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TERMS & NAMES
Pakistan Mangla Dam
Tarbela Dam
Punjabi
Sindhi
Urdu
MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Conflict between Muslims and Political and religious conflict
Hindus in colonial times led to the continues to make this region
creation of Pakistan. unstable.
UGUST 14
, 1947
PAKISTAN, A “I have liv
ed
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s Pa kistan depen-
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uslim n ation,” he
ra l M
Governor-
Gene sparking
says, eyes
Mohamm ed A li s been a
fire. “It ha
Jinnah cele
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er long, hard
e fo rm orth it.”
quietly. Th slim it has been w
eM u
leader of th
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as
ammed Ali Jinnah w
Place • Moh e Muslim League.
of th
the leader
History of Pakistan
Great Britain granted independence to Pakistan and India on the
same day. Both South Asian countries have a long and sometimes
common history. The Indus River flows through eastern
Pakistan, from the mountains in the north to the Arabian Sea.
This river valley was the site of one of the world’s oldest civiliza-
tions. Over time, invaders and immigrants crossed the Himalayas
and the Hindu Kush Mountains to reach this fertile area.
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Culture •
The city of
Mohenjo-Daro
thrived over
4,000 years
ago in the
Indus River
valley.
In A.D. 712, Arab Muslims brought Islam to the Indus Valley
region. Then, around the year 1000, Muslims from Central
Asia built their own kingdom in the Indus River valley. Lahore
(luh•HAWR), today one of the biggest cities in Pakistan, was the
capital of their kingdom and a major center of Muslim culture.
The British Influence In the 1600s, the British East India
Company set up trading posts in India, which then included the
region that is now Pakistan. When the Mughal Empire, which had
been ruling India, grew weak in the 1700s, the company took con-
trol of India.
With British rule, the Muslims lost power in the government,
and over time, the Hindus gained power. The Indian National
Congress was controlled by Hindus, so Muslims formed the
Muslim League in 1906 as a way of keeping some political power.
As India moved closer to independence from Great Britain, the
Muslim League, led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, called for an
independent Muslim state.
Pakistan Becomes a Nation Differences between Hindus and
Muslims led to violence. Neither the British nor the Indian
National Congress could find a way to settle the differences
between the two groups. So on August 14, 1947, at the same time
that India gained independence, Pakistan was declared a separate
Muslim nation. Millions of Muslims living in India moved to
Pakistan, and Hindus in Pakistan moved to India.
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Pakistan Divides When Pakistan became a nation, it included
two regions—East Pakistan and West Pakistan—separated from
each other by 1,000 miles. This distance made Pakistan a difficult
A. Using Maps country to rule. Although most people of East and West Pakistan
Use the map were Muslim, they had many differences. Many East Pakistanis
below to find
the locations were angry that West Pakistan was in charge of the government.
of Bangladesh War broke out between East and West Pakistan. When the war
(East Pakistan)
and Pakistan
ended, over a million people had lost their lives. In 1971, East
(West Pakistan). Pakistan became the country of Bangladesh.
The Land of Pakistan
Pakistan (once West Pakistan) is divided into four provinces:
Baluchistan, North-West Frontier, Punjab, and Sindh. Most
The Indus River
valley covers about Pakistanis live in the northeast province of Punjab. Punjab is where
386,000 square the capital, Islamabad, is located.
miles. More than
150 million people Western and northern Pakistan are dry and mountainous, with
live in this area. few river valleys suitable for farming. The provinces of Sindh and
Sixty percent of
the nation’s Punjab are less mountainous, and although there is not much
farmable land is rain, the Indus River flows through them. About two-thirds of
irrigated by the
Indus River
the people in Pakistan are farmers and herders who irrigate their
system. land with water from the Indus River.
Pakistan, 2000
NORTHERN
GEOGRAPHY NORTH- AREAS
N WEST IR
M d)
SKILLBUILDER: FEDERALLY FRONTIER te
(di A S H
ADMINISTERED u
sp
Interpreting a Map TRIBAL AREAS
K
Islamabad AZAD
1. Location • In which KASHMIR
ISLAMABAD
province is Karachi CAPITAL
s R.
located? TERRITORY
In d u
2. Location • Karachi is Lahore
the most populous city PUNJAB
in Pakistan. Why do BALUCHISTAN
you think that is?
