Pakistan: Introduction

Pakistan is a country located in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabia Sea and the Gulf of Oman and is bordered by Afghanistan, China, India, and Iran. The geography of Pakistan is diverse with the Thar Desert in the east and the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges in the north. The government system is a federal parliamentary republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Pakistan has a mixed economic system with a combination of free-market activity and government intervention. Pakistan is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).