Pakistan

Pakistan is a country full of contradictions. Although it is the fifth-largest country in the world in terms of population, there is a great deal of ignorance about the country, its culture, and its people. Although the young nation has existed only since 1947, the region’s culture dates back many thousands of years. It is a truly multi-ethnic nation, where not only do many different ethnic groups live and many different languages are spoken, but where a strong national identity has also emerged over the past few decades. The country is so diverse not only because it unites such different ethnic groups as the Punjabis and Pashtuns, but also because of its varied climates and landscapes: from the high mountains and glaciers in the north, through the fertile Indus Valley in the east, to the desert regions in the south and southwest. Added to this is an eventful past that began as early as the Bronze Age, when, during the Indus Valley Civilization, the first cities were built, an early form of writing was invented, and the land was irrigated.