Islamabad Islamabad John Wozniak Category="Capitals in Asia"Category="Cities in Pakistan"Category="Planned cities"Islamabad (Urdu: ‏اسلام آباد, population 810,000) is the capital city of Pakistan, located in the Potwar Plateau, north-east of the country. It is located within the Islamabad Capital Territory, though the area has historically been a part of the crossroads of the Punjab region and the North-West Frontier Province (the Margalla pass being a historic gateway to the North-West Frontier Province, and the Potwar plateau historically a part of the Punjab). Islamabad is located at 33°40′ N 73°10′ E.

It was hit by an Earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on Richter scale on 8 October 2005; see 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

Geography and climate

The city is situated at the edge of the Potwar plateau, south of the Margalla hills. The modern capital Islamabad and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side, displaying the country’s past and present. The area's micro-climate is regulated by three man-made lakes (Rawal, Simli and Khanpur). The city has hot summers (though not as hot as other areas) with Monsoon rains occurring during July and August. During the winters, even on the few days when pre-dawn temperatures fall below freezing, the afternoons are usually sunny and mild - in the coldest month, January, the average daily maximum temperature is 16°C (61°F).

History

From independence until 1958 Pakistan's capital was Karachi in Sindh in the far south. Worries about the concentration of investment and development in that city are said to have led to the idea of building a new capital in a different location. During the administration of Pakistani President Ayub Khan, a site immediately north of Rawalpindi was chosen. Rawalpindi was designated as the temporary capital. Work on the new capital started during the 1960s. [image] The planning and construction was largely headed by the Greek urban planner Constantinos A. Doxiadis. His plan revolved around the building of the city in sectors, each containing four sub-sectors separated by green belts and parks. There was a strong emphasis on greenery and open space. When Islamabad was finally built growth was slow - the government did not fully relocate to the city from Rawalpindi until the 1980s. During this time the capital's population was small, at around 250,000. This changed dramatically during the 1990s with the population increasing, instigating the building of new sectors.

Tourism and sightseeing

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Sightseeing

For sightseeing, the views from the sculpted gardens of Islamabad's Shakparian Hill, the fascinating Heritage Museum and huge marble Shah Faisal Mosque are highlights of the modern city. To the west of Islamabad is the Buddhist site of Taxila, dating from 500BC. The sculptures show a strong Greek influence, a result of Alexander the Great's journey through the region.The commercial center of the city is known as the Blue Area running along the length of Jinnah Avenue. Its eastern end runs into Parliament Road, where the majority of government buildings are located.

The city is very green, with much afforestation of what was formerly scrub forest and open ground. The city's Climate has enabled many exotic plants to be introduced to the area. There is also much wildlife in the north in the Margallas, which have been turned into a National park.

Architecture

Islamabad's Architecture walks a tight-rope between modernity and tradition.The Saudi-Pak Tower is a good example of modern and traditional in one building. The city is home to the Faisal Mosque, which is well-known for its architecture and immense size. Quaid-i-Azam University is also located in the capital city along with numerous government buildings and foreign embassies such as the National Assembly building, the Supreme Court building and the President's Official residence. Another landmark is a giant silver-colored Globe Statue, installed in 2004 to mark Pakistan's hosting of that year's SAARC Summit.

Tourist attractions and facilities

Shah Faisal Mosque, Margalla Hills, Daman-e-Koh, Shaker Parrian, Golra Sharif, Lotus Lake , Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Islamabad Museum, Islamabad Zoo, Lok Virsa Museum, Supreme Court of Pakistan, National Parliament of Pakistan, Japanese Park, China town, Chattar bagh, Fatima Jinnah Park,

Hotels and other facilities

Marriott Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel, Serena Hotel

Universities in Islamabad

  1. Quaid-i-Azam University (in sector G-4)
  2. International Islamic University (in sector H-10)
  3. Allama Iqbal Open University (in Sector H-8)
  4. National University of Modern Languages (in Sector H-9)
  5. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology www.ciit.edu.pk (in Sector H-9)
  6. Federal Urdu University of Arts,Science and Technology (in Sector G-7)
  7. National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences(FAST-NUCES) (in Sector H-11)
  8. Air University (in Sector E)
  9. Bahria University (in Sector E)
  10. Al-Huda University (in Sector H-11)
  11. SZABIST (in Sector F8)

External links