May 8, 2023
Islamabad Ciy Profile by Directory Pakistan:
Introduction to City:
The name Islamabad means City of Islam. It is derived from two words: Islam and abad. Islam refers to the religion of Islam, Pakistan’s state religion, and -abad is a Persian suffix meaning cultivated place, indicating an inhabited place or city.According to a history book by Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh, a school teacher from Arifwala known as Qazi Abdur Rehman Amritsari proposed the name of the city.
Occasionally in writing, Islamabad is colloquially abbreviated ISB. Such usage originated in SMS language, in part due to the IATA location identifier for the Islamabad International Airport.
14 kms north east of Rawalpindi on the north eastern fringe of the Potohar plateau of the province of Punjab.
Map Refrence of the Area:
Northern latitudes 33o 49′ and longtitudes 72o 24′ east of Greenwhich.
Altitude:
Lying at altitudes ranging from 457 to 610 metres.
Area:
The area of Islamabad is 906.50 square kilometres. A further 3626 square kilometres area is known as the Specified Area, with the Margala Hills in the north and northeast.
Islamabad city is divided into five major zones: Zone I, Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV, & Zone V. Zone IV is the largest in area while Zone I is the largest developed residential area. Zone 1 is divided into sectors. Each residential sector is identified by a letter of the alphabet and a number, and covers an area of approximately 2 km × 2 km.
Total Area 906.50 sq. km
Islamabad Urban Area 220.15 sq. km
Islamabad Rural Area 466.20 sq. km
Islamabad Park 220.15 sq. km
Climate of Islamabad:
Islamabad features an atypical version of a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers accompanied by a monsoon season followed by cool winters.
Seasons Avg. High Avg Low
Winter (Oct-Mar) 16.6 oC 3.4 oC
Summer (Apr-Sept) 34.2 oC 24.4 oC
Year Average 28.5 oC 14.1 oC
Rainfall:
Average yearly rainfall 1143 milimetres.
Humidity:
Average yearly humidity: 55%
Islamabad and Surrounding Areas:
Islamabad is located at 33.43°N 73.04°E at the northern edge of the Pothohar Plateau and at the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad Capital Territory. Its elevation is 540 metres (1,770 ft). The modern capital and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi form a conurbation, and are commonly referred to as the Twin Cities.
To the northeast of the city lies the colonial era hill station of Murree, and to the north lies the Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Kahuta lies on the southeast, Taxila, WahCantt, and Attock District to the northwest, Gujar Khan, Rawat, and Mandrah on the southeast, and the metropolis of Rawalpindi to the south and southwest. Islamabad is located 120 kilometres (75 mi) SSW of Muzaffarabad, 185 kilometres (115 mi) east of Peshawar and 295 kilometres (183 mi) NNW of Lahore.
Demographics:
It has the largest expatriate and foreigner population in the city. The reasons are simple: its inviting and reasonably temperate climate, its lush green scenery and excellent basic infrastructure
The city is also a stopping point for tourists who desire to proceed to the Northern Areas of the country for trekking, hiking, adventure sports and mountaineering
Since the city has been growing into a major business and commerce centre, it has attracted a large highly skilled workforce from other major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Quetta
All of the country’s diplomatic ties are maintained and exercised from Islamabad, as all major embassies, consulates and missions are operating from the city, as is the Foreign Office.
Islamabad and Migrants:
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Islamabad is home to many migrants from other regions of Pakistan and has a cultural and religious diversity of considerable antiquity. Due to its location on the Pothohar Plateau, remnants of ancient cultures and civilisations such as Aryan, Soanian, and Indus Valley civilisation can still be found in the region. A 15th-century Gakhar fort, Pharwala Fort is located near Islamabad. Rawat Fort in the region was built by the Gakhars in 16th century and contains the grave of the Gakhar chief, Sultan Sarang Khan.
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Saidpur village is supposedly named after Said Khan, the son of Sarang Khan. The 500-year-old village was converted into a place of Hindu worship by a Mughal commander, Raja Man Singh. He constructed a number of small ponds: Rama kunda, Sitakunda, Lakshamankunda, and Hanuman kunda. The region is home to a small Hindu temple that is preserved, showing the presence of Hindu people in the region.
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The shrine of Sufi mystic PirMeher Ali Shah is located at Golra Sharif, which has a rich cultural heritage of the pre-Islamic period. Archaeological remains of the Buddhist era can also still be found in the region.
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The shrine of Bari Imam was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Thousands of devotees from across Pakistan attend the annual Urs of Bari Imam. The event is one of the largest religious gatherings in Islamabad.
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The LokVirsa Museum in Islamabad preserves a wide variety of expressions of folk and traditional cultural legacy of Pakistan.
