Pakistan,a diverse land of soaring mountains, hot sand dunes, arid plateaus and fertile river valleys

Official name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Size: 310,400 square miles (803,940 square kilometers); a little smaller than twice the size of California

Population: 165,803,560 as of July 2006

Capital: Islamabad

Official Language: Urdu and English

Currency: Pakistan rupee

Climate: Mostly hot and dry in the south; mild in the northwest; frigid in the mountains

Products: Cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruit, mutton, textiles and clothes, food, chemicals, paper products, fertilizer

Did you know?:

* Eye-catching designs cover many Pakistani trucks and buses. The mobile art galleries attract passengers and customers.

* Pakistan produces some of the world’s finest fabrics. Each region of the country has its own style of embroidery. Geometric shapes, landscapes and flowers are common patterns.

* Some 70% of Pakistan’s population lives in rural areas.