.
us R
Ind 0 100 200 miles
0 100 200 kilometers
SINDH
National capital
Arabian
Karachi
Se a Other city
Province boundary
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River Power In 1967, Pakistan finished building the Mangla
Dam on the Jhelum River in northeast Pakistan. The dam was
built to control floodwaters and to provide hydroelectricity. In
1976, Pakistan opened one of the world’s largest dams, the
Tarbela Dam. Located on the Indus River, it is used for flood
control and irrigation. In 1994, the Tarbela Dam began to pro-
duce hydroelectricity as well.
Language and Religion
Language divides the people of Pakistan, but the
religion of Islam unites them. Each of Pakistan’s
Drawbacks to Dams Dams can four provinces has a unique culture with its own
be useful for many things, such as
irrigation and the production of
customs and languages.
electricity. Pakistan’s Mangla Dam Languages in Pakistan There are more than 20
has stopped floods from destroying
harvests (see below). Dams can also
languages spoken in Pakistan, of which Punjabi
have negative effects. When a dam is and Sindhi are the most common. Punjabi is
built, hundreds of thousands of peo- spoken mostly in rural areas, and it is usually not
ple may be forced to move because written. Urdu, which is Pakistan’s official lan-
water that is held back by the dam
covers nearby land and homes.
guage, is taught in schools. Students also learn
Fertile land can become unproduc-
their regional language. No single language is
tive because it becomes water-logged spoken by everyone in Pakistan, and in every
or because the salinity, or salt con- province many different languages are spoken.
tent, increases. Water has salt in it, Movies made in Pakistan are usually in
and the salt stays behind in the soil.
Over time, the salt content increases,
Punjabi or Urdu. The most popular newspapers
and few plants will then grow in the are in Urdu, Sindhi, or English. This variety of
soil. Wildlife suffers when rising languages has caused conflict among Pakistanis.
waters disturb their natural habitats.
In many countries, including Pakistan
and India, there has been widespread
opposition to dam building.
Culture • To read
all the signs in
Lahore, you
would need to
know several
languages.
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Religion in Pakistan The country’s official
name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. More
than 97 percent of Pakistanis are Muslim.
Public schools base their teaching on Islam.
Vocabulary Except in the homes of the wealthy and edu-
purdah: cated, women follow the rules of purdah.
the practice of
keeping women
secluded Modern Conflict in Pakistan
In 1947, when India and Pakistan became
independent, each nation claimed the region of
Kashmir. Find Kashmir on the map on page
427. This region is important to both nations
because of its water resources. India and
Pakistan have failed to reach an agreement
Culture • Benazir Bhutto became the
about the future of Kashmir. Within South leader of Pakistan in 1988. She was the
Asia, Hindus and Muslims have fought over first Muslim woman ever elected to lead
an Islamic state.
whether Kashmir should join India or Pakistan
or become independent.
Relations between Pakistan and India grew increasingly tense in
1998 when both nations tested nuclear weapons and then refused
to sign a nuclear test-ban treaty. Since then, both nations have
tested nuclear weapons and relations have not improved, though
efforts continue to be made by Pakistan and India, with help from
other nations.
SECTION ASSESSMENT
Terms & Names
1. Identify: (a) Mangla Dam (b) Tarbela Dam (c) Punjabi
(d) Sindhi (e) Urdu
Taking Notes Main Ideas Critical Thinking
2. Use a chart like the one below to 3. (a) Why was Pakistan created 4. Drawing Conclusions
outline the history of Pakistan from in 1947? Why do you think it is important
its earliest beginnings to its creation (b) Why are rivers an important for India and Pakistan to solve the
as a modern nation in 1947. natural resource in Pakistan? problem of Kashmir peacefully?
Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 (c) What religion do most Think About
Pakistanis follow? ◆ the results of conflicts between
India and Pakistan
Event 4 Event 5 Pakistan is
declared a ◆ the reason relations between the
nation.
two countries grew worse in 1998
Draw a political cartoon that shows how the use of so many languages
affects Pakistan.
India and Its Neighbors 429