Islamabad Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
Islamabad having only 0.8% of the country’s population, it contributes 1% to the country’s GDP. Islamabad is Pakistan’s most Islamabad is a net contributor to the Pakistani economy, as whilst having only 0.8% of the country’s population, it contributes 1% to the country’s GDP.Islamabad Stock Exchange, founded in 1989, is Pakistan’s third largest stock exchange after Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange, and was merged to form Pakistan Stock Exchange. The exchange had 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The average daily turnover of the stock exchange is over 1 million shares.
According to the World Bank’s Doing Business Report of 2010, Islamabad was ranked as the best place to start a business in Pakistan.Islamabad’s businesses are Pakistan’s most compliant for paying tax dues. 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.
Role of Islamabad in Technology:
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. Some jobs have relocated from India to Islamabad.Awami Markaz IT Park houses 36 IT companies, while Evacuee Trust house 29 companies.Islamabad will see its third IT Park by 2020, which will be built with assistance from South.
Islamabad Police:
Capital Territory Police also known as the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, is a police force formed in 1981 to police Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan under administrative control of the Chief Commissioner, Islamabad Capital Territory Administration.The force is headed by a senior officer (BS-21) of the Police Service of Pakistan, who serves as the Inspector General of the law enforcement agency.
Education Sector of Islamabad:
Some famous universities of Islamabad are:
Universities and colleges in Islamabad Capital Territory
NUST
COMSATS University Islamabad
International Islamic University
Mohammad Ali Jinnah University
Quaid-i-Azam University
Bahria University
Air University
SZABIST
University College of Islamabad
National University of Modern Languages
Islamabad and Health Sector:
Islamabad has the lowest rate of infant mortality in the country at 38 deaths per thousand compared to the national average of 78 deaths per thousand.Islamabad has both public and private medical centres.
The largest hospital in Islamabad is Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital. It was established in 1985 as a teaching and doctor training institute. PIMS functions as a National Reference Center and provides specialised diagnostic and curative services.
The Children’s Hospital is a 230-bed hospital completed in 1985. It contains six major facilities.
Capital Investigation Agency:
CIA is the investigation wing of Islamabad Capital Territory Police working under supervision of an SP. It is responsible for tracing out heinous cases referred to it by SSP Islamabad. Its office is located at I-9 Markaz and presently DSP Bashir Noon is heading the wing with 70 officers. Many high-profile and important cases have been traced out by CIA. The wing has developed specialized skills over the years to locate gangs.
Federal Investigation Agency:
Federal Investigation Agency is the premier agency of Pakistan at national level to investigate federal crimes. These include transnational organized crime, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, cybercrimes, money laundering, terrorism financing, intellectual .property rights and electronic & physical bank frauds.
Islamabad and Sports Sector:
Islamabad has a multipurpose sports complex opposite Aabpara. It includes Liaquat Gymnasium for indoor games, Mushaf Squash Complex and Jinnah Sports Stadium for outdoor games, which is a venue for regular national and international events.
There is another multipurpose sports complex in the F6 Markaz. It has tennis courts, a basketball court with fibre-glass boards and a Futsal ground which introduced artificial turf to the people of Islamabad.
Islamabad International Airport:
Islamabad is connected to major destinations around the world and domestically through Islamabad International Airport (IIAP).The airport is the largest in Pakistan and is located south-west of Islamabad. The new airport inaugurated on 20 April 2018, spread over 19 square kilometers with 15 passenger boarding bridges, including facilities to accommodate two double-decker Airbus A380s, the world’s largest airplane, 15 remote bays and 3 remote bays for Air cargo.
Public transport:
Islamabad Metro Bus
The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro bus is a 83.6 km (51.9 mi) bus rapid transit system operating in the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area. The Metro bus network’s first phase was opened on 4 June 2015, and stretches 22.5 kilometres between Pak Secretariat, in Islamabad, and Saddar in Rawalpindi. The second stage stretches 25.6 kilometres between the Peshawar Morr Interchange and New Islamabad International Airport and was inaugurated on 18th April 2022.
Islamabad Railway:
The city is served by Pakistan Railways at Islamabad railway station.
Private transport:
People use private transport like Taxis, Careem, Uber, Bykea, and SWVL for local journeys. In March 2016, Careem became functional in Islamabad and Rawalpindi with taxi services.
Important Roadways:
M-2 Motorway Pakistan
M-2 Motorway is 367 km (228 mi) long and connect Islamabad and Lahore.M-1 Motorway connects Islamabad with Peshawar and is 155 km (96 mi) long.Islamabad is linked to Rawalpindi through the Faizabad Interchange, which has a daily traffic volume of about 48,000 vehicles.
Literacy Rate of Islamabad:
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.Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan, at 88%.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. The labour force of Islamabad is 185,213 and the unemployment.
Housing Societies in Islamabad:
Islamabad has been providing the best services and facilities in terms of housing societies.
- Blue World City
- Islamabad Golf City
- Kingdom Valley
- Capital Smart City
- Parkview City
Other Reputed Housing Societies.
- Faisal Town
- Gandhara City
- Top City
- Mumtaz City
- University Town
- Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS)
- Life Residency in Islamabad
- Taj Residency
