constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
Independence date
14 August 1947 (from British India)
Religions
Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shia 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Exports
textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs
External Debt
$55,980,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar - 70.64 (2008 est.), 60.6295 (2007), 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Area
796,095 km sq
26 km sq
Coastline
1,046 km
24 km
Climate
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
