, as well as the modern planned city of Islamabad.[6] The region received a major boom with the construction of Islamabad as the capital city of Pakistan in the 1960s.[7]

Geography

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Islamabad and Rawalpindi are located in the Potohar Plateau in the north of Punjab, against the backdrop of the Margalla Hills.[8]

Economy

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Main articles: Economy of Islamabad and Economy of Rawalpindi

Islamabad contributes 1% to the gross domestic product of the nation, despite comprising only 0.8% of the total population.[9] Islamabad Stock Exchange was founded in 1989 and is the third-ranked stock exchange in Pakistan after the Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange.[10] The exchange had 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The stock exchange averages a daily turnover of over a million shares.[11]

As of 2012, Islamabad LTU (Large Tax Unit) was responsible for Rs 371 billion in tax revenue, which amounts to 20% of all the revenue collected by Federal Board of Revenue.[12] Islamabad has seen an expansion in information and communications technology with the addition two Software Technology Parks, which house numerous national and foreign technological and information technology companies. The tech parks are located in Evacuee Trust Complex and Awami Markaz. Awami Markaz houses 36 IT companies while Evacuee Trust houses 29 companies.[13]

The economy of Rawalpindi and the surrounding district has a diverse industrial base, but remains mainly service based. According to the general survey of industry conducted by the Directorate of Industries and Mineral Development Punjab, there are 939 industrial units operating in the district. This district is not famous for industrial goods like other districts. The progress has been mostly in the private sector. The existing industrial units provide employment to about 35,000 people, i.e., about 1.6% of the district's population is directly employed in large, medium, and small industrial units. The Technical/Vocational Training Institute operating in the district turns out about 1,974 technicians/artisans annually, trained in engineering, air conditioning, drafting, metallurgy, welding, automated knitting, telecom and commerce, etc. Jinnah Road, formerly known as City Saddar Road, is one of the busiest business markets. It could be considered as the business headquarters of northern Pakistan; including retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers, it comprises daily cash flow of approximately more than 1 billion rupees [clarification needed]There are more than nine banks on the road, and more are expected to open soon. This shows how important Jinnah Road is to the country.[14] Being an expensive city, the prices of most fruits, vegetable, and poultry items increased in Islamabad during the years 2015–2020.[15]

Infrastructure

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The metropolitan area is connected by a network of highways to the rest of the country. Within the area, the Islamabad Highway and Srinagar Highway provide the primary link between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The area is divided by the Grand Trunk Road, which connects the region with Lahore and Peshawar. The area is connected to the rest of the country via the freeway network of Pakistan. The M-1 freeway connects in the north to Peshawar, while the M-2 freeway connects it southwards to Lahore, from where the network eventually connects it to the port city of Karachi.[16]

The area is also connected to the Pakistan Railways' national railway network. The area is served by Islamabad International Airport, which is one of the largest airports in Pakistan. It has a capacity of serving 9 million passengers per year,[17] which can be increased to up to 25 million if required.[18] The Civil Aviation Authority has plans to acquire more land for the development of a third runway. It is one of the two airports in Pakistan capable of landing the Airbus A380 along with the New Gwadar International Airport which is also capable of landing the Airbus A380

The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 24 km (14.9 mi) bus rapid transit system that serves the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad within the larger metropolitan area. It uses dedicated bus lanes for all of its routes, covering 24 bus stations.

Politics

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The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad, which serves as the seat of the federal government and is the countries political center. Pakistan's military headquarters are located in Rawalpindi, which has been important historically.[19] Rawalpindi also temporarily served as the federal capital when Islamabad was being built in the 1960s, to replace Karachi as the capital.[20]

Demographics

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Urban Area Province Population Type
Islamabad Islamabad Capital Territory 1,014,825[21] Capital city
Golra Sharif Islamabad Capital Territory 143,000 Town
Nilore Islamabad Capital Territory 132,000 Town
Defence Islamabad Capital Territory (part), Punjab (part) - Gated community
Rawalpindi Punjab 2,098,231[21] Major city
Bahria Town Punjab 120,000[22] Gated community
Wah Cantonment Punjab 350,000[23] Garrison Town /Cantonment Board
Taxila Punjab 677,951[24] Town
Gujar Khan Punjab 678,503[24] Town
Murree Punjab 233,471[24] Hill station
Kahuta Punjab 220,000[24] Town

References

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  1. ^ http://peshawar.dc.phc.gov.pk/PublicPages/HistoryOfDistrict.aspx [dead link‍]
  2. ^ http://www.kbs.gov.pk/content/district-glance-islamabad [dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". citypopulation.de.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Dec 30, 2016 | Un-identical twins". Dawn. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  6. ^ Rashid, Hashim bin (2014-03-24). "Islamabad's 'stain'". Dawn. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  7. ^ Mass, Leslie Noyes (2011-10-15). Back to Pakistan: A Fifty-Year Journey. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 170. ISBN 9781442213197.
  8. ^ Hull, Matthew S. (5 June 2012). Government of Paper: The Materiality of Bureaucracy in Urban Pakistan. University of California Press. p. 34. ISBN 9780520951884.
  9. ^ Burki, Shahid Javed (5 January 2010). "Economics and extremism". Dawn. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Pakistan Stock Exchanges". Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  11. ^ "About ISE". Islamabad Stock Exchange. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17.
  12. ^ "Rs 371bn revenue target: FBR hails LTU Islamabad's performance". Business Recorder. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  13. ^ Pakistan Software Export Board. "Islamabad". Archived from the original on 2010-05-05.
  14. ^ "Furniture". Scribd. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  15. ^ "Retail Prices of Vegetables, Fruits, and Poultry in Islamabad from 2015-2020". Deliver It – Online Grocery Store in Islamabad. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14.
  16. ^ "NHA's Interactive Map (DRAFT)". Google My Maps. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  17. ^ "Islamabad International Airport - IIAP - اسلام آباد انٹرنیشنل ائیرپورٹ". Islamabad International Airport. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  18. ^ "'Nothing is impossible': PM Abbasi inaugurates Islamabad International Airport". Dawn. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  19. ^ King, John S.; Mayhew, Bradley (1998). Karakoram Highway. Lonely Planet. p. 233. ISBN 9780864425317.
  20. ^ Camerapix (1989). Spectrum Guide to Pakistan. Facts on File. p. 229. ISBN 9780816021260.
  21. ^ a b "Provisional Summary Results of 6th Population and Housing Census-2017 | Pakistan Bureau of Statistics". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  22. ^ Ali, Fahim Zaman | Naziha Syed (2016-04-18). "Bahria Town Karachi: Greed unlimited". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  23. ^ Iqbal, Amjad (2015-04-29). "Wah Cantt election statistics reveal interesting trends". Dawn. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  24. ^ a b c d "Provisional Summary Results of 6th Population and Housing Census-2017". http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/ Archived 2017-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
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