Digraph: ZN
*Pacific Ocean, Economy
Overview:
The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and
particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides
low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing
grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the
construction industry. In 1985 over half (54%) of the world's total fish
catch came from the Pacific Ocean, which is the only ocean where the fish
catch has increased every year since 1978. Exploitation of offshore oil and
gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of
Australia, New Zealand, China, US, and Peru. The high cost of recovering
offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil
since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.
Industries:
fishing, oil and gas production
*Pacific Ocean, Communications
Ports:
Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan
(South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China),
Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ),
Yokohama (Japan)
Telecommunications:
several submarine cables with network nodal points on Guam and Hawaii
*Pakistan, Geography
Location:
South Asia, along the Arabian Sea, between India and Afghanistan
Map references:
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
803,940 km2
land area:
778,720 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909
km
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
status of Kashmir with India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand
Line); water-sharing problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with upstream
riparian India
Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan
plateau in west
Natural resources:
land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal,
iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
26%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
6%
forest and woodland:
4%
other:
64%
Irrigated land:
162,200 km2 (1989)
Environment:
frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west;
flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August); deforestation;
soil erosion; desertification; water logging
Note:
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between
Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
*Pakistan, People
Population:
125,213,732 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.87% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
42.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
12.6 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
103.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population:
57.11 years
male:
56.54 years
female:
57.72 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.5 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Pakistani(s)
adjective:
Pakistani
Ethnic divisions:
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India
and their descendents)
Religions:
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages:
Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and
most government ministries, but official policies are promoting its gradual
replacement by Urdu), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 7%, Balochi
and other 9%
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
35%
male:
47%
female:
21%
Labor force:
28.9 million
by occupation:
agriculture 54%, mining and manufacturing 13%, services 33%, extensive
export of labor (1987 est.)
*Pakistan, Government